《Planet Plume》


 Chapter 1: First Day in an Old World

    Chapter 1: First Day in an Old World


    An uncomfortable sensation welled up in the pit of his stomach. Flies buzzed all around his body. Something sticky and disgusting clung to his skin. He felt smothered. Drowning, suffocating, he could hardly breathe. Images of maggots and rotting oranges floated through his head.


    Theodore Harp woke up with a start.


    Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. The vibrant blue of the sky and the lush green of the forest went completely unnoticed, as he clamped a hand over his mouth and resisted the urge to gag. His expression was ugly, while his face turned pale and green. One second, two seconds, after five seconds passed, he doubled over and vomited.


    He kept vomiting until he completely emptied out everything in his stomach, which in all honesty, did not amount to much. His hands were stained with gastric acid, while a wet layer of saliva dripped out from his parted lips.


    His vision spun. A wave of nausea washed over him.


    Eventually, he rolled onto his back and absentmindedly stared up at the sky. Weariness and fatigue were etched all over his face. Rays of light seeped in through the cracks of the canopy. Behind the treetops, he could just barely make out the bright blue canvas that covered the world. Swirls of white peacefully drifted across the sky.


    ¡°¡­What the hell smells so bad?¡± He mumbled out through the bile stuck in-between his gums.


    It was a smell like death, but only if death had rolled around in a pit of pig shit then dumped a cocktail of expired milk and cockroach puree all over its head. Vile, putrid, rancid, foul, he was running out of words to describe exactly how bad it smelled.


    It completely overpowered the rest of his senses and even threatened to steal away his consciousness.


    He pinched his nose and warily looked around his surroundings. Nothing but endless cypress trees and a forest floor littered entirely in dead leaves and dried twigs. His frown grew even uglier. He could not, for the life of him, figure out where that horrible stench was coming from.


    After a few more seconds of bloodshot searching, an odd expression colored his face.


    He felt a certain sense of familiarity with his surroundings. He knew this place, he had been here before¡­ that was what his subconscious was telling him, but that was wrong. In the last twenty-five years, he could not recall ever being in a place like this.


    So, why then? Where did this uncanny familiarity come from? Why was this place so familiar?


    He hesitated for a moment, before he sniffed the air. Again, that smell hit him like a runaway freight train, but this time he was ready for it. He resisted the urge to gag and sniffed again. This time, he noticed the smell. It was like a perpetual thundercloud that rained on him and him alone. The smell was coming directly from his body.


    He scrunched up his nose and reflexively scowled. ¡°Why the hell do I smell so bad?!¡±


    For the first time, he closely inspected his body. A regular sized build with hardly any muscle definition. Thin fingers, pale olive colored skin, and a mess of black hair that constantly covered his eyes¡­ Nothing out of the ordinary, that is until he noticed his clothes.


    A brownish button up shirt coated in varying degrees of filth and decay. It was matched with a pair of dark navy-blue pants. The pants were in a somewhat better condition than the shirt, but that was only relatively speaking. They were probably once dress pants, but right now, they resembled tacky ripped jeans doused in shit.


    ¡°Wait, whose clothes are these?¡± He exclaimed loudly as he jumped up and frantically pawed at his own body. The strangeness of the situation spooked him, and the thought of these filth ridden fabrics pressing up against his skin sent a cold shiver running down his spine.


    Why was he wearing all this? Where was his usual outfit?


    ¡°Who took my armor? Where the hell is my sword?! Even my spatial ring is gone!¡±


    Upon seeing his empty ringless fingers, Theo truly began to panic.


    He had a bad habit of hoarding all of his possessions in one place. From the medicinal herbs that he picked up off the roadside, to the mountains of gold coins whose worth rivaled that of an empire¡¯s entire treasury, everything had been neatly tucked away inside that spatial ring of his.


    Without it, he was essentially naked, no better than a beggar within the slums of Aslan Kingdom¡¯s royal capital.


    Thinking of all the artifacts and treasured weapons that he had painstakingly gathered, a profound bitterness spread through his heart.


    ¡°What the hell is going on!?¡± He shouted out loud for the world to hear, as he grabbed at his ruined shirt in desperation. Just as he was about to rip the clothes off from his body, he suddenly stopped. His shoulders trembled. He stared piercingly at the emblem stitched to his shirt¡¯s breast pocket.


    The emblem was caked in so much dirt and filth that it was almost impossible to make out, but nevertheless, he recognized it. A black outline in the shape of an opened book. In the middle, there was a pudgy white bird flapping its wings over an entirely red background.


    The emblem of the fat dove. Of course, other than the students, nobody really called it that. It was the emblem of a certain high-school that he once attended. If it was only just that, he wouldn¡¯t be so surprised, but there was one problem; that high school was somewhere back on Plume, his original world.


    Theo wasn¡¯t on Plume, or rather, he shouldn¡¯t be on Plume. So why? Why was this familiar emblem etched onto a shirt that looked as if it hadn¡¯t been washed in over two decades?


    He hesitated for a moment. His thoughts were currently in chaos. His fingers moved to the stitch marks that connected the right sleeve of his shirt. It was faint, but unlike the rest of the shirt, the stitches here were of black thread.


    He recalled faintly that he had once ripped his uniform. At the time, his family¡¯s financial situation wasn¡¯t the best, so instead of going out and buying a new shirt, his aunt opted to patch it up herself. Back then, she had used black thread, which stood out all the more amidst the white fabric of the shirt.


    ¡°This¡­ is this really my old school uniform?¡± He was a bit hesitant to admit it, but after finding that neatly done stitch mark, he could do nothing but accept the truth.


    Once he had acknowledged this fact, the questions came pouring out. ¡°How did I get back here? Am I really on Plume again? I haven¡¯t seen this thing in over two decades, why am I suddenly wearing it now? Why does it smell so much?¡±


    He spoke out loud, half-hoping that somebody might answer his calls. Unfortunately, no otherworldly voice responded back. Only a quiet forest and a peaceful blue sky.


    ¡°Wait a minute, a blue sky?¡± Theo¡¯s eyes narrowed. That shouldn¡¯t be right. The sky he was used to was one colored in pale green. It had two moons and one bright red star that glowed regardless of day or night. During the mornings, the sky appeared violet, while at night, it was colored a dark indigo. Why was it suddenly blue now?


    The last blue sky he had seen was the one back on his home world. Twenty-five years back, to be exact.


    ¡°Am I really back?¡± His voice was like a quiet whisper. Amidst the silence of the forest, one could even make out the slight tremble in his throat. ¡°Am I seriously back on Plume?¡±


    For a moment, he simply sat there, stupefied by his own conclusion. He truly found it hard to believe. Plume had long since become a faraway memory for him, something that he had once idealized as unreachable and illusionary. Now, staring at the familiar forest, the nostalgic blue sky, and the broken emblem on his chest, there was almost no doubt in his mind.


    He had returned.


    Upon confirming this, Theo suddenly doubled over. This time, he did not vomit, instead, tears came pouring out of his eyes. He had not cried in over ten years, but today, at this moment, he cried his heart out. The tears were not ones of sadness nor grief, but rather, they were of pure unadulterated joy.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°FUCK YES!¡± His hoarse voice echoed through the forest. ¡°FUCK THAT SHITTY WORLD! I¡¯M FREE, I¡¯M FINALLY FUCKING FREE!¡± A flock of birds suddenly flew out in a panic, as he screamed with as much force as he could possibly muster.


    ****


    Theodore Harp was originally from a place called Plume. A long time ago, roughly twenty-five years, he was summoned to the fantastical otherworld of Mistelhan. That world was a typical swords and magic sort of world, and he had been summoned in order to act out the role of Hero. Essentially, he was the chosen one, fated to save Mistelhan from evil, and destined to slay the tyrannical Demon King.


    It was the typical run-of-the-mill plotline that you¡¯d find on the synopsis page of any unoriginal web novel. Despite their cookie cutter contents, Theo had been quite a fan of such stories, so one could only imagine his delight when he suddenly found himself as the protagonist of one.


    And for the most part, he lived a life reminiscent of those stories.


    He toured a vast world reminiscent of fantasy novels and enjoyed a life of adventure and heroism. He battled it out against hordes of hideous Ogres and schemed against corrupted nobles. He stole treasures from an Ancient Dragon¡¯s lair, and then subsequently slew said dragon immediately afterward. Saving villages, curing incurable diseases, and preventing one-thousand-year-old curses, he had truly done it all. Well, almost all.


    You see, despite all of that, there was one important reason why he hated that world.


    The main reason why Theo was able to adapt so well, and readily accept his abnormal situation, was primarily because he held expectations within his heart of a rose-tinted romance. Basically, he was a youth driven by lust.


    Beautiful princesses, bossy female knights, boyish crossdressing female rogues, sanctimonious priestess, alluring dancers, he had expected to get with at least one of these archetypes, and even held some hope of forming his own harem of sorts. Unfortunately, to his disappointment, reality wasn¡¯t so kind.


    Guys, guys, guys, and even more guys.


    Instead of a beautiful fantasy, he was met with twenty years of testosterone-fueled hell.


    Princes with hatefully handsome faces, arrogantly popular knights, hypocritical gentlemen thieves, barbarian swordsmen, broody anti-heroes, it was a cast so terrible that he wanted to personally torture and maim whoever came up with such a horrible lineup.


    And to make matters worse, his own party, which he had once dreamed of filling with cute and beautiful girls, consisted only of sweaty muscle-clad men. What¡¯s more, he sometimes felt spine-shivering stares from a few of those men. He did not even want to imagine what the hell they were thinking about with those starry-eyed gazes of theirs.


    He wanted to cry.


    Remembering it all now, he seriously wanted to cry.


    He had arrived on that world when he was only seventeen, a time when his mind consisted of fifty percent sex and fifty percent girls. Although he had mellowed out over the years, he still carried that faint childish desire deep within his heart. Living in that world, living in Mistelhan, living in that sort of situation, it was honestly torture.


    He truly lived a hateful existence.


    Whenever he wanted to flirt and get along with the local girls, something would always, without fail, interrupt him. For example, just when he was about to receive the gratitude of the village chief¡¯s daughter, an army of ogres suddenly attacked the kingdom¡¯s border. Another time involved a cute tavern girl of a certain city. She had wanted to give Theo a little ¡®reward¡¯ for saving her family¡¯s inn from a group of unruly bandits, but just when they were about to march on up to the bedroom, an evil cult suddenly invaded the city.


    Even when he finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and went to a brothel to release all of his pent-up frustrations, not a second after he stepped through their doors, his party members suddenly dragged him back out, raving on about some world-ending dragon hovering over the townscape.


    It was as if the whole world had it out for him! If he so much as breathed near a woman, you bet your ass that the universe would be there to spit on his face and drag dirt through his hair.


    The most frustrating event happened during the final crusade on the Demon King¡¯s castle.


    To his utter surprise, the final boss and legendary scourge of Mistelhan was, in fact, a seriously beautiful mature-looking demoness. When he first arrived at her castle, he had originally wanted to flirt with her and settle things through a less¡­ ¡®violent¡¯ method. Unfortunately, before he could properly woo her with his imaginary charm, his damned party suddenly fired off their strongest special moves.


    He was forced to do battle, all the while he kept insisting, pushing for peaceful negotiations, preferably those done in the bedroom. Of course, he was ignored and, in the end, he accidentally killed her. His only reward for saving the world was a group bear hug, courtesy of his entirely male party.


    Feeling the ground beneath his feet, smelling the horrid scent of his clothes, and staring up at the blue sky above his head, Theo felt unimaginably happy right now.


    Theo thought himself a bit more mature than his past seventeen-year-old self. The impressionable him of that time only cared about girls and looking cool in front of girls. His extended stay in Mistelhan had humbled him, or rather, that shitty world had broken his heart and spirit. Now, despite returning to Plume, he did not expect to suddenly live a rose-colored life. Heck, even getting a girlfriend was already a stretch.


    No, as long as he could peacefully watch and occasionally interact with those of the opposite sex, then Theo would be satisfied.


    Delighted by his future prospects, a goofy smile stretched his lips. He would have started jumping up and down in celebration, had he not suddenly remembered something.


    ¡°In the end, how the heck did I get back here?¡± He tried recalling the last bits of memory he had on Mistelhan.


    It happened shortly after the final battle.


    Unsatisfied by how things had turned out, Theo turned to the castle, intent on healing his heart through the treasures that it offered. You see, in order to cope with the stress of his daily life, Theo developed a hoarder¡¯s mentality. Decorative swords to rare medicinal ingredients, ancient relics to monster corpses, he collected it all. In truth, it was a bad habit that had cost him quite a bit of time and money, and he had been meaning to kick it to the curb one day, but once again, he had fallen into temptation.


    He remembered now. Theo was in the Demon King¡¯s bedroom. He had been searching for treasures and stumbled upon a dresser that looked like it was hiding something valuable. Of course, he was expecting ancient artifacts, but stumbling upon a pair of panties or two wasn¡¯t bad either. When he opened the dresser, instead of artifacts or underwear, he found a crystal.


    It was black and opaque. It looked quite valuable and resembled the centerpiece on the Demon King¡¯s crown. Just as he inspected the item and injected some of his energy inside, the crystal suddenly cracked. A spatial wormhole appeared out of thin air and sucked him inside. He lost consciousness shortly afterward.


    ¡°That crystal should be the reason why I¡¯m here.¡± He quickly surmised. ¡°For a final reward, it was a little lackluster, but at least they had the decency to send me back home.¡± He inwardly critiqued the rewards system of that shitty world. Still, since he got what he wanted, he did not feel like pursuing legal action against whatever god or author directed this script.


    Pushing the issue to the back of his mind, Theo eventually stood up and dusted himself off. Of course, his actions were meaningless, on account of the clothes he was wearing, but it was more done out of habit than anything else.


    He slowly scanned his surroundings. The years he spent on Mistelhan had taught him how to remain calm, and maintain his composure. Often times, he truly believed that his most important strength was his ability to analyze whatever situation he found himself in. Even if he was back on Plume, the habits built by years of experience would not so easily disappear.


    Shifting through his memories and taking into consideration the surrounding environment, he quickly deduced his location. Right now, he should be somewhere on Harwick Mountains. It was a small mountain range located to the north of Harwick city. The locals often called it Lake Mountain Valley, for it was rumored that there existed a beautiful lake somewhere in the heart of the mountains.


    Although the exact location was off, it was the general area of where he had gone missing all those years back.


    If he remembered correctly, then there should be a hiking trail somewhere downhill.


    With that, everything became much simpler. Theo first decided to head into the city and get a concrete bearing on his current situation. Twenty-five years had passed since he first went missing. Although he had once been a hero, on Plume, he was simply an aimless man with no education or money. With his qualifications, what could he do? Where could he go? Even going back to his family¡­ would she even still accept him?


    He was inwardly concerned, but he did not put too much thought into the matter. Living on Mistelhan had given him a strong mental fortitude. Rather, his greatest concern right now revolved around his attire.


    What would happen if he were to walk into the city dressed in rags and smelling like shit?


    Even hobos weren¡¯t as badly dressed as he was. A part of him wanted to throw his clothes away and burn the fabrics to ash, but unfortunately, these were the only clothes he owned. Unless he could stomach running around the city naked, then there wasn¡¯t much he could do.


    ¡°If only I had my spatial ring with me, then I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer such an injustice¡­¡± He regrettably muttered to himself, as he stroked his empty finger longingly.


    For all the joy he felt about returning to Plume, there also existed a certain sense of loss.


    The loss of all of his precious items and artifacts was a given, but the thing that truly took a toll on his heart was the loss of his previous strength. He noticed this fairly late, but his current self was weak, or rather, it was back to normal. As a hero, Theo naturally possessed inhuman strength and quite a few mystical abilities. He lost all of that.


    Theo¡¯s current guess was that the process between transferring worlds sapped away all of his energy and even some of his physical body¡¯s vitality. No, it was even more than that. If felt as if he was in an entirely fresh body, free of any training or enhancement.


    It essentially turned him human again. In fact, he was even weaker than a normal human.


    After years of being strong and mighty, turning back into a regular person made him feel¡­ vulnerable. He had learned a long time ago that in order to protect the things that he loved, there existed certain requirements. One such requirement was strength. Although Plume was relatively more peaceful than Mistelhan, the same sort of rules still applied, even if it was to a much looser extent.


    He vowed then and there to find a way to increase his current standard. He did not expect to return to his peak, but being stronger than what he was now was a good a start as any.


    Unfortunately, in order to do that, he needed a considerable amount of resources. Securing those resources might be a bit of a problem for the current him.


    After thinking about it for a few seconds, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just get off this mountain. I¡¯ll figure things out along the way.¡±


    With those words in mind, Theo walked down the mountain and began his search for the nearest hiking trail.

 Chapter 2: Down from the Mountain and Into the City

    Chapter 2: Down from the Mountain and Into the City


    At the base of the mountain, Theo found himself standing in the middle of a small parking lot.


    Behind him was a forest of cypress trees. A winding dirt path could be seen, sticking out from amidst the trees. This was the entrance to the hiking trail. It had taken him a long time to locate the trail, nearly two hours in fact.


    He ran across quite a few people on his way down, but most of them screamed in shock and quickly fled. Those that weren¡¯t fast enough doubled over and vomited on the spot. Every time he saw such a scene, he bitterly smiled. By now, Theo had gotten used to the smell, but seeing their reactions reminded him of just how bad it really was.


    Eventually, he escaped the mountains. Theo briefly surveyed his surroundings.


    To his right was a small outhouse, while parked near the corner of the lot, a white minivan. It was the only vehicle in sight, and judging by the delipidated state it was in, it had been here for quite some time. Technically speaking, this was the official entrance to Harwick mountains and right now, it appeared deserted.


    Theo lightly smiled. He remembered it being like that in the past too.


    After looking around for a moment, Theo picked a direction and immediately continued walking. Although his mind was still a bit hazy, as the day progressed, bits and pieces of his foggy memory slowly started to surface. Tracing back a path using those fragmented pieces, he made his way towards the city.


    He trekked down a winding back road for nearly an hour, before he finally arrived at an open highway. Off to the side of the road, he saw a billboard. It was advertising for a local burger chain. He paused for a moment. Another memory surfaced. The burger chain was rather popular, and he fondly remembered eating out at their restaurants quite often as a child. Written below the ad, there was a short message.


    [Harwick City, 2 miles away]


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m close.¡±


    Anticipation welled up in his heart. Theo looked up at the blue sky. Judging by the position of the sun, it should be around mid-morning right now. At his current pace, it¡¯ll take him less than an hour to reach the city, and nearly two hours to make it back home.


    ¡°But will there even still be a place for me to go back home to?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. Twenty-five years was a long time. In that sort of time, a lot can change. People, places and most importantly, hearts. His only family¡­ the place that the two of them had called home¡­ would it still be there? Would she still be waiting?


    Truthfully speaking, he did not expect much from that place, but still, he wanted to return. At the very least, he needed the closure.


    He shook his head and continued his journey. He walked beside the interstate and watched as the cars zoomed by. At first, not a lot of them appeared, but as he drew closer to the city, the number of vehicles that passed by gradually increased. Soon, the empty interstate had transformed into a busy highway congested in traffic.


    Still, no matter how many cars there were, none of them stopped for him.


    This did not really surprise him all that much. Harwick was a major metropolis, one of Greater Calehan¡¯s largest. People from the city were well known for being a lot colder and less sociable than those from the countryside. This sort of rule applied even on Mistelhan, much less in a modern-day world like Plume.


    He briefly recalled the city¡¯s layout.


    Harwick city was located in a somewhat unique position. It was nestled between two mountain ranges, while its back was protected by the vast ocean. If Harwick had been a city back on Mistelhan, then it would have certainly been an impenetrable citadel. On Plume, it was merely an international hub for trade and transport.


    Harwick was divided into three districts, the Oceanview district, located to the west by the ocean, the Urban district, located to the south, and the Mountain district, located to the north by Harwick Mountains. Right now, he was closest to the Mountain District.


    That district in question was known to be a bit more residential than the other two. It was primarily composed of suburbs and neighborhoods, although it did still have quite a few commercial areas. It also happened to be the place where he once lived.


    Two hours passed. In that time, he finally got off the highway and entered a much smaller road. Soon, the empty fields had transformed into small shops and local restaurants. After rounding another corner, he arrived at a quiet neighborhood. There was a slab of polished stone, two words engraved onto its surface.


    ¡°Valery Hills¡­¡± Theo read aloud the words etched onto the plaque.


    He remembered this place well. I mean, how could he not? This was his old neighborhood. It had taken him nearly four hours and twenty-five years, but finally, he had returned.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He only stopped for a moment, before he continued walking. This time, his steps were slower, more deliberate. As he walked, he often closed his eyes, and simply savored the atmosphere. Right now, he was walking down memory lane. The nostalgia in the air was almost palpable.


    He passed a small park with a broken swing set. A few steps later, he was at a basketball court. The fencing around the area had started to turn brown from rust. He did not stop. Soon, he was standing in front of a community swimming pool. The pool was empty, an [Under Maintenance] sign placed by the entrance. Theo kept walking. After a while, he was strolling beside a beige colored concrete wall.


    The wall continued on for more than two blocks and partitioned off a sizable amount of land from the rest of the neighborhood. He lifted his head and squinted his eyes. A little distance away, he saw a metal gate. A guard in a blue uniform stood by the entrance.


    He tilted his neck to the side and caught a glimpse of the plaque etched onto the concrete pillar by the gate. It depicted a single animal; a pudgy dove.


    A name surfaced to his mind; Valery Heights. It was a private high school located right where the three largest neighborhoods of Harwick¡¯s Mountain District intersected. Technically speaking, it was a part of Valery Hills, but it also accepted students from all over the district.


    A complicated gaze twisted his expression. Valery Heights just so happened to be his old high school.


    He spent more than three years there, although he never was able to graduate. So, technically speaking, Theo was a drop-out.


    ¡°Has it really been twenty-five years¡­¡± He mumbled quietly to himself as he looked past the gates and stared at the area beyond. It was a big place, consisting primarily of three buildings, all interconnected by a glass and concrete walkway. It was as if time had winded back, back to that distant past. Nothing much seemed to have change, it looked nearly identical to the one within his memories. Either that or his nostalgia was messing with his sense of reality.


    Theo breathed out a sigh. He wondered whether this was what alumni felt when they returned to school after experiencing the tumultuous years of adulthood. While his situation was a bit different, it should still be the same feeling, right?


    Although he purposely took a detour in order to see his old school, Theo did not really want to visit the place. Just a quick glance was enough; he already had his fill of sentiment.


    He shook his head and prepared to move on.


    Seeing the guard standing by the gate, Theo thought it might arouse suspicion if he were to walk directly in front of the school. He was primarily concerned about any misunderstandings that might arise, especially considering his current raggedy appearance. Theo had no power right now. If the police were to somehow get involved, then he was pretty much screwed.


    Since he did not want to attract any trouble, he decided to cross the sidewalk and preemptively distance himself from the building.


    Unfortunately, he was a step too slow.


    His actions had inadvertently attracted the guard¡¯s attention. The man looked up and frowned. After a pause, he slowly made his way towards Theo.


    Theo glanced back. He noticed that the guard looked almost identical to the guard he knew in the past. ¡°Maybe, he¡¯s a relative?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± As Theo lost himself in his own thoughts, the guard¡¯s sudden shout spooked him awake. Theo seriously did not want to cause any trouble, so he lowered his head, and hurriedly jogged away from the school.


    ****


    Andrew Henning was having a bad day.


    As a security guard for Valery Heights, he had his own fair share of troubles, especially when dealing with the sudden surge of delinquency that took hold of the student body population. More and more often, students could be seen smoking behind buildings or picking fights with one another. Actually, such cases were common in most schools, but things had gotten considerably worse in the last few months.


    Lately, the local gangs in and around the city have started to spread their influence onto Valery Heights. Petty schoolyard bullies turned into low-time thugs overnight, while the number of reported cases of schoolgirl prostitution suddenly experienced a huge spike. As a private school, you¡¯d think this place would have this sort of thing under control, but the truth was different.


    Cases such as theft and extortion had become commonplace, and even more serious crimes, like rape and assault, also started to crop up. The overall situation gave the school board quite a headache, and as part of the lower hierarchy of power, their frustrations naturally affected him too.


    The school began cracking down on the students, and as a security guard, that means he naturally had to start acting serious for once. It was his job to enforce the rules, but given his status as faculty, he really couldn¡¯t just beat these kids with a baton. He felt it a bit unfair. Their new policy meant that any unaccounted-for infractions fell on his head.


    This collective punishment sort of thing really did not sit well with him. At the very least, he shouldn¡¯t be a part of that ¡®collective¡¯.


    During one of the rare lulls in his routine, Andrew suddenly spotted a youth walking through the street. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were ragged, traits that Andrew interpreted as a sign that the youth had recently gotten into an altercation with someone.


    Naturally, Andrew assumed that this sorry looking youth was another student experiencing the throes rebellion. Of course, this ¡®student¡¯ was Theo.


    ¡°Another one of these brats trying to skip class?¡± Andrew scowled. When it came to these reckless youths, he bore a bit of a grudge. He immediately stalked over, hell-bent on dragging the kid back to the building.


    By this point, most normal people would have noticed the stench, but Andrew was different. As a youth, he had broken his nose during a college bar fight. Although there was no external mark, the wound had not healed properly and as a result, Andrew lost his ability to smell. So, instead of a smelly beggar hobbling through the streets, all he could see was a violent delinquent.


    The youth was getting farther away. After he yelled at him, he noticed that the kid actually started running! This all but confirmed the youth¡¯s status as a delinquent student.


    Luckily, Andrew thought himself smart. He knew of a secret way to instantly stop these guys dead in their tracks.


    ¡°Hey, stop this instant!¡± He angrily yelled. ¡°If you keep running, I¡¯ll have to call the cops! Don¡¯t force my hand!¡±


    A few seconds later, he noticed the youth¡¯s shoulders trembling, before he came to a stop. Seeing this, Andrew let out a smirk.


    No matter how ¡®badass¡¯ they may like to act, in the face of the law, these punks are all useless.


    Andrew slowed his pace, and walked towards the ragged youth with a bit of swagger in his step¡­

 Chapter 3: Twenty-Five Years into the Present

    Chapter 3: Twenty-Five Years into the Present


    He heard the guard¡¯s warning.


    Theo was naturally reluctant to involve the police in any shape or capacity. He gritted his teeth and carefully weighed his options. In the end, he stopped and turned back around to face the approaching guard.


    A man with a somewhat familiar face. He really did look like the security guard from his memories. The likeliness between relatives was quite scary.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The guard asked with venom in his voice.


    ¡°Just passing by,¡± Theo responded back, somewhat defensively.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guard did not say anything, and instead narrowed his eyes. Andrew¡¯s gaze darted towards the youth¡¯s clothes. It looked a bit different than what he was usually used to. Normally, violent delinquents sported clothing with visible slashes and tears, as if they had just survived a vicious sword fight. Andrew did not know whether those tears were genuine or not, but he did not usually care enough to pry.


    As for the youth in front of him, his clothes were more in line with what a beggar would wear. This made him suspicious. What sort of game was this punk playing?


    ¡°What the hell happened to your clothes?¡± He straightforwardly asked.


    Theo sank in thought. What would be the best response? After a few seconds, he replied, ¡°I¡¯m homeless, my clothes are always like this.¡±


    Homeless? The guard felt somewhat pissed.


    He subconsciously glanced at the emblem on the boy¡¯s shirt. Since when was there ever a homeless man who walked around wearing the school uniform of an expensive private high school like Valery Heights? No, only punks with money to burn would do something as wasteful as purposefully ruining such expensive clothes.


    In his mind, the youth¡¯s evaluation fell even lower. Now, instead of a simple delinquent, he saw Theo as a wastrel who squandered his parents¡¯ money just to mess around with the local gangs.


    ¡°What the hell are you one about?¡± He barked. ¡°What game are you trying to play, punk? Is this some sort of new tactic for skipping class? Who put you up to this?¡±


    ¡°What? Skipping class?¡± It was Theo¡¯s turn to be confused.


    ¡°Students should be studying, not messing around!¡± The guard responded back to Theo¡¯s confusion with anger.


    ¡°Student?¡±


    Is this guy alright in the head? Does he really think I¡¯m a student?


    Theo furrowed his brow, as he subconsciously caressed his cheeks. Although he admitted himself that he did look a bit youthful than most people his age, on account of his baby face and the hateful fact that he could not grow a proper beard, he was still a full-fledged adult. In fact, many would even consider him a middle-aged old man.


    Shouldn¡¯t it be obvious that I¡¯m not a student?


    Theo felt a bit annoyed. He despised people who treated him like a child.


    He did not realize this himself, but his mental age had not changed all that much while in Mistelhan. Due to his unique circumstances and the environment in that world, Theo¡¯s growth had been disjointed, with some parts of it incomplete. Parts of him were mature, while others were childish. For example, Theo was someone with the ability to calmly lead an army of thousands to battle, but when it came to social gatherings or important noble meetings, all he could do was flounder and fail.


    Actually, considering the fact that all of his problems stemmed from innately social situations, it might be more accurate to call him socially inept.


    Such a person, despite everything, was still able to become Mistelhan¡¯s one and only Hero. Whether that was due to Theo¡¯s own personal ability or because of that world¡¯s failings, was still up for debate.


    ¡°What are you on about?¡± Theo questioned aggressively. ¡°Just look at my face, does it look like the face of a high-school student?¡± The lines and wrinkles were a testament to his age, and Theo never made an attempt to hide them.


    A vein popped out of the guard¡¯s forehead. This kid must be purposely trying to rile me up! How can such a youthful face not belong to a student? Does he think that just because he¡¯s already joined a gang, that he¡¯s outside of the school¡¯s jurisdiction? A little bit of backing and he¡¯s already acting up¡­ Ridiculous!


    In truth, Andrew also used to be a delinquent. He had gotten into his own fair share of fights back in the day, and seeing such a scrawny punk act up like that pissed him off.


    If this were five years earlier, then I would have put this brat down on the ground by now!


    His hand moved over towards the baton by his waist. His shoulders trembled, while he painstakingly repeated to himself, I can¡¯t beat him, I can¡¯t beat him, I can¡¯t beat him¡­ As long as he knows my face, I can¡¯t beat him.


    No matter how angry he got, he could not just do it. He was an adult after all. An adult¡¯s weapons were threats and money. Since he was an adult, he needed to settle this like an adult.


    Seeing the guard¡¯s fluctuating expression, Theo suddenly felt that there was something very wrong with the current situation, but before he could say anything, the guard spoke up, ¡°Alright kid, I¡¯ve had enough of your bullshit, just get to class.¡±


    ¡°But like I said, I¡¯m¡ª¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, if you keep spouting nonsense, then I really will call the cops.¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m really not a student¡­¡± Theo tried desperately to appeal, but the court was having none of it.


    ¡°Shut up! Quit being an idiot! I¡¯m already being lenient as is! Do you think I can¡¯t see the emblem on your chest?!¡± The guard barked loudly, his face turning redder than a ripened tomato.


    Theo¡¯s mouth instantly clamped down. He thought about running away, but his chances of escaping were slim. After a few seconds, he hesitantly stepped through the gate. He looked back at the guard with what he thought was his most pitiful face, but all he got in return was a cold stare.


    ¡°¡­ My uniform¡­ what do I do about my uniform? I can¡¯t go to class dressed like this, can I?¡± Since pathos wasn¡¯t working, he tried reasoning with logic this time around.


    Unfortunately, the guard did not even bother with him. By the time he had spoken, Andrew had already turned back around to face the street. In his point of view, a guard¡¯s responsibility was only to keep these punks inside. As for whatever else, that all fell in the hands of the teachers.


    Seeing the guard¡¯s noncommittal attitude, Theo could only dejectedly sigh. He inwardly wondered whether he could slip out by climbing the walls, but after seeing how tall they were, and the general lack of grooves, indentations, or any other sort of handhold, he eventually gave up on the idea.


    He stared bitterly at the main building¡¯s glass doors. After a while, he let out another sigh, and began walking forward.


    ¡°Well, I did always want to see the school again¡­¡± Since he could not avoid it, he decided to look at things from another perspective. ¡°Better now than never, I guess¡­¡±


    ****


    Theo stood in the middle of an empty hallway.


    Honestly speaking, he did not really know what to do. After all, it¡¯s been twenty-five years since he¡¯s been in here. It¡¯s not like any of his classes were still around. In fact, it¡¯s not like any of the students or teachers would welcome him with open arms if he just randomly walked into a classroom dressed like this.


    After some brief internal debating, Theo came up with an idea. He decided that given his current situation, the locker room was probably his safest bet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower there, and maybe grab someone¡¯s gym clothes. Their just gym clothes, I¡¯ll doubt anybody will care all that much.¡±  He inwardly patted his back, as he quickly followed his memories and ran towards the boy¡¯s locker room.


    As he ran, he took note of the silence. The halls were particularly quiet, and taking a peek into the nearby classrooms, he saw rooms full of students. Class was currently in session and he did not want to disturb anyone, or for that matter, get into any more trouble than he already has.


    He tried being as stealthy as possible, and that meant ducking and hiding every time a janitor, teacher, student or whoever, walked through the halls. Honestly, sneaking around was a bit exciting. The feeling of academia that seeped through the walls also made him feel nostalgic.


    ¡°I wonder, do I still even remember where my old classrooms are?¡± He thought to himself, as he whistled nonchalantly.


    Since classes were currently being held, unsurprisingly, the locker rooms were empty. Once he got there, he immediately stripped his clothes and took a shower. The feeling of the water¡¯s chill instantly revitalized his drained energy. Although he did not have any soap, after a few minutes, he finally felt clean.


    He strutted around the locker room naked, his eyes constantly scanning for a spare set of clothes or maybe a towel. That was when he suddenly ran into a full body mirror. Staring blankly at his own reflection, the shock was visible on his face.


    His body was normal. Not too skinny, not too fat, just ordinary, although he could use a workout or two. What surprised him was his face. His face, it was¡­ he looked youthful. Like a seventeen-year-old teenager, but the last time he was seventeen years old was twenty-five years ago.


    If even after this, he did not realize what had happened, then Theo would really be the world¡¯s biggest idiot.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t changed at all¡­ not since I¡¯ve left.¡± He mumbled to himself, as his fingers tentatively touched his own cheeks.


    After a few seconds, he suddenly widened his eyes, as a realization struck him. ¡°If I haven¡¯t aged, then could it be that¡­¡±


    It was at this moment that he reevaluated his situation.


    Before, he had mistakenly assumed that the time flow between Plume and Mistelhan was synchronized. As twenty-five years pass in Mistelhan, then twenty-five years also passed on Plume. Now, after seeing his youthful face, whose vigor he could only find by jumping at least twenty years into the past, he quickly revised his original theory.


    He wondered whether or not he had been sent back to the same exact moment that he had been summoned. If not, then how much time had really passed?


    As he sank into deep thought, Theo continued looking for clothes to wear. In the end, although he did not find a towel, he did manage to procure a useable tracksuit that still smelled faintly of fabric softener. Although the lack of underwear sort of bothered him, he had to admit, the outfit was pretty comfortable.


    Looking at himself through the mirror, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile. He had upgraded from a useless beggar to a slightly disheveled, but otherwise ordinary teenager. Just as he was wondering what to do next, the school bell suddenly rang.


    It did not take long before he heard a cacophony of noise coming from the hallway. As time passed, the noise grew louder and louder. Students were approaching the locker room. Judging by the current time of day, Theo figured they were here for gym class.


    He did not know what to do. For some reason, Theo did not want to get caught being in here all alone with another man¡¯s tracksuit. After a few seconds of thinking, Theo suddenly came up with a somewhat plausible idea.


    He hid inside one of the stalls in the locker room and quietly waited. It did not take long before the first student entered the room. A few seconds later, another one followed, then another, and another. Soon, the whole place was packed to the brim, the smell of body odor lingering in the air like a pungent perfume.


    After a few more minutes of waiting, Theo casually stepped out of the stall and used the crowd to escape into the halls without attracting any attention.


    He looked around at the crowded hallway. The sight was nostalgic to him. Streams of people came in and out, students, teachers, people of different make and build. If he had been any shorter or any skinnier, then he could have easily gotten swept away by the sea of bodies.


    He casually walked down the hall, before he suddenly grabbed the arm of a random student that had been walking in the opposite direction.


    ¡°Hey, what day is it today?¡± Theo asked him with what he hoped was a nonchalant expression.


    The student was half spooked and half irritated, as he glared hatefully at the hand holding his arm. He looked up at the person who had grabbed him, and hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Friday.¡± He eventually answered.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. The date. What¡¯s the date today?¡±


    ¡°The date? Well, Today is April and um¡­ it¡¯s a Friday today, so it should be¡­¡±


    Theo quickly grew annoyed, and roughly asked, ¡°Never mind, just tell me the year.¡±


    What? Is this guy pretending to be a time traveler? The student looked at him in contempt, before he answered, ¡°2018.¡±


    Theo¡¯s body shuddered. The student immediately shook his hand off and continued walking down the hallway, but Theo did not notice. April 2018. That should have been roughly seven months since he first left. He had been gone for seven months. No, it had only been seven months since he disappeared.


    After a few seconds of silence, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It felt as if a huge weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. He could start over. He now had the possibility to relive his lost youth. Seeing his family again, his friends, all the people he was close to¡­ Theo was a sentimental man. Although twenty-five years had passed, he still remembered his old life and the people that populated it. Occasionally, throughout the numerous battlefields that he experienced, whenever things threatened to overwhelm him, their memory would keep him going.


    It grounded him, saved him.


    A bright light flashed through his eyes. Since he was already back, should he try visiting his old classroom again?

 Chapter 4: A Classroom Full of Memories

    Chapter 4: A Classroom Full of Memories


    2:30 PM. Theo was just in time for the last period of the day.


    If he recalled correctly, then his last class should be a history class, although he did not remember which history. As for the classroom, he had a vague impression of its general location, but other than that, everything else was hazy.


    Still, he moved forward like a snowplow in the middle of a blizzard. Walking towards the place should jog back some of his old memories, at least, that¡¯s what he was hoping for.


    Five minutes flew by, and he eventually found his old classroom. It was located somewhere near the front of the school, almost entirely in the opposite direction of the locker rooms. The fact that he was still able to find it spoke wonders of his own luck and perseverance.


    Theo stood a few feet away from the door. He leaned against a glass display case and took this opportunity to briefly observe his surroundings.


    The crowd was thinning. By now, most of the students had already made it back to their classrooms. The ones still out consisted of the stragglers, slackers, and trouble-makers. If he wanted to sneak into class, now was as good of a time as any.


    Still, he hesitated.


    He inwardly debated whether or not it was a good idea to walk in so abruptly. No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. Rather than if it was good or not (he clearly knew it wasn¡¯t), Theo wondered whether he really wanted to go through with all of this just to satiate that little bit of sentimental longing in his heart.


    It¡¯s been seven months since I went missing. How will they react when I walk in? How much attention will my actions draw? Would they even still remember me?


    Just as the last few students trickled into the classroom, the bell suddenly rang, waking him up from his self-induced stupor. In that split instant, his actions were driven not by rational thought, but by emotion. Theo gritted his teeth and took one step forward.


    To hell with it all!


    He walked into the room alongside two female students.


    The girls in question were loud and kind of obnoxious. Right now, they were in the middle of a very animated conversation involving the best foreign-owned designer brand of leopard printed underwear. It was a rather specific topic, and it goes without saying, but Theo took no part in their discussion. In fact, the two were so self-absorbed, that they completely ignored his presence, although not that he minded. In fact, he actually felt grateful.


    The energetic duo possessed a kind of manic energy that attracted a fair bit of attention from the nearby surroundings.


    After looking around the room, he noticed that considerably more guys than girls were staring. Greedy, lustful gazes filled with heat. They were like a pack of hungry hyenas eyeing their prey. Even Theo felt uncomfortable just being there.


    Unlike him, the two girls were completely unfazed. They took all the attention in stride, neither outright rejecting it or flat-out accepting it. Theo somewhat admired their bloated confidence. He thought that if he possessed even a portion of their boldness, then he might not have suffered so much in the past.


    Still, he did not find their attitude all that surprising. After all, attractive people were more often than not confident. In fact, it was a lot harder to find an attractive unconfident person, not that they didn¡¯t exist. Theo was overgeneralizing a bit, but it was how he viewed the world; life was unfair from the very start.


    The two before him were definitely attractive. Hoop earrings, golden bracelets, and glossy fingernails. One had dyed her hair platinum blonde, while the other sported a golden tan. They were a bit gaudy for his tastes, but they were undeniably beautiful.


    If they were like twin stars glimmering in the night, then Theo was the quiet shadow hiding in the dark. In the midst of their brilliance, he snuck into the classroom undetected.


    After he separated himself from the duo, he breathed out a sigh and casually looked around the room. His eyes took in every detail with rapt attention. To his delight, his old desk was still vacant. Theo inwardly rejoiced, before he quickly walked over and sat down.


    The instant his butt touched the seat, he felt a weird sense of accomplishment. A crooked smile appeared on his lips.


    Although he had painstakingly maintained his calm and coolheaded poker face, there still existed a nervous giddiness deep within his heart. Years of memories flooded back. A vivid kaleidoscope of disjointed clips and fragmented images. He remembered his bitter youth. The hours upon hours of endless school work. He recalled the sleepless nights. He had a lot of sleepless nights. Granted, a majority of those nights were due to him staying up late and playing video games, but the fatigue he felt in the morning after was real. It was what stuck to his memory the most.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Strangely, most of the things he recalled were negative memories. Was it because he lacked any of the good ones? Theo did not think so. He had plenty of good moments, he was sure of it. He just couldn¡¯t quite recall any of them right now.


    He blamed his disposition. Theo was the type of person to brood and worry, a man who nitpicked and worried about the smallest detail. A pessimist and an idealist, the worst combination known to man. His favorite color was grey. It wasn¡¯t a problem of his experiences, but his personality.


    He liked to think that the twenty-five years in Mistelhan had changed him. If he did not believe this, then he could only imagine what sort of bleak future awaited him.


    Theo shook his head and looked around his surroundings.


    The room was enveloped in a fog of noise. Although the bell had rung, the teacher still wasn¡¯t here yet. Theo had long forgotten what he looked like, so he did not actually care all that much. In fact, the chaos of the room felt somewhat endearing to him.


    Still, rather than a part of the class, he felt like an outsider watching from the sidelines. This sense of alienation welled up in his heart. Even though his old life was right here in front of him, it felt farther than ever. Again, he blamed his gloomy disposition.


    Theo was not completely invisible though. A few people did look in his direction. They wore their hearts on their sleeves, their curiosity readily apparent at a glance. Who was this guy? Why was he here? He heard those questions rattling around in his skull, yet he lacked the will to respond.


    The attention did not last very long. After a few seconds of probing, the curious students quickly turned around and tended to their own issues. It was the indifference in their eyes that Theo took note of. They did not bother voicing out any of their curiosity, but rather, simply waited for it to die amidst the myriad chaos of the room.


    They simply did not care.


    He bitterly smiled.


    In all honesty, he was not surprised. He was used to this sort of treatment. By nature, Theo was quiet and isolated; a wallflower among wallflowers. It wasn¡¯t anything strange, he had always been like that, even before he was summoned to another world. In plainer terms, Theodore Harp was not popular.


    Before he was the Hero of Mistelhan, Theo saw himself as no more than a side character. No, not even that. A side character received way too much attention. He was a background character, the type not even worth giving dialogue to.


    His existence did not add anything to the class, nor did his absence take anything away, and he was okay with that. Theo actually liked this feeling. Rather than be put on the spotlight for everyone to stare and ogle at, he preferred the quiet, unimportant atmosphere. The life of a background character wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    A few minutes later, the teacher finally walked in. It was a balding old man dressed in a weathered suit. He wore a pair of rectangular spectacles, which complimented his wrinkled face quite nicely. Theo vaguely remembered this man.


    Mr. Hong. A European History Teacher. An old man infinitely close to retirement.


    Ah, that¡¯s right, this class should be European History.


    Just as this thought came to mind, Mr. Hong hobbled to the front of the room. He placed an old book on the podium and slowly turned to the blackboard. Watching all this, Theo felt his heart clench. He was worried. Mr. Hong was a veteran instructor. Would he notice an additional student in his classroom? What should he do if he gets singled out? Explaining his disappearance was something he was not quite prepared to do just yet.


    Luckily, none of his fears came to life. In fact, Mr. Hong did not even bother to take attendance, before he began prepping the board for today¡¯s lesson.


    As the old man quietly worked, the door suddenly slammed open.


    A female student walked into the room. She gripped on tightly to the door frame, her pale knuckles sticking out from the sleeves of her green sweater. Sweat gathered on her brow and slid down the side of her face. Her cheeks flushed pink.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Theo mumbled to himself as he turned to stare at the newcomer.


    The girl was panting. She was bent over with her arm pressed against her chest. A wheezing sputter leaked out from her lips. She struggled to catch her breath.


    By this point, the whole class was staring. Other than him, none of them seemed all that surprised by the new arrival. In fact, their gazes carried with it a hint of expectation and schadenfreude. As for Theo, he stared fixedly at the girl. For some reason, he could not take his eyes off of her. They were locked onto her cherry red hair.


    Something inside him clicked.


    Mr. Hong looked over at the new student and amicably smiled, ¡°You¡¯re later than me, Miss Polaris. That makes this the third time this week.¡±


    The girl looked up. The first thing she noticed were the students, followed by Mr. Hong¡¯s beaming smile. She panicked. Once again, she had become the center of attention. The girl reflexively hid her face with the sleeves of her sweater. A muffled, ¡°sorry,¡± leaked out from the gaps of her fingers.


    ¡°Never mind, just take a seat. Class has already started.¡± Mr. Hong shook his head, as he turned back towards the board.


    The girl¡¯s already flushed cheeks turned even brighter, as she hurriedly scrambled to her desk. With her shoulders drawn into herself and her head lowered, she resembled a meek mouse. Theo kept his gaze focused on her retreating figure for a few more seconds, before he absentmindedly turned back towards Mr. Hong.


    The lesson quickly started, but his head was lost in a cloud of murky thoughts.


    ****


    He did not know how much time passed before he eventually came to again.


    For the first time, Theo looked up at the board.


    Today¡¯s topic was the dark ages. Of course, Theo was completely lost, but he didn¡¯t really care. Even as an endless stream of words flowed in one ear and came out the other, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was the sort of background music that he had come to miss back on Mistelhan.


    He looked around the room. As the lesson progressed, the few curious gazes from before had vanished. Right now, he really was a ghost. Invisible and unassuming, a shadow amidst the shade. The teacher, the students, everyone ignored him. Well, almost everyone.


    There was one person who kept staring at him as if he was an actual ghost that only she could see. Theo noticed almost immediately. Upon seeing her, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a bitter smile.


    Vivid blue eyes, and a sweater two sizes too big for her. She wore a pair of rounded spectacles that looked just as oversized as her sweater. The girl who arrived late to class, the one with the cherry red hair.


    He recognized her. How could he not? The instant he laid eyes on her, all the memories came flooding back.


    Within the small subset of people that he could call a friend, she was the one he missed the most. Shirley Polaris, Theo¡¯s old childhood friend.

 Chapter 5: A Hard to Believe Reality

    Chapter 5: A Hard to Believe Reality


    Is that really him? Such a thought constantly echoed through her head.


    Shirley Polaris was in a state of disbelief. She felt as if she was stuck in a never-ending dream.


    Her chest heaved up and down, each iteration accompanied with a puff of cold air. The sound of her breathing was like booming thunder striking against her eardrums.


    Is it another nightmare again?


    If it was, then it wouldn¡¯t exactly be the first time. In fact, nightmares were a constant addition to Shirley¡¯s nightly routine.


    It had started a week after he had vanished. Vivid dreams that felt so real, that they kept her up at night. In fact, that was partly the reason why she was always late for class. She suffered from insomnia. At night, she lay awake, too afraid to sleep, while during the day, her already weak body was prone to collapse.


    Just today, she had fallen asleep in the middle of her math class. When she woke up, the room was empty and the last period of the day had already started. Although she felt bad about falling asleep in class, in actuality, she did not actually mind. After all, the nightmares don¡¯t come out during the day.


    Or at least, they weren¡¯t supposed to. So why? Why was she seeing him here?


    She stared listlessly at his silhouette.


    Her dreams always started like this, with him somewhere in the room.


    Standing by a rusty swing set in the middle of an old park, or sitting down beside her within an empty passenger car, they were always based off of her experiences, off of the shared memories that she held dearest. What should have been fun and happy memories, twisted and contorted, transforming into something ugly and malignant.


    A large majority of her dreams took place inside her bedroom.


    The tables and chairs were arranged all around the room, while her bed was pushed off to the corner. Soft moonlight illuminated the space. Blankets draped the surroundings, and underneath it all was a little space, just barely large enough for two kids to squeeze into.


    A fort made out of pillows and blankets. It was a dream built out of one of her fondest childhood memories.


    The two had been friends ever since first grade, but not everything was sunshines and rainbows. Sometimes, they argued. During one particular argument, the two of them wanted to do something different with the blanket fort that they had built. Shirley wanted to play house, while he wanted to play knights and dragons.


    In the end, they reached a compromise. The blanket fort became both a majestic castle and a lovely home. Shirley was the mother that also happened to be the queen, while he was the king that also happened to be the father. They spent the rest of the day playing, lost in their own little world.


    In the dream, things played out differently.


    The fort was still there, and he was still inside, but it wasn¡¯t right anymore. He had grown up. His body was now too big for the fort, yet he still somehow wriggled his way inside. He sat cross-legged on the floor, his face obscured by a low hanging quilt blanket. On his lap was a crown, a real crown with a golden frame and multi-colored adornments.


    He, the man in the fort, beckoned towards her. His outstretched hand appeared pale and spotty. Sick. It was the hand of a sick, dying man. Every time, without fail, Shirley would be overwhelmed by this innate desire to reach out and grab him.


    Still, no matter how hard she tried, she never could succeed.


    The distance between them exponentially increased with each inch that she covered. The ground beneath her feet broke, the carpeted floor cracking and churning, before it rolled back as if someone had suddenly pulled the rug from underneath her. It dragged Shirley farther and farther away, and no matter how fast she ran, she was never fast enough.


    Eventually, the fort and the man with it disappeared from sight.


    Every night, she watched the same scene and ever time, she was overcome by this feeling of helplessness. That apathetic smile of his was always the last thing she saw, before abruptly waking up.


    Right now, she felt as if she was in a similar dream. Although it was still daylight, and although the setting was different, the inexplicable panic was definitely there. She could not believe what her own eyes were telling her.


    I¡¯m asleep¡­ I¡¯m dreaming again¡­ it¡¯s this dream again¡­ I don¡¯t want this dream again¡­


    She felt the world collapsing in on itself. Shirley¡¯s breathing turned haggard. Her face reddened as faint tears accumulated in the corners of her eyes. Her chest suddenly felt stuffy, like something had entwined itself all around her. It constricted, slowly tightening, slowly squeezing out every molecule of air from her lungs.


    When she looked down, she found her arms had turned twisted. They were like the branches of a decaying tree. At the same time, her fingers cracked and chipped, resembling something similar to gnarled wood.


    She felt light-headed and noxious. Blood rushed to her face. What was happening? Was any of this real? Or was it simply just another dream?


    In the end, for all her fears and speculations, it all came back to one question; was that really him?


    A part of her did not believe so. A part of her stubbornly rejected that notion.


    She knew it was too good to be true, she knew that her wishes could not be accomplished so easily, and most importantly, she had already suffered enough in the last seven months to know not to get her hopes up.


    Shirley might be panicking right now, but a part of her was surprisingly cold and rational.


    She had immediately judged that the man who looked like him was nothing more than another figment of her imagination. For her, such a thing was actually quite commonplace. Originally, Shirley possessed a pretty overactive imagination, and ever since that time, she started seeing¡­ things, things that weren¡¯t real. Calling them hallucinations might not be the most accurate term, but it was something similar.


    So, even with a look-alike in the room, she did not naively believe it to be him. But¡­ even if it wasn¡¯t really him, she still stared. She couldn¡¯t help herself. It was inevitable. After all, Shirley really did miss him.


    The noise of the classroom, the sound of the scribbling pencils, even Mr. Hong¡¯s weathered voice, all of it transformed into a numb buzzing. She stared listlessly at the youth.


    He sat by an opened window, a slight breeze ruffling his hair. He was dressed in a light grey tracksuit. It was standard issue, something that the school handed out for gym classes. Valery Height¡¯s emblem was stitched to its shoulders.


    The tracksuit was ill-fitting. It was a size too big for his him, and made him appear bloated and pudgy. Still, Shirley did not mind. Her attention was focused solely on the youth¡¯s face. From this angle, she could only see his side profile, but that was enough. A slightly angled nose, pale olive colored skin, and dark brown eyes. Those were all familiar traits. Those were all his traits.


    His most distinguishable feature was his hair. Black hair that drooped down to his eyebrows. It was unkempt, and slightly resembled a bird¡¯s nest. Thinking about it now, he never did comb his hair. Shirley breathed out a long puff of air. Staring at him like this, her panic somewhat softened. An incomplete smile floated to her face.


    She never admitted it, but she always did find his disheveled look somewhat endearing.


    Theodore Harp¡­ Brother Theo¡­ Theo¡­


    His name kept cycling through her head like a broken record player. All of it was familiar. All of it was him. Still, she refused to give in. The him that she knew of disappeared seven months ago. The him now¡­ that wasn¡¯t real, that was all her, a result of her constant longing. None of it¡­ he¡­ he wasn¡¯t real.


    But¡­ what if he was?


    Shirley sank into silence. Her eyes remained fixed on his figure, but there was no light within her gaze.


    As for Theo himself, right now his lips twisted into a bitter smile. For the majority of the period, his eyes were fixed to the front of the classroom, but on occasion, he would momentarily turn back and quietly observe his long-lost childhood friend.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The things that he saw only made him worry.


    Shirley¡¯s face blushed as if she had just stepped out of a sauna. Originally, she was the type of girl that blushed easily. It was a somewhat cute quirk of hers that he thought matched quite well with the red in her hair, but this was different.  Right now, that small quirk was dialed up to an eleven.


    From her neck down, and all the way to the tips of her earlobes, she was red. He felt as if he was watching a ripe tomato overheating.  In addition, beads of sweat dripped down the side of her cheeks, while large teardrops gathered in the corners of her eyes. With her lower lip quivering erratically like that, it really did look as if she was trying her hardest not to cry.


    Theo was not blind. After seeing her fluctuating expression, he had a vague grasp on her current mood.


    He let out a soft sigh.


    To his understanding, Shirley was rather soft and weak-willed, sort of like a persimmon. She cried easily, and sweated more often than most girls, especially during stressful situations. She was just that sort of person; a nervous wreck and a shy kitten all wrapped up into one conveniently packaged bag of flesh.


    Honestly, she was a handful, but she was his handful.


    I kind of have a feeling as to why she¡¯s like that, but what can I do to fix it?


    He thought for a moment before he ripped out a piece of paper from a notebook that he had gotten from inside his desk. He crumbled it up into a small ball and waited until Mr. Hong turned towards the board, before he chucked it across the room.


    It majestically flew through the air like a fired missile.


    Plop!


    His first shot missed, so he tried again.


    Thunk!


    This time, it hit the mark. The crumbled ball bounced off the top of Shirley¡¯s forehead.


    Almost immediately, the foggy glint in her eyes disappeared. Shirley looked around the room in confusion. What was that? What just hit me? Eventually, her eyes finally turned towards him. The moment their eyes met, Theo let out a smile. He hoped his smile came off as reassuring, something that might ease her mind and stop her from panicking.


    To his delight, her expression softened.


    She stared absentmindedly at him with this sort of empty gaze. She did not say anything, and for a moment, Theo started worrying again, but then, she shook her head and furrowed her brow. Her gaze was still fixed on him, but now, it contained with it a hint of motivation.


    She parted her lips and stopped. She looked as if she was on the verge of saying something, but hesitated.


    After a few arduous minutes passed with Mr. Hong explaining in the background about how the black plague popularized a few modern medical practices, Shirley eventually mouthed something out. Of course, Theo couldn''t understand what she had said. He was many things, but he was not an expert lip reader. He tilted his head, and pondered for a moment, before he ultimately shook his head, and mouthed back, ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    This time, it was Shirley¡¯s turn to look confused. She did not understand what he had said either, and for that matter, she was also unsure whether or not he had successfully received her first message. In the end, she realized that this was a terrible way to communicate, and an even worse way to confirm whether this was all just a dream or actual reality.


    She stared at Theo.


    Her brows wriggled while the glimmer in her eyes intensified. Although she had not done so on purpose, Theo felt as if she was trying to convey a message to him solely using eye contact. He let out a faint smile. He recalled the fact Shirley had always been a proponent of the ¡®friendship trumps all¡¯ ideology. In her eyes (and in her exact words), she had once confidently stated that, ¡°As long as we¡¯re close enough friends, then even communicating through eye contact is possible! You know, just like in the movies!¡±


    Of course, those words had been spoken by a 2<sup>nd</sup> grader, but he felt that even as a kid, she was overly na?ve. No, na?ve wasn¡¯t quite the right word. Shirley was idealistic. When she grew older, that idealism did not disappear, she simply got better at hiding it. But since it was her, she could never truly hide anything from him.


    He had remembered his own response back then to her happy go lucky statement.


    ¡°What happens when I can¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°You will understand.¡±


    ¡°But what if I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You definitely will.¡±


    Looking back on it now, he couldn¡¯t help but praise Shirley¡¯s childhood self. With just a glance, he really did feel as if he knew exactly what she was thinking of; her eyes wanted an explanation.


    He did not know the exact amount, but the two had been staring at each other for quite some time now. If it was anyone else, he would have felt quite awkward, but since it was Shirley, his only reaction was to let out a bitter sigh.


    He knew what was bugging her. How could he not? He had vanished for seven months. No explanation, no goodbye, no nothing. Knowing her, she probably worried herself half to death throughout those seven months. To top it all off, he suddenly showed up here in class, as if nothing had happened. Shock was just the start to the rollercoaster of emotions she was probably feeling.


    Theo wanted to give her an appropriate answer, but he was caught in a dilemma. Should he lie and make something up or should he tell her the truth? If he told her the truth, how much of it should he tell? How much of the truth would she even believe?


    He eventually opted to wait until class was over. This way, he could buy himself some time to organize his thoughts.


    Unfortunately, Shirley could not wait that long. She had waited seven months already, she was not in the mood to wait any longer. Even if this wasn¡¯t the real Theo, this was the only Theo that she had met within the last seven months that actually interacted back with her.


    She riled herself up. Right now, she was determined to ring out this ghost for everything that he was worth. If at all possible, she wanted to confront this representation of her repressed subconscious and tell it to quit bothering her all the damned time!


    She wiped her face with the scruff of her sleeves. Her brows scrunched, while her nostrils suddenly flared up. Theo¡¯s left eye involuntarily twitched. For some reason, this girl¡¯s earlier panic had transformed into anger. For such a small and helpless person, she was definitely one with a myriad of emotions.


    Her small cheeks inflated, as her lips puckered. Theo stared at her pouting expression from a distance. Instead of looking intimidating or furious, he thought it looked cute. Cute and nostalgic.


    Still, he responded with nothing more than a shrug. He knew how she got, he was not willing to be the thing that she used to vent out her anger.


    Seeing his attitude, Shirley nearly exploded.


    His uppity attitude pissed her off! This ghost, this figment of imagination sure did have a lot of nerve, especially considering how it was acting towards someone who was essentially its creator. She wanted to go over there and give that thing a piece of her mind!


    Yet, at the same time, she felt like this sort of nonchalant demeanor made the ghost before her realer than any of the others from before. From the way his shoulders slouched to the half-smile that hung on his lips¡­ it was all him. A warmth seeped into her heart.


    Theo was always like that, she recalled. A guy who took things in stride¡­ no, that wasn¡¯t quite right. He was a gloomy guy who worried about everything. His calm attitude was the fa?ade that he put on for the rest of the world. Even now, he did the same, but such a thing could never escape Shirley¡¯s eyes. She knew him too well for that to happen.


    Even now she could tell that his current attitude was merely another fa?ade. There was something that he kept hidden, and she was determined to find out what.


    She thought for a moment.


    Shirley carefully scanned her surroundings, before she pulled out her phone and texted something from underneath the cover of her desk. As she furiously typed away, she would occasionally glance back up at Theo. Meeting his inquisitive gaze, the fire in her heart only intensified.


    My dreams always emulate reality, so something like this should work¡­ She inwardly thought to herself, although by this point, she only half-believed that she was still hallucinating.


    After a few seconds, she clicked send, and looked up at him with expectation. She quietly waited, but as the seconds turned to minutes, nothing happened.


    Did he ignore me? Or maybe he doesn¡¯t have a phone?


    Theo did not have a phone. Even when Shirley was furiously typing away, he still did not make the connection that she was trying to communicate with him.


    She let out a sigh. She felt disappointed but quickly snapped out of it after Theo threw another paper ball at her. It bounced off her forehead, prompting Shirley to glare at him in annoyance. Seeing the half smile etched on his lips, she realized that the ghost was trying to cheer her up.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Shirley gnawed on her lower lip. She hesitated for a moment, before she decided to try one last time.


    She was wondering what she should do next when her eyes landed on the crumpled ball of paper that had fallen onto the floor. She took a notebook and ripped out a slip of paper before she scribbled something down. After she finished, she smiled somewhat confidently, and carefully folded the note into a small little square. She paused for a second, before she then wrote ¡®To Theo¡¯ on the cover.


    Shirley did not plan to throw her note across the room like what Theo had done. She was not all that confident at being able to hit the mark as accurately as he could. Instead, she planned to pass it along.


    Just as she was about to put her plan into action, her face stiffened. At the crux of the plan, she abruptly stopped. A conflicted frown twisted her lips.


    Having watched her from afar, Theo had already expected this outcome. If there was one thing that he remembered about Shirley, it was her shyness. There was a reason why Theo and her were friends. One of them was socially inept, while the other had crippling social anxiety. They were simply two peas in a pod. Of course, Shirley was the latter.


    She stared helplessly at the person seated in front of her. Shirley¡¯s hand hovered over his shoulder. She played it out in her head. It was a simple course of actions; say hi, give him the note, and tell him to pass it along to the guy sitting by the window. It was quick, simple and easy, but she could not do it.


    Her hand remained suspended in the air. If it wasn¡¯t for the pale hue of her skin, then one could have easily mistaken her for an unmoving ice sculpture.


    Just then, the student in front of her noticed her hand. He jumped back in his seat and turned around to look at Shirley. Almost instantly, Shirley¡¯s face reddened as she quickly retracted her hand, and curled up into a ball. Her face was pressed to her desk, while her arms covered the top of her head.


    The bewildered youth stared at her for a few seconds, before he turned back around to face the front of the room.


    Seeing the little act that had just played out in front of him like that, Theo could not hold back his laughter. Through his squinted eyes, he could almost envision the dark clouds hovering over her head.


    Shirley let out a despondent sigh. After checking to see that the student had turned back, she lifted her head and noticed Theo silently laughing like a madman. She reproachfully glared at him, but unfortunately, she had no means of retaliation.


    Left with no other choice, she could do nothing but bitterly give up.


    Theo eventually calmed down, and let out a faint, slightly helpless smile. With no other options left at her disposal, he inwardly hoped that she would finally give up and wait until class finished.


    ****


    An hour and forty minutes later, the bell finally rang.


    Theo let out a sigh. School ended peacefully just like that. He felt a budding happiness in his heart. He had returned back to Plume, and even got to experience a taste of the life that he had left behind all those years back. Even if he was a stone-cold killer, any man would be happy at such an outcome.


    He stared out at the window. The sun had begun set and rays of soft orange illuminated the skyline. A day full of commotion, yet at the same time, it was the most peaceful day that he had ever had the pleasure of experiencing during the last twenty-five years or so of his life. He sincerely hoped that such days would continue from now on.


    As he was about to get up and leave, his shoulders stiffened. He suddenly remembered something. Theo turned his head, just in time to see a red-haired girl with rounded spectacles barreling towards him.

 Chapter 6: Reunion

    Chapter 6: Reunion


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s definitely angry¡­¡± Theo muttered to himself, as he instinctively flinched.


    He could clearly see the fire burning within her eyes. It was hot and overbearing. He felt like a matador facing off against a raging bull, except the red cape was with the bull instead of with him.


    Shirley¡¯s emotions had gone way beyond the boiling point.


    Two hours. That was how long she had spent waiting, staring fixedly at his silhouette and engraving in each minor detail, all the while a frightening sense of uncertainty swirled within her heart. Was he real? Was any of this actually real?


    By this point, Shirley could not even bare to trust herself. Reality and imagination collided. They melted into one another, coalescing into something new, something ugly. Before she could stop herself, she was already standing, walking towards the source of all of her fears and anxieties.


    Her face flushed red, it took on a shade comparable to the scarlet luster of her hair. Steam practically oozed out of the pores of her skin and even her balled up fists contained a slight tinge of pink.


    She cut a path across the classroom, mindlessly charging towards him. In the process, she knocked down a few chairs and caused a fair bit of commotion within the crowd. The surrounding students stared at her in shock.


    What happened? The quiet, timid girl with a tendency for tardiness¡­ was that really still her? Why was she acting like a middle-aged old drunkard who had just lost all of his money gambling on slots?


    ¡°Shirley¡ª¡± Theo opened his mouth to speak, but he was immediately interrupted by a loud smack.


    Shirley stomped her foot down and slammed her palms against the surface of his desk. A harsh noise reverberated throughout the room, thoroughly stunning not just him, but everyone inside. Even Mr. Hong, who already had one foot out the door, suddenly turned around and glanced back at the duo.


    For a moment, they were the center of attention.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you!¡± Shirley had trouble articulating the thoughts that swirled around in her head. She was panting, clearly out of breath, as her chest heaved up and down. It was as if she had just sprinted an entire marathon. Her vivid hair looked like the incarnation of fire.


    She brought her face up close to his and subconsciously gnashed her teeth.


    Theo instinctively leaned back, but his eyes were drawn to her lips. It was the first time he had noticed this, but Shirley had very full lips. Red, yet she wore no lipstick. A slight gloss glistened the surface. Was it sweat or saliva?


    From this distance, he could feel her breath on the tip of his nose. He moved his gaze to meet hers. Bright, burning blue irises. It was the type of blue that resembled the sky. He stared at her for a short while, before he once again, shifted his gaze.


    This time, he looked around his surroundings. Everyone was staring, the entire room populated by curious eyes and surprised faces.


    He inwardly sighed.


    After a few seconds of tense silence, Shirley eventually calmed down enough to realize that the two of them weren¡¯t alone. As her eyes flickered, she parted her lips to speak, but abruptly stopped. Almost immediately, she noticed all the attention that she had unwittingly drawn. Theo did not think it was possible for her face to grow any redder, but he was wrong.


    She moved her jaw up and down, yet no sounds came out. At the same time, her gaze rapidly shifted from Theo to the crowd, and then back again. She began to panic. Of course, she panicked.


    Sweat dripped down her cheeks, while her shoulders uncontrollably trembled.


    Eventually, she cracked. Shirley grabbed onto his arm and tugged, silently indicating towards the door.


    Unfortunately, Theo was oblivious. He had gone back to staring at her vivid blue eyes.


    She shifted in place for a moment, before she eventually bit her bottom lip and leaned forward. She stood on the tips of her toes, while her lips almost pressed against his ear. She breathed out a shaky whisper, ¡°C-come with me, please¡­¡± The warm puff of air snapped Theo out from his daze and sent an electrifying shiver down his spine.


    His body reflexively tensed up, while a warm feeling flooded his chest.


    Seeing as how he was still frozen in place, Shirley assumed that Theo acted unresponsive on purpose. She pursed her lips and stared hatefully at his absentminded face.


    She grabbed his hand and clenched down until her knuckles turned white. ¡°H-hurry up already, every-everyone is watching us¡­¡± She whispered again through gritted teeth, as she vigorously pulled forward.


    This time, Theo did not resist. He practically fell out of his seat, and just barely managed to stay on his feet. As his chair clattered to the floor, Shirly quickly dragged him out of the room.


    The unwitting spectators stood dumbfounded, still reeling from the shock.


    After a few seconds of silence, a burst of noise suddenly filled the classroom. From the scene that had just taken place, the busybody students began to weave together a somewhat plausible, yet largely incoherent story involving the two main characters.


    In fact, many different stories and iterations popped up during the short five minutes after the two had left. They all tried to answer two important questions; who was that male student and why was the quiet girl so angry?


    In the end, they reached a consensus. The super quiet girl that barely spoke a single word in class actually managed to bag herself a boyfriend. This boyfriend also happened to be in the same class as her, and clearly just as quiet, since nobody actually remembered him ever being a part of the class. Of course, that was just the backstory. As for the event that they had all just witnessed, it was an obvious rough patch in their relationship.


    An argument that had escalated beyond their control. It eventually culminated into the classroom confrontation that they had all just witnessed.


    As for what happens next, opinions diverged. Some thought that the couple might break up after this, while even more believed that their relationship would only grow stronger after today¡¯s incident. Regardless, the imaginations of these students worked especially hard today.


    ¡°It must be a lover¡¯s quarrel.¡± Mr. Hong chuckled wryly to himself as he fondly recalled his own youth indiscretions.


    ****


    Theo silently followed. He stared at the hand holding his arm. It was pale white and delicate. Although her grip had some clamp to it, if he honestly tried, then he could probably free himself quite easily.


    A few uneventful minutes passed before the two left the building. They were standing somewhere behind the school¡¯s main building. A desolate place where the grass had grown yellow and the soil had hardened. It was covered by the building¡¯s shadow. No other student in sight.


    The sound of distant yelling echoed from somewhere in the direction of the fields. It was probably the soccer players, or maybe baseball? On second thought, it was definitely baseball.


    Looking around his surroundings, a crooked smile floated to Theo¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Did you bring me out here to confess?¡± He asked lightly, staring at Shirley¡¯s out of breath figure in the process.


    She was hunched over, her chest heaving erratically, while her hands were pressed against her knees. She heard his words and reflexively glanced up. For a second, she showed no reaction, before Shirley suddenly looked away. A visible flush colored her face, although at this point, it was hard to tell whether that blush came from his words or from something else.


    After a few seconds, she turned back around and glared at him in anger.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Shirley took a deep breath and straightened her back. She took a step forward and reached a hand out towards his face. ¡°¡­ JERK!¡±


    With her sudden shout, she pushed her open palm onto his face. It wasn¡¯t exactly a slap, but more of a vigorous rubbing. She moved her hand roughly against his cheeks, nose, and chin. It was as if she was smearing something invisible all over his face. A few seconds later, a second hand joined in on the chaos.


    From his lips, all the way to the tip of his chin, her fingers traced every bump, bend, and contour of his face. He subconsciously sniffed. Her hands smelled faintly of sweat, yet it wasn¡¯t an unpleasant smell.


    ¡°You¡­ wait, Shirley, wait. Seriously, wait a second¡­¡± He muffled out as he tried to grab hold of her arms. Unfortunately, before he could get any further, his hands were slapped away.


    ¡°Be quiet for a minute.¡± She crisply stated.


    He rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. A bitter sigh leaked out from his lips. He relented to her outrageous demands and allowed her to do as she pleased with his face. She pinched and caressed, pulled and smushed. The whole thing lasted for an unnecessarily long amount of time.


    Eventually, her thumb grazed by the mole underneath his left eye. Shirley¡¯s fingers froze. For a long time, she simply stood there, her hands on his face, and her eyes locked to his. In return, Theo stared back. He remained silent and simply waited.


    ¡°Are you really Theo?¡± Her voice quivered. For a moment, a slight trace of happiness tainted her words, but before it could fully materialize, she hurriedly shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not Theo, you can¡¯t be Theo, Theo¡¯s not here¡­¡±


    ¡°What can I do to convince you otherwise?¡± Seeing the doubt in her eyes, he helplessly reached for his face. He covered her hands with his, as he stared at Shirley with an imploring gaze.


    ¡°That¡­¡± She absentmindedly looked up at him. For a moment, she was lost. His dark brown irises really did look a lot like his¡­


    Theo smiled a half smile before he ruthlessly pinched the backside of her hands.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Shirley winced in pain and reflexively tried to pull away. Unfortunately, Theo¡¯s grip was too tight. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not escape.


    ¡°That hurt, didn¡¯t it?¡± He suddenly asked.


    ¡°Of course it did, you jerk! Why would you do that?¡± She angrily yelled back.


    ¡°In that case, it proves I¡¯m really here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You felt the pain, right? That means you¡¯re not dreaming or anything. I¡¯m here. I¡¯m really here.¡± He seriously stated as he clenched down on her hands.


    Shirley froze. She felt the touch of his skin and stared up at the smile on his face. It was the smile of her childhood friend. Those hazy brown eyes, the rough texture of his palm and the warmth of his existence, they were all him.


    ¡°Are you¡­ are you really Theo?¡±


    He was here. He was finally back.


    Seven months ago, Theo suddenly went missing.


    No warning, no indication, no nothing. It was as if he had just simply vanished into thin air. The only thing that they knew of was that he had been last spotted hiking up Harwick trail, while dressed in his school uniform.


    Shirley searched the mountains every Saturday. Even when it was blisteringly hot outside, even when it was raining, even when the ice froze over, she was there, always searching, always hoping. Unfortunately, for all of her efforts, she never did find him.


    She thought that tomorrow would be no different. Another Saturday of searching and another day of fruitless effort. What she did not expect was for the man that she had so arduously longed for, to suddenly show up out of the blue like this.


    A sudden and unannounced arrival¡­ It was almost identical to the way he had disappeared.


    Conflicting emotions swirled in her heart. A part of her felt vexed. All of the effort that she painstakingly poured into every Saturday, all of it was for nothing. Even if she hadn¡¯t tried, even if she simply waited, the end result would have been the same. Yet another part of her, an even larger part of her simply felt happy.


    The joy she currently felt could not be described in words.


    Theo did not know what sort of thoughts plagued her mind. He let out a genuine smile and said, ¡°Yes, it really is me.¡±


    Upon hearing his simple confirmation, Shirley¡¯s shoulders trembled. She freed herself from his grasp and took a step backward. Her eyes ran up and down his body. She wanted to imprint every detail, every feature and every flaw of his to memory. She savored his very presence. Shirley wanted to convince herself of the reality happening in front of her.


    Under the scrutiny of such an intense gaze, even someone like Theo felt uncomfortable. He thought for a moment, before he extended out his arms. It was the universal symbol for ¡®I want a hug¡¯. Although the two had stopped doing such things when they entered high school, he figured it was a good a time as any to revive the old tradition.


    Shirley stared at his outstretched hands, before she looked up at his face. She took a step forward, reeled back her right hand, and punched out.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± A small fist hit him square in the chest. He sputtered out a cough, as he stared at Shirley through wincing eyes. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Although she did not possess a lot of strength, the hit had taken Theo by surprise. Just as he was still reeling from the shock, Shirley threw another punch. After that, came another, and another, and another, and another. She did not stop. Her fists kept flying, all of them landing on either his exposed chest, his vulnerable stomach, or his bruised shoulders.


    ¡°Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Where did you go? You were gone for seven months! You missed my birthday! No warning, no trace, no nothing! Even after that, you¡­ you just suddenly walk back in like everything¡¯s all normal! Idiot! Theo, you big, dumb, stupid idiot!¡± Her words flooded out like a broken dam. Theo knew of how much of an emotionally bottled up person Shirley was. Whenever she got like this, it was always better to just let her vent out all of her frustrations in one go.


    Plus, he understood her emotions more than anybody else could. Thus, he gritted his teeth, and chose to bear with the pain!


    Fine! I¡¯ll think of this as my punishment. Come on, keep hitting me!


    He let her vent everything out on his poor, untrained body. After almost half a minute, her punches had grown considerably weaker. After two minutes, she was already out of breath. Her cheeks blushed once more, reddening up like a flustered tomato.


    She threw one last punch aimed at his face, but it was more like a love tap than anything else. Her knuckles grazed his cheek, before Shirley completely lost her strength and collapsed on top of him.


    He caught her in a hug, but the momentum of her fall took both of them down to the ground.


    Dust spread through the air. Theo winced. He imagined that underneath his jacket, his upper body was completely bruised and battered. He shook his head and looked down.


    Shirley¡¯s face pressed against his chest. Her arms were wrapped around his neck. He subconsciously groaned. Her grip was tight. Shirley hugged onto his body like a desperate baby koala. It was as if she was afraid that the moment she let go, he would suddenly disappear again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ don¡¯t go anywhere anymore, okay¡­ please¡­¡± He felt it through his shirt. Her soft, quivering voice was somewhat muffled, but in between each word, he could hear the faint sobbing. A flurry of hiccups, and the distinct feeling of wetness all over his chest.


    Her body heat, the rise and fall of her chest, the rhythmic thump of her beating heart, he felt it all.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He silently wrapped his arms around her frail back and guided her through the tears. He rocked his body back and forth, all the while he rubbed the base of her back with his free hand. He wanted to say something, but after recalling all the pain and suffering that he had put her through, the words simply refused to come out.


    Their friendship dated all the way back to the first grade.


    Even from the get-go, the two of them were isolated from the rest of the class. Theo¡¯s problem was simple; he was bad with people. He possessed a gloomy disposition, almost as if a dark cloud constantly hovered over his head. It wasn¡¯t as if he got picked on or anything, just that nobody bothered to talk to him. Even the ones that did never got any further than one or two sentences.


    Shirley was sort of the opposite. By nature, she had always been a shy girl, and as a child, she was far from the hidden beauty that she was today. She wore braces, had hair that resembled an open flame, and possessed a skinny frame that made her appear almost gangly. Although he personally thought that she had a cute enough face, the person herself did not believe so.


    She grew up with low self-confidence and even worse interpersonal skills.


    It did not take much for the two to eventually meet and become friends.


    In fact, the reason for their friendship was actually quite mundane; the two of them were the stragglers for a partnered project. Being the only two people without any friends, they were naturally partnered together, and their friendship simply developed from there.


    In the end, they grew closer. She also happened to live within the same neighborhood as him, so that too further facilitated their friendship.


    He recalled a small memory from back then. It was an event that had taken place during their fourth year in elementary school.


    There was this place that they often visited. It was a wooded area just outside the neighborhood. In retrospect, it wasn¡¯t all that large, but to a couple of kids, it felt like the whole world. Isolated and away from the rest of society, it was the perfect place for the both of them.


    Unbeknownst to them at the time, that small patch of wood actually bled into the forest located at the base of the mountain range. He could not remember how it had happened, but one day, the two got separated, and Shirley inadvertently wandered off into the forest.


    Theo panicked. He ran around the forest, and frantically searched for her. Two hours passed before he finally found her.


    She was sitting by a stream. Her hair was disheveled and there was mud on her skirt. She looked ugly, but she still looked far better than the him at the time. Theo had twigs and leaves sticking out of his hair. His clothes were ripped, and he had sustained quite a number of cuts and bruises from tripping one too many times. With that desperate glint in his eyes, he looked no different from a feral child raised by wolves.


    Shirley was crying, crying for real. Her eyes red, her throat hoarse and her voice scratched. It was loud too. Her wailing sobs echoed through the forest. In fact, it was her crying that brought him there.


    She sat by the water. He approached her shivering silhouette and gently patted her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a crybaby.¡± His childhood-self comforted her, ¡°No matter what, I found you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Shirley shook her head. He still remembered how her voice had sounded back then. Frail, weak, and cracked. ¡°No¡­ I was afraid that I¡¯d never get to see you again.¡± She looked up at him with frightened, pleading eyes.


    ¡°What if¡­ what if Theo gets lost in the mountains and never finds his way back? If, if you never come back, If I never see you again¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. I get scared just thinking about it, so I cried. It was the only thing I could think of. I cried because I knew that eventually, you would hear me.¡±


    Hearing such a response, he could only scratch his head and offer to take her back home.


    Back at present day, Theo quietly reminisced. He opened his eyes and tightened his grip. He leaned his head down, and quietly whispered, ¡°Sorry Sher, I¡¯ve been gone for so long.¡±


    The empty, desolate space echoed with a child¡¯s soft sobbing.

 Chapter 7: By the Setting Sun

    Chapter 7: By the Setting Sun


    After Shirley¡¯s initial breakdown, the two eventually separated. They sat on the ground, shoulder to shoulder, with their backs pressed against the wall. A soft orange glow illuminated the surroundings. Dark clouds loomed in the far distance. It was going to rain, not today, but soon.


    Theo glanced down at her through the corner of his eye.


    Shirley¡¯s eyes had puffed up. Her cheeks glistened with tears, while a trail of snot ran down her nose. All in all, she looked like the same little girl that had gotten lost in the forest all those years back.


    She sniveled and turned to look up at him. ¡°So, where did you go?¡± Her voice sounded hoarse and cracked halfway through her words.


    ¡°I was¡­¡± He hesitated.


    Theo did not know how to explain it to her. Others always say that honesty was the best policy, but in this situation, would telling her the truth really be the best option? He certainly didn¡¯t think so. Other worlds filled with monsters and demon kings, tales of heroes and magic¡­ that¡¯s the sort of thing you¡¯d say to get your ass locked up in a mental hospital.


    Without any solid proof of Mistelhan, he did not dare tell her the truth.


    In that case, what should he tell her?


    Make something up? Feign amnesia? Theo shook his head. None of those options would work. He knew that even if he lied, Shirley would certainly find out all the same. It was always like that with them; whatever secrets they tried to hide from one another, sooner or later, the other would find out.


    He was not afraid of Shirley finding out the truth, what he feared was her not believing in that truth. If he told her his truth, Theo knew she¡¯d believe in him, but that belief was not the same as acknowledging the existence of another world. It would be the belief that Theo truly thought that he had been to another world, not that he had actually been to one.


    The last thing that he needed was for his childhood friend to think that he had gone insane.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± He bitterly stated. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Shirley stared straight into his eyes. He made no attempt at hiding the conflict within his gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even going to bother with lying?¡± She asked.


    He let out a forced chuckle, ¡°Even if I did, you¡¯d just see right through me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She subconsciously nodded. That was the sort of relationship that the two of them shared. He could never lie to her, and vice versa, she could never hide anything from him. Sometimes, she felt that they were a bit too close, but at the end of the day, Shirley could never imagine living a life without him.


    That was why the last seven months had been especially hard for her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She pursed her lips and turned her head away. After seeing that sort of expression on his face, she knew that pushing the topic any further would be a fruitless endeavor. She let out a soft sigh and rested her head against his shoulders. As she stared off into the distance, she quietly spoke, ¡°Do you know how long you¡¯ve been gone for?¡±


    ¡°Seven months, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seven months.¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a long time. You realize that, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ sorry.¡± He mumbled out an apology.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re sorry.¡± She curtly stated. ¡°I know, but¡­ I was worried. Your aunt, my parents, everyone¡­ we were all worried. Even the school was interested in your disappearance.¡±


    ¡°They were?¡± Theo raised his brow in disbelief. He did not think he was such an important person for the school to worry about.


    ¡°Yeah, but it was a sort of courtesy worry. They thought that your disappearance might give the school a bad reputation, so they tried especially hard to search for you. They searched for the first week, but after not finding anything, they eventually gave up. Because they didn¡¯t want your case to affect their standing, they suppressed the news and told anybody curious enough to ask that you ran away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of friends, Theo, so convincing people wasn¡¯t really all that hard for them to do.¡± She paused for a moment as if to gather her thoughts. ¡°Even the police started saying the same thing. Because of that, rumors spread about your aunt.¡±


    ¡°Rumors?¡± He frowned. ¡°What type of rumors?¡±


    ¡°That she abused you. She did so many bad things, that you eventually snapped, and ran away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± A somber expression fell on his face. He gritted his teeth, and forced out, ¡°Is, is she okay? Was the school the one behind all the rumors?¡±


    ¡°The school had nothing to do with the rumors.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You know how private schools are, right? All they care about is reputation. It¡¯s the way they gather students and funding. They were the ones that spread the theory that you ran away, but everything else about your aunt were things that spread through word of mouth.¡±


    Hearing Shirley¡¯s explanation, he clamped his mouth shut. A bubbling rage burned within the pit of his stomach, but there was nothing he could do. There was no one to blame and no outlet where he could release all that anger out on.


    ¡°¡­ As for your aunt, she¡¯s fine. She did not let the rumors bother her.¡± Shirley reassured. She hesitated for a moment, before she finally asked, ¡°Did you really run away?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± He shook his head. His aunt had always taken care of him. She was always there for him. Aside from Shirley, she was the only person that he had ever truly opened up to. When his parents had died, she was the one who picked up the broken pieces of his heart and melded it back together. He owed her so much, that he did not know if he could ever properly repay her.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Shirley sneakily glanced up at his expression, before she let out a soft laugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe in the rumors either. Aunt Lynn is such a nice person, I can¡¯t ever imagine her doing anything bad. If anything, you¡¯d be the one doing the bullying... She¡¯s so pretty, after all.¡±


    He let out a carefree chuckle. ¡°You know we¡¯re family, right?¡±


    ¡°Not by blood¡­¡± She muttered underneath her breath. Looking up at his nonchalant attitude, Shirley suddenly regretted bringing up the topic. She hurriedly shook her head, and said, ¡°Aunt Lynn didn¡¯t think you ran away either. She said that you¡¯d know what she¡¯d do to you if you really ran away from her.¡±


    ¡°That sounds exactly like her.¡± He smiled wryly, distant memories floated to his mind.


    ¡°Yeah, she was so adamant that she even kept you enrolled in school, despite the costs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually still enrolled?¡± He widened his eyes. He was half certain that his current status was that of a drop-out. At the very least, he thought that he would have to retake the year after coming back to Plume.


    This is good though. Since I¡¯m still a student, I can probably just take a few special tests or maybe attend some extracurricular classes, and I¡¯ll be able to graduate on time. Private schools are a bit more lenient, so I¡¯m sure I can somehow convince them to wave off my seven-month long absence¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already know that?¡± Shirley widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°You went to school, and even attended class, so I was sure that you already knew¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I mean, I didn¡¯t know until now, but¡­ well, it¡¯s a long story.¡± He muttered out incoherently.


    ¡°A long story that you¡¯re not willing to tell?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. No matter how often you ask, I won¡¯t tell you.¡± Once again, he resolutely stated.


    She tilted her head down and stared at the ground for a long time. ¡°You really won¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± He decisively responded. ¡°At least, not now.¡±


    ¡°Not now?¡± She raised her brow at his statement. Theo simply nodded.


    If I can get my powers back, that might make my argument a little bit more convincing. When that happens, I¡¯ll make sure to convince you.


    ¡°Fine, be like that.¡± She turned her head away and huffed out.


    ¡°Fine?¡± he stared at her. Shirley¡¯s cheeks inflated, while her brow creased. She was pouting like a child who had just gotten her toy taken away from her. That doesn¡¯t look fine to me.


    He breathed out a sigh, before he seriously said, ¡°I promise. Someday, someday in the future, I¡¯ll tell you everything. Until then, please. Just wait.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully serious about all this¡­¡± She muttered to herself, her pout already disappearing. At the same time, a thought floated to her mind.


    What could be so serious that Theo¡¯s not willing to share anything with me? Is he in trouble?


    Her expression slowly paled as wild fantasies started running through her head.


    Maybe he went missing because he got kidnapped? Is he still running away from his captors? Or maybe he was taken, brought to a secret underground facility, and underwent intense training¡­ Or maybe it was the mobsters¡­


    She looked back at him and hesitated. Right now, she could see it. Someone throwing a sack over Theo¡¯s head, and a group of men dragging him into a white, unlicensed van. She tentatively asked, ¡°Should¡­ should we call the police?¡±


    He reflexively groaned. Just thinking about involving something as troublesome as the police really stressed him out. The school security guard already forced him into such a situation, he did not want to deal with anything even remotely similar.


    Without thinking, he shook his head, ¡°The police will only make things worse¡­.¡±


    Hearing his words, Shirley grew even more concerned. What sort of situation would worsen with the police getting involved? Right now, she was almost certain that his disappearance had something to do with either mobsters, international mercenaries, or maybe even terrorists.


    Did they implant a bomb inside his skull? If he says anything bad or reveals too much information, will Theo¡¯s head explode?


    Shirley wore her heart on her sleeve. Seeing the varying degrees of worry and fright that flashed through her face, Theo wondered just what sort of wild delusions this girl was currently having. He knew full well of her overactive imagination, so naturally, he also had a rudimentary grasp on just how capable Shirley was at concocting outlandish scenarios.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± He reassured her. ¡°Just wait a while, and I¡¯ll get everything sorted out. And for the love of god, quit worrying so much. Nothing bad¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    She hesitated for a moment, before reluctantly nodding. Shirley did not immediately calm down, but nevertheless, she decided to trust in Theo. Also, she feared that if she continued pushing, his head might really explode.


    ****


    Sometime later, the two were walking through the school¡¯s front courtyard. Aside from the ones involved in sports, most of the regular students had already gone home. The front of the school was nearly isolated. Theo could see the school gate out in the distance, along with the large water fountain located smack dap in the middle of the courtyard.


    In the distance, he heard a distant bell chime.


    He looked up. The image of a certain place flashed through his mind. ¡°That thing¡¯s still up?¡± Theo asked curiously.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Shirley nodded. As they walked side by side, Shirley practically clung to his arm like a koala. Inwardly, she was afraid that he might just disappear the moment she let go. It was a fear so great that it even overcame her original personality¡¯s shyness.


    Luckily, the school was practically empty, so the pressure on her mind was considerably low.


    ¡°The church recently got a new sponsor, and they decided to keep the bell tower.¡± She explained.


    The place that Shirley talked about was the old church located on Marble Love street. It was a rather famous landmark within Harwick¡¯s Mountain district. Most of the residents knew of it, but almost none were willing to involve themselves with it.


    It was a large gothic style cathedral. The place was rumored to have existed as far back as the 18<sup>th</sup> century. Legends say that it had once been the execution grounds for those accused of witchcraft back in the early days of the country. Another tale went on to claim that the cathedral was built on an ancient native burial ground.


    Nowadays, that place was most commonly known as being a hotspot and gathering point for the city¡¯s unwanted.


    Theo was surprised that someone was actually willing to purchase the building, especially considering all the bad reputation that it possessed.


    The duo eventually stopped at the front of the gate. He glanced over and noticed the security guard from before giving him the stink eye. He ignored him and turned to Shirley. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go home?¡±


    She was about to agree, when she suddenly remembered something, ¡°Ah, I have club today.¡±


    ¡°Club?¡± He tilted his head in confusion before his face contorted in shock. ¡°You? You¡¯re actually in a club?¡±


    ¡°Rude!¡± She punched his shoulder. ¡°I joined recently, while you were gone. It¡­ it kept me distracted.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± He nodded. He was silent for a moment before he nudged her shoulder. ¡°You should go.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go to your club. It¡¯s not often that you involve yourself with¡­ well, anything.¡±


    Shirley hesitated. In truth, she had joined the club as a way to keep her mind off of Theo¡¯s disappearance. Now that he was back, there was no reason to keep going, but¡­ she grew attached. After a few seconds, she shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I can miss a day.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you go home alone today! Who knows if you¡¯ll suddenly disappear again. I have to make sure to escort you safely back to Aunt Lynn¡­ plus, if you want, I can take you to the clubroom next time. Maybe you can even join.¡±


    Me joining a club? He gave it some thought. Usually, he was averse to such things, but if it was with Shirley¡­ no, precisely because Shirley was there, that he needed to go. Who else but him would watch over this ball of jittery nerves?


    Theo nodded. ¡°Alright. Then, let¡¯s go home for today.¡±


    Shirley looked up at his calm expression, before nodding back. In a voice filled with genuine happiness, she exclaimed, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s!¡±

 Chapter 8: A Rumor in the Neighborhood

    Chapter 8: A Rumor in the Neighborhood


    After leaving the school, the two leisurely made their way back home.


    They walked in silence. Most people might have considered the situation awkward, but Theo didn¡¯t mind. In fact, he had a content smile plastered onto his face. With the setting sun in the background and Shirley by his side, he truly believed that this world was one hundred times better than the hell called Mistelhan.


    He fondly recalled the route that they used to take to get to his house.


    It was a twenty-minute walk that guided them through a few of the neighborhood¡¯s ¡®landmarks¡¯, if you could really call them that. The first notable location was the miniature man-made lake. It was a popular destination for many young couples and elderly citizens. After passing the lake and taking a few more turns around the neighborhood, they would then arrive at a small playground. The playground was relatively old, but surprisingly well maintained.


    Theo had several memories of him as a child playing in that playground, although most of those memories were vague and uncertain, long eroded by the passage of time.


    They quickly arrived at the lake. The water¡¯s surface was tainted with soft orange light. A couple of geese rested along the shore. To his surprise, there were no young couples discreetly making out or elderly old men feeding the fowl.


    He did not pay it much attention before the two continued on their way. Just as he was about to take the first turn towards the playground, Shirley suddenly tugged on his sleeve.


    ¡°Not there,¡± She shook her head and pointed in another direction. ¡°We should go the other way, in the direction of the swimming pool.¡±


    He subconsciously frowned. If he was remembering things correctly, then the new route that took them towards the pool was considerably longer than the former. In fact, it would add an additional fifteen minutes to reach home that way. Why would Shirley insist on taking the longer way home?


    It surely isn¡¯t because she wants to spend more time with me, right?


    ¡°But don¡¯t we usually cut through the park?¡± He straightforwardly asked. ¡°It should be quicker that way.¡±


    She shook her head again. ¡°Well, I know its quicker, but¡­ things changed. We can¡¯t go there.¡±


    ¡°Why though?¡±


    Shirley hesitated for a moment. She pursed her lips, before she eventually said, ¡°It¡¯s not safe there anymore.¡±


    ¡°Not safe? What, the park?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded. ¡°You might not know this because you¡¯ve been gone for so long, but lately, the neighborhood¡¯s been a little dangerous. In fact, it¡¯s not just the neighborhood. I¡¯m pretty sure that almost half the district¡¯s unsafe these days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, quit trying to be vague.¡± He dismissively responded. ¡°Why is it so dangerous?¡±


    Theo¡¯s picture of danger involved seven-headed dragons and armies of inhuman abominations. If it didn¡¯t have at least two or three undead necromancers, then it couldn¡¯t really be counted as anything too dangerous. He truly couldn¡¯t imagine what sort of danger existed within this seemingly peaceful neighborhood.


    Hearing his contemptuous response, Shirley pursed her lips. She bitterly glared at his face, before saying, ¡°Delinquents.¡±


    ¡°Delinquents?¡± Theo scrunched his brow in confusion. ¡°You mean like thugs? The ones that pick on kids and smoke cigarettes behind the school building? That type of delinquent? Seriously?¡±


    She punched his shoulder in irritation. Why can¡¯t this blockhead understand?


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®seriously¡¯?¡± Delinquents are plenty dangerous!¡± She retorted, openly despising Theo¡¯s carefree attitude. She hesitated for a moment, before she explained, ¡°Most public schools have a few delinquents, that¡¯s not really a big secret. Even a private school like Valery Heights is no exception, but lately¡­ lately, it feels like the number¡¯s been increasing, like there are more delinquents walking around town than there are actual normal people. Also, there¡¯s been rumors. They say that mobsters have settled down in the area. Near the neighborhoods and supermarkets. The mob¡¯s been actively extorting the district, and even recruiting more members into their gang.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that? It sounds like something straight out of a movie.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but comment.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s one hundred percent serious! Could you please at least act like you¡¯re a little bit worried?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really worried.¡± He lightly responded. Please, what sort of Hero would I be if some two-bit gang could scare me so easily like that?


    Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Theo¡¯s expression grew somber as he turned towards Shirley. After a moment¡¯s pause, he seriously asked, ¡°Have they done anything to you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± She widened her eyes in surprise. ¡°No, they haven¡¯t. I¡¯m not stupid, I know how to be careful, but¡­¡± She abruptly lowered her voice and leaned closer to his ear, ¡°S-some students have already gotten hit on their way home from school. Even a few teachers were targeted. Most get robbed or extorted, but sometimes, the female students, they do... um, other¡­ other stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, I know what you mean, no need to say anything else.¡± Theo hurriedly interrupted, as he dismissively waved his hand in the air.


    Shirley¡¯s expression reddened. She lowered her head and stared at the passing sidewalk. She inwardly counted her footsteps.


    The duo walked in silence for a while.


    A small frown twisted his lips. As time passed, his frown only grew deeper. Eventually, he could not control himself any longer. He suddenly said, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t sound safe walking around here in the afternoon. Shirley, are you sure you¡¯re fine? Don''t you walk home every day? Also, you have club, don¡¯t you? Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re going home later and later?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine, aren¡¯t I?¡± Shirley patted her chest reassuringly. Theo instinctively stared. He couldn¡¯t quite tell how large it was on account of her baggy sweater, but he was more than certain that Shirley had undergone quite a major growth spurt during his seven months of absence. Calling her a well-endowed young lady wasn¡¯t that much of an exaggeration anymore.


    Unaware of the thoughts that plagued his mind, she continued, ¡°Besides, the club president usually drives me home after school. In fact, today¡¯s actually the first time I¡¯ve walked home in a while. See, you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing.¡±


    Club President?


    For some reason, Theo pictured a stereotypical guy in glasses. Someone with good conversational skills and even better grades. Neatly dressed, a sideswiped haircut, and maybe just a little bit more handsome than average.


    Such a guy¡­ was Shirley really spending her afternoons hanging out with a guy like that?


    Imagining Shirley with someone, with someone other than him, with a guy other than him¡­ to his surprise, he felt a lot more uncomfortable about that idea than he first anticipated. Was it jealousy, or was he simply being overprotective towards his one and only childhood friend? Before he could answer that question, Shirley suddenly chimed in.


    She looked over at Theo¡¯s sinking facial expression, and simply assumed that he had not been convinced by her earlier argument. She tried once more to reassure him.


    She turned towards Theo and let out a small smile. ¡°Really, you¡¯ve always been a worrywart, Theo. Come on, trust me. I survived while you were gone for seven months, I know how to handle myself.¡±


    Knowing exactly the sort of personality that she possessed, Theo was more than just a little reluctant to agree with her statement. Plus, there was still that whole issue with the unknown club president guy that she hung out all the damn time. After an extended period of silence, he eventually nodded his head, albeit begrudgingly. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ll completely stop worrying, but I¡¯ll at least try to worry less.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s all I ask for.¡± She smiled sweetly and clung onto his arm even tighter than before.


    He shook his head in response. Despite agreeing with her just a second ago, Theo¡¯s inner thoughts played out quite differently. Once I get some of my abilities back, I should probably place a tracking spell on her or maybe a sigil of warning¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit more worried about you.¡± Shirley suddenly commented.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were gone for a long time. Is your body okay? Did you go to the hospital to get your physical yet? Have you been eating properly? I feel like you¡¯ve lost a bit of weight since the last time I saw you.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her concern. She sounded like a nagging stay-at-home mother evaluating her child after he had just gotten back from summer camp. ¡°And what about you? Are you sure you haven¡¯t been eating a little bit too much?¡±


    He chuckled to himself, his gaze ambiguously staring at her body.


    Shirley tilted her head in confusion for a moment, before she followed his gaze, and quickly realized just what it was he was looking at. Her face immediately blushed. A tinge of red colored her cheeks and crept all the way up to the tips of her ears.


    She reflexively released his arm and covered her chest with both of her hands. Shirley glared hatefully at the rather lecherous expression on his face, all the while saying, ¡°It looks like your disappearance turned you into a big pervert.¡±


    Theo simply shrugged at her comment. If you only knew the sort of thing I experienced, then you¡¯d quickly realize that kind of comment is already me being reserved.


    Shirley let out a quiet ¡°Hmph!¡±, before she turned her head away and distanced herself from Theo. Of course, her anger did not last long. About half a minute later, the two were already back to walking side by side.


    After a while, the duo suddenly stopped. A gloomy expression colored both of their faces.


    ¡°w-why are they here?¡± Shirley worriedly stated, as she subconsciously grabbed onto the hem of Theo¡¯s shirt.


    As for Theo, he bitterly laughed to himself. ¡°Wow¡­ honestly, what sort of shitty luck do I have?¡± He straightforwardly stared at the sight before his eyes.


    The back of his head throbbed. He could feel it. Something seriously annoying was about to happen.

 Chapter 9: An Unruly House Party

    Chapter 9: An Unruly House Party


    Creeping moonlight illuminated the sky. The last vestiges of the sun¡¯s bright rays came in the form of the tinted purple glow that danced along the edge of the horizon.


    It should have been a quiet and peaceful evening, the type best enjoyed with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, somewhere within the streets of Valery Hills, someone else had a different idea.


    Strobe lights bright enough to pierce the clouds and the deafening rhythm of a boom box.  Music, if you could call it that, filled the night air. To Theo, it sounded like a mixture between a car crash and scratching chalkboard. Just the bass alone made his skin vibrate and his hairs stand on end.


    The street was littered with a wide variety of vehicles. Motorcycles and pick-up trucks, SUVs and off-brand jeeps, there was even an RV somewhere within the mix. Some looked rather expensive, like the Silver Lillum sports car parked in the driveway of the biggest house on the block, while others resembled recycled pieces of scrap, like the beat-up white mini-van that looked like it had an extensive experience with child kidnappings.


    There were probably even more further down the street, but Theo¡¯s vision could only reach so far.


    He narrowed his eyes and quietly observed the surroundings.


    He felt Shirley¡¯s grip tighten around the hem of his shirt. Muffled sounds of laughter and yelling, most of it blotted out by the music. When he sniffed the air, he caught the faint scent of cigarettes and alcohol.


    It did not take very long for Theo to identify the center of all this chaos. The proverbial eye of the storm, the place where all the noises, all the smells, and all the people congregated. A three-story house with a jet-black rooftop. It was the largest house on the block, the same one with the silver-colored sports car parked in its driveway.


    Dancing silhouettes in the windows, and mini fireworks in the backyard¡­ It was a house party that had outgrown the house.


    Shirley creased her brow. She squirmed in place for a moment, before she tugged on Theo¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe we should take a detour?¡± She timidly suggested.


    She was somewhat intimidated by the atmosphere. For a person like her, just even being in the vicinity of a party gave her goosebumps. What¡¯s more, it wasn¡¯t only the atmosphere that she feared. Her eyes warily glanced at the people that loitered around the surrounding area. She unconsciously shivered.


    Shoulders decorated in black ink. Golden chains dangling off their necks, while their bony fingers held smoking cigarettes. There were even a few with skimpily dressed women hanging off their arms.


    It was laughable how clich¨¦ a few of these guys were. At least, Theo thought so. As for Shirley¡­ well, she was scared out of her mind.


    ¡°Seriously Theo, let¡¯s go already. I don¡¯t want to be here any more than we have to.¡± She continually urged, her body slowly moving away from the crowded street.


    In response, Theo shook his head and frowned. ¡°If we go back now, then it¡¯ll take us like twenty more minutes to get home.¡±


    He did not like the sound of that. It should be late late afternoon right now. The sun had almost completely set, and the street lamps were already on. Night was just around the corner. No, in fact, it had already arrived.


    Besides, Shirley already forced him to take one detour, he wasn¡¯t about to do another. As Mistelhan¡¯s hero and savior, where would his pride go if he were to run away from a couple of thugs? All the bandits that he had previously slain would have surely laughed their asses off if news of such an incident were to spread.


    But still, I would have never imagined something like this happening in the neighborhood, much less this early in the evening. Is the situation really that bad?


    ¡°Theo, stop messing around, please!¡± Shirley¡¯s desperate voice echoed through his ears. ¡°Please, can we just go?¡±


    Regardless of what she was saying, Theo did not listen. He gently pushed her forward. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Walking through all of this should take less than five minutes. Also, I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I? I¡¯ll protect you, no matter what happens.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Her fears did not dissipate. Theo was her childhood friend, but he wasn¡¯t exactly the strongest guy in the world. If push comes to shove, and those guys really did act against them, what could Theo do? Much less protect her, could he even protect himself?


    He saw the fear in her eyes and knew that she did not really take his words all that seriously. Theo didn¡¯t mind. He was perfectly clear on how much strength his body possessed. If it weren¡¯t for his twenty-five years of experience, then he wouldn¡¯t even dare to enter such a place either.


    He patted her back reassuringly before he pushed her forward by another step. Shirley¡¯s anxiety almost flared up. She grabbed onto his hands and frantically shook her head.


    He felt her fingernails digging into his skin. Theo finally let go. After seeing the worry clearly scribbled on her face, he inadvertently sighed. He thought for a moment before he suddenly suggested. ¡°If you¡¯re really that scared, then cover your face.¡±


    ¡°Cover my face?¡± She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Why should I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re cute. You know what the bad guys do to cute girls like you, right?¡±


    ¡°C-cute¡­¡± Hearing his casual compliment, Shirley''s eyes widened. She quickly turned her head away from him, but not before Theo caught a glimpse of the bright red that colored her ears. She absentmindedly shuffled in place for a few seconds, still reeling from his words, before she suddenly recalled what they were arguing about in the first place.


    She angrily glared at Theo. ¡°No, that won¡¯t help, we¡¯re not going through this street! Stop trying to confuse me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it¡­¡± Theo responded rather agreeably, but contrary to his words, he was actually pushing Shirley forward. Although she resisted, Theo was stronger than her. Inch by inch, they slowly approached the chaotic street.


    ¡°Theo? Theo! Theo, stop! Seriously, Theo, please¡­¡± Her words were eventually blotted out by the loud music. Seeing as she could not resist, nor escape from his hold, Shirley held back bitter tears and begrudgingly walked forward.


    This hateful guy, he¡¯s basically throwing me to the wolves!


    To Theo¡¯s surprise, Shirley really did take his advice from earlier. Both of her hands were pressed against her face. Like this, she could not really see, but others couldn¡¯t see her face either. Theo did not know whether to laugh or to cry.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not too late to go back.¡± Her muffled words spoke beside him.


    He shook his head and softly chuckled. He firmly grabbed onto her shoulders and walked forward. Theo pushed Shirley in front of him, gently guiding her along through every step of the way, making extra sure that she didn¡¯t accidentally crash into anything.


    Three minutes passed and so far, their journey was uneventful. Unfortunately, by the time they reached the area directly in front of the three-story house, they were immediately interrupted.


    ¡°Hey, who the hell are you?¡± Someone suddenly called out.


    Turning his head, Theo saw a skinny man with a dirty blonde mohawk. One of his arms was wrapped around some girl in a leather dress, while the other held a cheap looking bottle of beer. He sat on the hood of an orange convertible.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the girl?¡± He squinted his eyes and stared at Shirley¡¯s odd appearance. She was still covering her face with both hands, but at the same time, her entire body was shaking, almost as if she had just spent the entire night locked away in a walk-in freezer.


    Theo felt Shirley¡¯s nervousness. Without pause, he lazily glanced around the surroundings, before he turned back towards the skinny man and lightly responded, ¡°She¡¯s ugly and a bit insecure about her face. Don¡¯t mind her.¡±


    ¡°What ar¡ª¡± Shirley almost protested out of instinct, but Theo hurriedly poked her in the back with a finger, immediately silencing her.


    ¡°Ugly?¡± The guy tilted her head. Contrary to Theo¡¯s expectations, the skinny man¡¯s interest actually grew. For a moment, he was shocked, but then he glanced at the lady sitting next to the man. He hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but she was actually ugly!Stolen story; please report.


    Could it be that he has some sort of weird inclination? Theo felt a headache forming.


    ¡°Hey girl, lower your hands for a second.¡± The man commanded. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few ugly girls before, what¡¯s one more.¡± He tried to speak casually, but Theo clearly heard the excitement in his voice.


    Shirley squirmed within Theo¡¯s grip. She did not know what to do. Her hands trembled. Should she listen and reveal her face? Keep her hands up? Run away? What will he do if she doesn¡¯t listen? Will he hurt her? Will he hurt Theo?


    She truly did not know what to do.


    Just as her hovering fingers started to slip, Theo suddenly placed patted the crown of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± He leaned forward and calmly whispered in her ear. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to listen to him. Just trust me.¡±


    For a moment, Shirley stopped trembling. She still couldn¡¯t see, but she felt his warmth. She blanked out for a few seconds before she eventually nodded her head. Although she was still nervous, although she was scared, right now, none of that mattered. She placed her full trust in Theo.


    Seeing such a scene, the skinny man frowned. His left eye twitched. A feeling of dissatisfaction bubbled up within his heart.


    Originally, it should have been a minor thing. He really did just want to see the girl¡¯s face. He liked to appreciate the beauty of females. He was particularly fond of¡­ girls with atypical looks. It was supposed to be minor, a small issue in the grand scheme of things, so why? The girl did not listen and the youth in front of him challenged his authority. Not only that, there was also something in the youth¡¯s eyes that irritated him.


    ¡°On a day like today, something like this had to happen¡­¡± An ugly scowl contorted his face.


    The man was a member of the notorious Pit Cobras gang. Not only that, but he was also someone who had been recently promoted to deputy captain. The party tonight, while it wasn¡¯t necessarily held for him, he still treated it as his own. On a night like this, their blatant disregard really pissed him off.


    He glared hatefully at the black-haired youth. He tried to get a proper look at the kid that dared challenge him on his own turf, but unfortunately, hair covered the kid¡¯s upper face.


    Everything about him pissed the man off. Luckily, the man knew how to best break these sorts of reckless idiots. His gaze suddenly fell on the girl beside the youth.


    A sneering smile floated to his face.


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± He aggressively called out. ¡°I told you to lower your arms, so fucking lower them!¡±


    Shirley trembled. She subconsciously took a step back, but bumped into Theo. Her body was as stiff as a board, while her skin appeared pale and sickly. Still, no matter how frightened she got, she did not run away. The warmth prevented her from doing so. No, it was more than that. The warmth of his hand, the warmth of his presence¡­ she refused to run away.


    The thug¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°This, dumb bi¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± Theo immediately interrupted. He clapped his hands before he grabbed Shirley¡¯s shoulders and pushed her forward. ¡°We¡¯ll be going now. It was nice talking to you.¡± With one last parting glance, he turned away from the skinny thug and continued walking.


    ¡°What?¡± The man was caught off guard by the youth¡¯s carefree attitude. He sat there in a daze for a few seconds, before a vicious light glinted in his eyes. His shock rapidly morphed into a burning rage. He shook off the girl in his arms and jumped off the car.


    He swaggered towards Theo, all the while shouting, ¡°Who the fuck told you that you could go!?¡±


    Theo slightly turned his head and glanced at the approaching man through the corner of his eye. He noticed a few things, like how the guy was shirtless but his upper body was covered in so many tattoos, that he looked no different from someone fully clothed, especially in the dead of the night.


    In actuality, the skinny man only wore a pair of running pants and dark brown loafers. It was definitely an odd combination.


    He clearly saw the ugly scowl on the man¡¯s face. Theo felt the urge to shake his head.


    Likewise, the thug observed Theo. Judging by his youthful appearance, and the fact that the girl next to him was wearing a school uniform, the kid was probably a student. He had dealt with plenty of students before. He knew that the best way to deal with unruly teenagers wasn¡¯t through direct violence, but rather intimidation.


    After this stinky brat starts groveling on the ground, I¡¯ll kick him a few times. If he shows a bit of generosity, then I might just let him go with only one or two bruises¡­


    The thug inwardly laughed to himself as he looked at Theo with a gaze full of unbridled contempt.


    Thinking for a moment, he suddenly pulled something out from his pants pocket. Thin and silvery, it was a butterfly knife. After he unfolded the blade, he swung the knife around for a few seconds. To the trained eye, his swings were ugly and poorly executed, but to someone like the stupid kid in front of him, it probably looked kickass and intimidating.


    Seeing the kid lower his head, the thug smugly laughed to himself.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Theo narrowed his eyes and warily asked. He subconsciously moved in front of Shirley, shielding her with his body.


    Honestly, Theo did not really care for any of the so-called gangsters that loitered around the neighborhood. After all, how dangerous could they really be? To someone whose burned down bandit strongholds and destroyed entire underworld syndicates, these kids playing criminal really weren¡¯t all that much.


    What he worried for was Shirley¡¯s safety.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your attitude.¡± The thug gave Theo a contemptuous look before he shifted his gaze over towards the girl. Looking closely at her, his interest was once again piqued. ¡°You trying to hide something? Why¡¯s your face all hidden like that?¡±


    ¡°I told you she¡¯s just shy,¡± Theo answered for her.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up. I wasn¡¯t talking to you.¡± The man angrily barked, before he continued to leisurely stare at Shirley.


    Theo¡¯s expression chilled, but the thug had not noticed. If he had, then he would have surely seen the dangerous light that flashed through Theo¡¯s eyes. Unfortunately, he was too busy ogling at the girl.


    The longer he looked, the more and more pleased he became. He ran his gaze up and down her body, before they eventually rested on her exposed thighs.


    The man subconsciously licked his lips.


    Underneath her sweater, Shirley wore the school¡¯s mandatory uniform, which consisted of a white button-up shirt and a matching red skirt. The skirt was originally designed to drop down below a girl¡¯s kneecaps, which was rather conservative, especially for the modern era.


    Shirley¡¯s skirt was still the same skirt that the school originally issued out, but there was one key problem; hers was a few sizes too small.


    She owned only one size skirt. They were the skirts that she first bought during her first year of high-school. For the most part, that sort of arrangement worked. In the four years since, she didn¡¯t really grow all that much. In fact, for a time, Shirley almost believed that she was destined to grow up to be someone like her mother; a petite lady that people often confused for a middle schooler.


    To her surprise, it wasn¡¯t that Shirley had stopped growing, but rather, she was just a late bloomer. Within the last seven months, she underwent a period of explosive growth.


    She grew taller and her figure filled out. That especially showed in the clothes that she owned. Many of her old shirts were now too small for her to wear. Her skirt was no different. It danced between the fine line of completely impossible and barely acceptable.


    Her current skirt was a bit tight around her waist and revealed quite a bit of her alabaster thighs. Shirley was a naturally beautiful girl. Even Theo openly admitted it. Her legs were shapely and curved in just the right kind of way. They were the legs of a beautiful woman.


    The thug seemingly realized this too. He let out a lascivious chuckle. Although he was a connoisseur of ugly faces, he also knew how to appreciate a beautiful body. ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t have to move your hands anymore, but stay here for the night, alright? I¡¯ll make sure to take very good care of you¡­¡±


    Shirley bit her lower lip. A cold sweat ran down her back, while her entire body trembled uncontrollably. Underneath her breath, she worriedly called out Theo¡¯s name.


    The thug took a step forward. He walked around Theo and reached a hand out towards her thighs. His eyes had completely locked onto Shirley¡¯s skirt, while his imagination ran wild with what lay underneath. Just as he was about to touch her, the man was suddenly interrupted.


    A thin hand grabbed tightly onto his wrist.


    The thug¡¯s expression soured. ¡°You?¡± He glanced up at Theo. ¡°What the hell do you think you''re doing? Trying to act cool? Trying to play fucking hero? You don¡¯t believe I won¡¯t kill you over a bitch? I¡¯ve killed people for even less.¡±


    The skinny thug sneered at him, but Theo did not put to mind any of his words. He simply sighed and quietly said, ¡°I guess talking it out was a bit too much to ask, huh?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck did you jus¡ª¡±


    Before the thug could finish, Theo suddenly attacked.


    His hands blurred. He struck the man¡¯s throat with the knuckles on his fist. The thug sputtered out a strained cough. He had been caught off guard by the sudden hit, and reflexively swung his knife in retaliation. Unfortunately, Theo was already a step ahead.


    Instead of blocking or avoiding the blow, he caught the thug by the elbow and forearm. Theo borrowed his momentum and guided the knife forward until it made a full arc across the air. Normally, the knife would stop just before it could cause bodily harm to its user, but Theo forced it forward. He twisted the thug¡¯s wrist and pushed down on his elbow. The jagged blade sank into the thug¡¯s shoulder with a blood sickening squelch!


    ¡°Aaargh!¡± The thug screamed out in pain.


    Theo loosened his grip and took a step back. He thought for a moment, before he suddenly kicked out. His foot landed directly onto the man¡¯s crotch. For added measure, he kicked him once more.


    The thug¡¯s voice turned high pitched, before he sank to the ground. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull, while the corners of his lips frothed with white foam.


    Seeing all this, Theo sighed and shook his head. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to get involved.¡± He spoke to the half-conscious body on the floor. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to, but you forced me to, so don¡¯t blame me, okay?¡±


    He stared at the guy for a few seconds, before he dejectedly shook his head once more and motioned for Shirley to continue walking. He wanted to leave, but unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t so easy to walk away after beating someone up, especially not when said someone still had friends scattered all throughout the street.


    A couple of guys loitered around the front yard of the three-story house. They had all seen what had just transpired. At first, they thought nothing of the incident.


    One of their own simply went to go have some fun. Picking up a chick and scaring some kid in the process, it wasn¡¯t anything unusual. What they did not expect was for that random kid to be so vicious!


    After the momentary shock faded, the scattered delinquents quickly approached.


    Seeing all this, Theo let out another sigh. ¡°Looks like we have company.¡± He said such a clich¨¦ line without even flinching. Only an expert like Theo, who spoke clich¨¦ line after clich¨¦ line during his time in Mistelhan, could pull off something like that with zero hesitation.


    ¡°Company? What company? Theo, what¡¯s happening?¡± Shirley anxiously asked. Throughout all this time, she still kept her face covered.


    Theo lightly patted her head. ¡°Nothing, just keep doing what you¡¯re doing, alright? Don¡¯t peek through your fingers and try to ignore anything you might hear, got it?¡±


    ¡°Hear? What am I about to hear?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, really. It¡¯s just, um¡­ He thought for a moment, before he decided to borrow a line that one of his party members often used. ¡°Skin-ship. Skin-ship between men.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? That doesn¡¯t even make sense.¡±


    Theo ignored Shirley¡¯s utterly confused voice, as he cracked his knuckles and quietly watched the approaching group of men.

 Chapter 10: A Taste of Combat

    Chapter 10: A Taste of Combat


    Theo¡¯s eyes leisurely scanned the surroundings.


    The skinny thug with the blonde mohawk was currently lying on the floor, spasming like a drugged-up rabbit. At the same time, a few men slowly made their way towards him.


    These men were all dressed in a similar fashion as the previous thug; loose pants, gold chains, and body ink. They were like clich¨¦ caricatures of the people they wanted to be. Still, it¡¯s not like Theo didn¡¯t understand. To normal people, thuggish-looking men like them really were quite frightening.


    The ones that approached him consisted only of the guys that loitered around the front yard of the three-story house. Generally, they were the ones that actually saw what had transpired. The rest were either too far away to notice or were simply too inebriated to care.


    In total, there were eight people.


    Two guys smaller than him, five about the same size, and one really big dude that probably weighed three times as much as Theo. The big guy was mostly made out of fat rather than muscle. He jiggled every time he took a step forward, sort of like a humanoid cup of pudding.


    Luckily for Theo, the big guy originally sat on the steps leading to the front door, so it¡¯ll probably take a while for him to get here.


    Theo showed no fear on his face. In fact, he felt rather relaxed.


    Even though he lost all his strength and abilities, he did not consider himself completely helpless. At least not towards such a disorganized and unruly group of people. Although Theo was physically weak, he still possessed a wealth of experience, and a number of various techniques and fighting styles. The techniques that he talked about were the same ones that he had learned through the teachings of countless renowned masters. What¡¯s more, those techniques were then further honed through twenty-five years¡¯ worth of bloodshed and battle.


    He suddenly recalled all the times he fought with his powers sealed, and of all the instances in which he faced off against those considerably stronger than him. Although he did not win every encounter, one thing that he always managed to accomplish was survive, which was a lot more than what most people could say for themselves. Theo survived because he was good at surviving. He survived because he was the hero.


    He glanced back up at the approaching men.


    ¡°Shirley, take a step back.¡± He whispered quietly, before he took a step forward. Theo wanted to create as much distance from Shirley as possible. The next following minutes were going to be rather chaotic, and he didn¡¯t want her to get caught up in the crossfire.


    Theo did not wait for her to respond. Instead, he immediately turned towards the nearest thug. It was a skinhead with a black pistol tattoo inked onto his forehead. His build was somewhat similar to Theo¡¯s, except his muscles were clearly more defined.


    If there was one thing that Theo had to regretfully admit, then it would be the fact that the current him lacked any sort of muscle. This didn¡¯t really come as much of a surprise; he spent the majority of his teenage years idling around the house, either watching tv or sitting in front of a computer monitor. With a lifestyle like that, what do you think would have happened?


    Still, it would only pose a mild inconvenience. Muscles weren¡¯t everything in a fight.


    ¡°Hey, who the hell are you?¡± The skinhead¡¯s voice woke him up from his momentary stupor. ¡°You just kicked our guy in the balls! That shit isn¡¯t fair, man.¡± His rage-tinted words echoed through the night air.


    Theo ignored him, and instead, began walking towards the skinhead. The skinhead was taken aback. He glared suspiciously at Theo. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He questioned, but Theo did not answer. He maintained his calm demeanor and picked up the pace.


    Soon, Theo was jogging through the street at a moderate pace, not too fast, but not too slow either. At this point, the thug was utterly confused. Seeing Theo rapidly approaching, he hesitated. He scrambled to a stop, before he hurriedly tried to pull something out from his back pocket.


    Unfortunately, he was a step too slow.


    He held a gleaming silver object in his hand, but before he could do anything with it, Theo abruptly accelerated and launched his first attack.


    Using the full weight of his body, Theo struck out with an open palm. The blow landed accurately on the skinhead¡¯s solar plexus. Even though Theo¡¯s regular strength was abysmal compared to these thugs, one didn¡¯t really need all that much power to incapacitate someone. What mattered most was accuracy. Plus, forward momentum was a scary thing. It was why bullets were so dangerous, despite being so small.


    The skinhead was unprepared for such a vicious strike. He immediately crumbled to the pavement like a sack of wet rice. He clutched his chest in desperation and gasped for air like a drowning fish.


    Theo wanted to make sure that the man was completely knocked out, so he kicked him a few times in the jaw for good measure. Within half a second, the thug was unconscious.


    Theo took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He could feel his heart palpitating from the physical exertion. He was not yet winded, but he could feel himself creeping up towards the wall. He shook his head and turned his attention over towards the seven remaining men.


    For a while, they were momentarily stunned. The random youth took less than ten seconds to deal with one of their own. What¡¯s more, it had been through a one-hit punch¡­ something like that, it was something straight out of an action movie! To think that such a fantastical display of prowess was happening right before their very eyes¡­ no, they shouldn¡¯t be impressed, but rather, distressed!


    Right, the remaining thugs felt seriously distressed!


    After a short pause, they all exchanged glances, before they immediately sprinted towards the unknown youth.


    Their mindset was simple. They planned to overpower this dangerous expert using a gang¡¯s greatest advantage. What was a gang¡¯s greatest advantage, you ask? It was the gangsters, of course! In any given fight, a gang¡¯s number one tactic was always to gang up on people!Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Seeing such a large force rapidly approach, even Theo felt a bit of pressure. Still, he did not panic.


    The gangsters all came from different places and they all had different running speeds. Even if it was only a window of a few seconds, they wouldn¡¯t all immediately arrive at the same time.


    He suddenly bent down and removed the unconscious skinhead¡¯s shoes. They looked fairly expensive, but Theo didn¡¯t care. Without hesitation, he chucked both shoes towards the closest approaching thug.


    One shoe sailed through the air, clearly aimed at the guy¡¯s face. The thug, who from henceforth will be known as Thug Number Two, had clearly seen the projectile coming. He contemptuously sneered, and raised his arms before him, easily blocking the shoe.  Unfortunately, because he had been so distracted by the first projectile, he had completely forgotten about the second shoe.


    The second shoe was aimed at the ground directly in front of Thug Number Two. Number Two stepped on the shoe and lost his footing. A pop echoed through the street. He twisted his ankle and fell face first onto the hard concrete.


    With Thug Number Two momentarily incapacitated, Theo immediately sprinted towards Thug Number Three. Three was a skinny man, considerably smaller than Theo, so he had even less of a reason to hesitate. Once he had shortened the distance, Theo leaped off the ground and gave unfortunate Number Three a flying knee kick to the gut.


    The thug immediately doubled over, but before he fell, Theo caught him by the head and quickly followed up with another knee kick, this time aimed at his face.


    A stream of blood flew through the air. Theo loosened his grip. Number Three fell to the ground with a face full of blood.


    Theo breathed out a sigh. His heartbeat was beating wildly like a sonorous war drum. Sweat slickened his palms. I¡¯ve only dealt with two people, but I¡¯m already so tired. This body of mine really is too weak.


    He unabashedly insulted himself, before he shook his head, and focused back on the rest of the gangsters.


    By this point, aside from the limping Number Two and the straggling Big Eight, the rest of the group was more or less than two meters away from him. At first, Theo felt dejected. Handling four guys at the same time was bound to get bloody. Not that it wasn¡¯t doable, but Theo certainly wouldn¡¯t be walking out unscathed.


    Suddenly, Theo¡¯s expression brightened. His eyes landed on a metal pipe that one of the in-coming delinquents was wielding.


    Theo was always a weapons type of guy. He found that his productivity really increased whenever he had something in his hands.


    Barehanded, I could at most handle five people at once, but with a weapon, I¡¯m confident enough to take on twenty.


    He openly grinned, before he wasted no time and sprinted towards the thug with the metal pipe. The weaponized thug, who he henceforth dubbed as Thug Number Four, felt a bit dismayed.


    Out of all the guys in the group, this crazy son of a bitch chose me! What the hell!? Doesn¡¯t he see that I have a weapon? Usually, you¡¯d leave me for last!


    Number four angrily swung his pipe, hoping to teach this brat a lesson! Unfortunately, Theo had already anticipated that. He squatted his legs and ducked just in time. He then sprang to his feet with a jumping uppercut. The fist had been aimed directly at the man¡¯s exposed armpit.


    The metal pipe clattered to the floor. Theo happily picked it up. With a smile etched onto his face, he then tested out his new weapon on unfortunate Number Four. A few seconds later, Four¡¯s bruised and battered body fell to the floor like a bag of potatoes.


    Theo turned around, just in time to see the rest of the cavalry arrive. Three people. This time, he did not hesitate. He took a step forward and proceeded to dominate the three misfits using the same sword technique that he had used to slay that mature beauty that once ruled over more than half of Mistelhan. After a few seconds, a chorus of groans echoed around him.


    Number Five, Number Six, and Number Seven were all sprawled on the ground, bruises clearly visible on their necks, chests, and arms.


    ¡°Aaargh!¡± Just then, a roar echoed through the streets.


    Ah, just on time. Theo turned towards the noise.


    An injured Number Two suddenly came hobbling forward. The man was missing a front tooth, while a rather ugly bruise covered the majority of his left eye.


    A fall to the face really can cause quite a bit of damage¡­ Theo mused to himself, as he easily received Number Two¡¯s rage-induced attack. Due to the bruise in his eye, Number Two didn¡¯t clearly see the way Theo beat up three of his friends using a half meter metal pipe. If he had, then he certainly wouldn¡¯t have been so zealous in his approach.


    Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. Number Two, who had hoped to make his triumphant return, was instead, beaten black and blue like a stray cur.


    Theo rested the metal pipe over his shoulders and took a deep breath. His hands trembled, his face flushed, while his chest heaved heavily. He could taste the blood in his throat. Theo had overexerted himself.


    Still, he wasn¡¯t finished just yet. A cool expression replaced the haggard one on his face, before he turned around and swaggered towards the remaining thug. Thug Number Eight, or simply Big Eight, was by far the largest gangster that he had seen today. The man was big, but his expression wasn¡¯t very intimidating. In fact, he looked quite hesitant, his gaze constantly flickering towards the bodies sprawled on the ground.


    As for Theo, he was inwardly delighted. He found big beefy guys like this to be the easiest types to handle, especially when they were all weight and no muscle.


    Big Eight gulped down a mouthful of saliva, before he let out a roar and charged forward.


    He tried to grab Theo in a bear hug, but Theo easily avoided. With a swift turn, he circled around the delinquent¡¯s back, before he struck out with the pipe. The cold metal accurately hit the back of his knee. Theo did not wait before he aimed at the other knee. The towering mountain of a man sank to the floor, his knees hitting the rough pavement with a thud.


    Like this, Theo was now a head taller than the man. He leisurely circled back to the front, before he aimed the pipe at the thug¡¯s head as if he were a batter wielding a bat.


    At this point, Big Eight did not even bother to resist. He had a thoroughly pitiful expression smeared on his face.


    ¡°Ah, big bro, please not so hard. I have weak bones.¡± The big guy looked at him with what could only be described as puppy dog eyes.


    An odd smile floated to Theo¡¯s lips. This guy¡¯s trying to be all cute all of a sudden. Theo considered for a moment, before he shrugged his shoulders. I¡¯ll at least try to get you with one hit.


    With that, he swung with all his might. Unfortunately, although Eight¡¯s bones were indeed fragile, he had quite a resistant layer of fat protecting him. It took Theo a few more swings before he finally managed to knock him out.


    A few seconds later, Theo leaned back and let out a sigh. ¡°Sorry bro, I really did try. You were just too tough.¡±


    He spoke casually to the man on the floor, but nobody responded. Number eight¡¯s face was black and blue. It bloated to the point where it was almost unrecognizable. Theo apologized once more, before he turned around and walked back over to Shirley. Along the way, he threw the blood-stained pipe away. It clattered loudly onto the side of the road.


    ¡°Alright Shirley, let¡¯s go,¡± Theo spoke, as he grabbed onto her shoulders and pushed her forward.


    ¡°Ah, is it over? Can I look now?¡± She asked worriedly.


    Theo looked around his surroundings. After seeing all the fallen bodies, he shook his head. ¡°It might not be the best time for you to look. Just wait until I say so, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what were you doing?¡± She paused for a moment, ¡°Also, why do you sound so out of breath?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it was skinship! Just some healthy skinship between men.¡± He shamelessly responded as he guided Shirley forward.


    Theo did not consider what sort of implications his words possessed, but Shirley clearly felt that there was something off about the whole thing.


    Skinship between men¡­ Theo being out of breath¡­ all the groaning coming from the background¡­


    She thought about peeking for a moment but ultimately decided against it. Somethings were better left in the dark. She shook her head and quietly followed Theo out of the busy street.

 Chapter 11: Im Home

    Chapter 11: I¡¯m Home


    Thirty minutes after Theo and Shirley left the street.


    The house party was still going strong, but a few people were already starting to leave. Amidst the flashing lights and booming music, the front door of the three-story house suddenly flew open. A handsome youth with slicked black hair walked out into the cold night air.


    Sharp, cat-like eyes and a lean, athletic frame. He wore a pale-yellow, button-up cardigan. The cardigan looked rather expensive, but right now, it was stained with various splotches of beer, sweat, and other unknown liquids.


    The sound of clicking leather echoed through the wind. The man laughed uproariously, his flushed face contorting into a hazy smile. His laughter was followed by a fit of giggling, the latter of which originated from the two women clinging to both his arms.


    As they made their way down the front steps, the man suddenly frowned. It felt as if there was an itch in the back of his head that he simply could not scratch. He looked around the surroundings. Something was off, but he couldn¡¯t quite tell what.


    After a few seconds, he realized everything was too quiet.


    Where is that buffoon, Mattie? Shouldn¡¯t he be guarding the front entrance?


    He guided his girls and continued walking for a while. Eventually, he stopped in the middle of the driveway. Almost at the same time, another group of men exited the house.


    They were not as handsome, nor as nicely dressed as the man in yellow. Instead, they sported rough appearances, with arms riddled in tattoos and faces covered in scars. Naturally, they were the guys working for the man in yellow; his underlings.


    ¡°Boss!¡± A short youth with a crewcut waved at the man. With his beady eyes and slightly hunched posture, he somewhat resembled a weasel. Despite his shifty appearance, the short youth was actually the leader of these group of men. ¡°You haven¡¯t left yet, let me take you home.¡± He happily offered, while at the same time, he pulled out an unlit cigarette from his back pocket. With a snap of his finger, another subordinate handed him a lighter. ¡°Here Boss, a smoke.¡±


    The weasel-like youth thought himself quite good at his job. He was thorough in his research and even better at sucking up to people. For instance, he knew for a fact that this boss of his enjoyed smoking cigarettes after drinking alcohol. That was why he came prepared.


    It was with this sort of devotion that he managed to rise up in rank, despite being physically weaker than any of the men that he commanded.


    ¡°Shut up for a second.¡± Contrary to his expectations, the man in yellow harshly rejected. He ignored the weasel-like youth¡¯s distraught expression and instead, concentrated on the rest of his surroundings. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dimness of the night, he scanned the street for anything that might calm the uneasiness in his heart. Half a second later, his face darkened.


    He had spotted his men. They were knocked out cold, their bodies sprawled all over the concrete.


    He shook off the girls that previously clung to his arms and hurriedly walked over towards the scene of the crime. The weasel-like youth also noticed the change in his boss¡¯s countenance and did not dare to delay any longer. He quickly led his guys and followed after the boss.


    What they saw caused their eyes to widen in shock.


    ¡°What the fuck happened?¡±


    ¡°All of them are unconscious¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it a rival gang?¡±


    ¡°Are any of them dead?¡±


    ¡°Who did this?¡±


    One of the men walked up to the largest body, before he suddenly jumped back in fright. ¡°What the hell, who is this guy!? His face is all deformed and mushed together. He looks no different from a pig!¡±


    ¡°Dude, I think that¡¯s Mattie.¡±


    ¡°Mattie? No way!¡±


    ¡°They fucked him up real good, man.¡±


    The weasel-like youth ran up to his boss, a worried expression scribbled all over his face. Seeing the chilling light in his boss¡¯s eyes, he knew that he had been truly angered. He hesitated for a moment, but before he could say anything, the man in yellow suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Was it the guys from East Alley?¡± He asked. East Alley was the name of an upstart gang based somewhere around Oceanview District. Despite its infancy, it had already managed to carve itself a sizable portion of Harwick¡¯s criminal underworld. Compared to the real overlords of the city, they were still relatively weak, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in individual strength and recklessness. Lately, they¡¯ve been giving his gang a fair bit of trouble.


    The weasel-like youth shook his head. ¡°I got the boys to check the bodies. No one¡¯s dead, but everyone¡¯s been knocked out. We can¡¯t confirm or deny it¡¯s them, but¡­ I don¡¯t think it''s them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± The man in yellow asked.


    ¡°Because those guys from the south don¡¯t really have the capital yet to fight with us in our own turf. Maybe in a few months, if we¡¯re going by their current growth, but not now at least.¡± He hesitated for a moment, before he continued, ¡°Their courage comes from their familiarity with the streets that they control. Without them, they wouldn¡¯t dare rear their heads against our Pit Cobra gang.  Plus, I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on their actions. Up until now, there¡¯s been no signs of movement. If it really was them, then they sent a damn good assassin.¡±


    The man in yellow slightly nodded his head. He sank into silence for a few seconds, before he asked, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t them, then who was it?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ we really can¡¯t tell, Boss.¡± The youth was helpless. He really didn¡¯t know what to do in this sort of situation. Just as he was worrying, something happened within the group previously inspecting the bodies.


    ¡°Boss, someone¡¯s waking up!¡± someone called out.


    The duo stared at each other for a moment, before they quickly made their way to the source of the commotion.


    There, they watched as a skinny man with a blonde mohawk slowly regained his conscious. The weasel-like youth recognized him. He was the guy that was supposed to be in charge of the group that watched over the front yard.


    ¡°Uughh¡­¡± A throaty groan leaked out from Blond Mohawk¡¯s lips.


    Without hesitation, the weasel-like youth ran up to him and suddenly kicked out. A steel-toed boot sank into his stomach. A guttural scream echoed through the air.


    ¡°Get the fuck up!¡± The weasel-like youth roared. ¡°Explain what the fuck happened here!¡±


    The man in yellow watched all this from the sidelines. His eyes narrowed, while a suppressive atmosphere leaked out from his body.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t blame me, Boss! It wasn¡¯t me, it wasn¡¯t me, it really wasn¡¯t me!¡± Despite the pain, Blonde Mohawk instantly groveled for forgiveness, even going as far as kissing the boot that had just kicked him in the stomach.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The weasel-like youth was angered by his display. Just as he was about to send out another kick, a hand suddenly grabbed onto his shoulder. It was the man in yellow.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± He coldly spoke. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you Big Boss, thank you!¡± Blonde Mohawk breathed out a sigh of relief. He was just about to start another round of ass kissing, when the Big Boss suddenly frowned. ¡°Ah no, wait. I¡¯ll tell, I¡¯ll tell, Big Boss I¡¯ll tell, so don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°On with it already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it was¡­ it was¡­¡± Blonde Mohawk hesitated for a moment. He briefly debated whether or not he should lie, but upon seeing the Big Boss¡¯s chilling expression, he ultimately squashed that thought. He gritted his teeth and ¡®truthfully¡¯ explained what happened, ¡°The situation was as follows¡­¡±


    After Mohawk finished his explanation, he looked up at the Big Boss with an aggrieved expression. He tried emphasizing just how brutish and cunning Theo had been, while also maximizing his own favor by exaggerating his own deeds. Of course, The man in yellow saw through all of it.


    His face darkened. He stood in silence for a long while, before he suddenly asked in a low voice, ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that all of you lost to some high-school punk?¡±


    ¡°Well, technically yes, but that¡¯s not quite right either.¡± Mohawk awkwardly explained. ¡°He¡­ he really was vicious! He possessed the strength of five, no, ten men! The only reason why I got knocked out was because he took me by surprise. If it had been a fair fight, then I would have skewered him by now! And also, he¡ªhe wasn¡¯t alone¡­ someone, there was someone with him.¡±


    ¡°And that someone is the chick you were trying to pick up?¡± The man in yellow furrowed his brow. He did not care for his excuses.


    ¡°¡­ um¡­ yes¡­¡±


    His face was expressionless. After a short pause, he asked, ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    ¡°I, the girl had her face covered the entire time, so I don¡¯t know.¡± Mohawk carefully explained. ¡°But she¡­ she was ugly! Like really ugly, like a pig in the body of a woman! Well, probably¡­¡±


    ¡°And what about the guy?¡± This time, it was the weasel-like youth who urged him on.


    ¡°Well, about him¡­ he was wearing a tracksuit. His face, I can¡¯t really explain it. It was sort of plain, like unnoticeable¡­ with, with eyes and a nose.¡±


    ¡°With eyes and a nose¡­¡± The man in yellow¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Are you fucking with me?¡±


    ¡°No, Big Boss.¡± Mohawk was lost in his own little world. He did not notice his big boss¡¯s darkening expression and instead, began what he considered to be a very thorough explanation. ¡°He really did have eyes and a nose, also a mouth too.¡±


    For a moment, silence, before the man in yellow nodded. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, I think I got it.¡±


    Mohawk¡¯s face brightened. He looked up with a hopeful expression. ¡°Then¡­ you get it, right boss? It wasn¡¯t my fault at all!¡±


    Instead of answering, the man in yellow simply waved his hand. Seeing this, the weasel-like youth shouted towards his group of men. ¡°Fuck this dumbass up! How dare he cause our Pit Cobras to suffer such a loss!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± The men screamed in unison before they rushed towards the clueless Mohawk. Before he could even process what was happening, the men pushed him to the ground and immediately started kicking. After half a minute, a puddle of blood slowly formed on the concrete pavement.


    ¡°Playing games with me like that, piece of shit!¡± The man in yellow spat out as he stalked back over towards the driveway. He was heading in the direction of a certain silver sports car. Just then, the weasel-like youth hurriedly ran up to him.


    ¡°Boss, what should we do about this?¡± He worriedly asked.


    He was silent for a moment, before he responded, ¡°When the rest of the guys wake up, ask them about the attacker. For now, notify those we have stationed at the schools. Quicken the plan. Recruit more able-bodied men. We need fresh blood if we¡¯re going to settle things with those buffoons from the south. Also, crack down on the students. Extortion isn¡¯t enough anymore. Grab a few girls to sell. Don¡¯t avoid the teachers either. If they get in the way, then deal with them too.¡±


    ¡°But, is that really such a good idea?¡± The weasel-like youth worriedly asked. ¡°We¡¯re already causing a lot of attention as is. What about the police? If we really do that much, no matter how many cops we pay off, even they¡¯ll be forced to deal with us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. The Boss is already working on it. If anything, the more mess we cause, the better it will be for him.¡±


    ¡°The Boss¡­¡± The weasel-like youth¡¯s eyes sparkled. To his underlings, he was the boss, and his boss was their big boss. Boss¡¯s boss, in other words, his big boss¡­ to guys like Blonde Mohawk, he was their big big boss. It was a bit confusing, but essentially, the big boss was the true leader of the gang.


    The little group that he led around only consisted of a small group of drop-outs and students, while the man in yellow merely controlled the surrounding area. As for the Big Boss, he was the one that actually owned the real gang. If this was really a part of the big boss¡¯s plan, then he could only try his hardest.


    Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned back around to the man in yellow. ¡°And what about the assailant?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that matter to you, Weasel.¡± The weasel-like youth¡¯s nickname was actually Weasel. ¡°Don¡¯t recklessly pursue though. For now, just monitor the situation. We don¡¯t have enough clues yet. Gather intel first.¡±


    ¡°But where should I start?¡± Weasel asked.


    He thought about it for a moment. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he wearing a tracksuit? Find out if it belongs to a certain school, then go from there.¡± The man in yellow coldly looked at the mess of people still sprawled on the street. ¡°Anyone who dares to mess with me won¡¯t have a good ending.¡±


    ****


    ¡°Make sure to call me later tonight, okay?¡± Shirley reminded him for what felt like the umpteenth time.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I already agreed, didn¡¯t I?¡± Theo replied. ¡°No matter how many times you repeat it, nothing will change.¡±


    They stood in front of a gated two-story house. Shirley was one step past the gates, yet she was reluctant to leave. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, before she suddenly said, ¡°No, never mind. I¡¯ll be the one to call, so make sure you pick up, got it?¡±


    ¡°In the first place, I don¡¯t even have a phone. How will you call?¡± He helplessly said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your house have a landline! If that doesn¡¯t work, there¡¯s always Aunt Lynn. Hmph, don¡¯t make up so many excuses!¡± She grumpily scolded him


    ¡°Alright, I get it. Sorry. You¡¯ll call me, and I¡¯ll pick up, okay?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Theo. You better respond!¡± She continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll sneak into your room at night and make sure you¡¯re still there myself!¡±


    An odd smile floated to his lips. He played with the idea of inviting this girl into his bedroom, but ultimately shook his head. It was a tempting offer, but something like that required time and care, it couldn¡¯t just be done on a whim. Still, he secretly reminded himself to keep the windows unlocked tonight.


    ¡°Okay, I get it. No need to make threats that tempting.¡± He chuckled out loud. ¡°Go already, I can¡¯t leave until I see you walk through those doors.¡±


    With his reminder, Shirley eventually left. She opened her front door and disappeared inside. After the door finally closed shut, Theo let out a sigh. He looked up at the night sky for a moment, before he continued walking. His place was only a few houses down from Shirley¡¯s. After a while, he spotted a certain house.


    The third building down from the street. A neatly trimmed yard, a cobblestone walkway, and a red tiled roof. It was all there. It was all identical to his memories. It was his home.


    Theo felt nervous. His shoulders slightly trembled, while his breathing quickened. What would it be like? Who would answer the door? Would she still be there? Even after Shirley¡¯s confirmation, doubt still colored his heart. All these thoughts and more buzzed through his head.


    He must have blacked out or something, because before he even realized what had happened, Theo was already standing in front of the door. He took a deep breath, and forcibly calmed his nerves. After a few seconds of silence, he rang the doorbell.


    He waited in anticipation. Thirty seconds passed, before he rang the bell again. This time, he heard noises. Someone was making their way towards the door. A slow shuffling. Through the stained-glass window on the door¡¯s surface, he could barely make out a person¡¯s blurry silhouette. It looked somewhat familiar, but Theo did not dare to guess who it was.


    Shortly after, the door opened.


    In that moment, time froze.


    ¡°Who are¡ª¡± Her words abruptly ended, as her eyes widened. ¡°¡­Theo?¡± Despite his disheveled appearance, she had instantly recognized him.


    Still, her words did not even register in his mind. Theo was in a state of shock. He absentmindedly stared at the beautiful woman before him.


    She hasn¡¯t changed at all. She looks the same as when I first left.


    An oval-shaped face and a head of unkempt black hair tied into a sloppy ponytail. A mole right beneath her left eye, almost identical to his own. Pale skin and vibrant emerald eyes. She did not have any makeup on. In the first place, she didn¡¯t need any. She wasn¡¯t the type to put in any extra effort towards her appearance, yet that did not impede on her beauty.


    A thin waist and shapely hips. Her greatest assets were the ones on her chest, although her butt wasn¡¯t bad either. He knew from experience that not only was she gifted with good genetics, she was also a part of the rare few who actually enjoyed exercise, which greatly helped maintain her current figure.


    Strands of loose hair fell and covered a portion of her forehead. A laced black choker was wrapped around her slim neck. It was intricately designed and parts of it were semi-transparent.


    Theo briefly recalled her fondness for chokers. In fact, he had a bit of a weak spot for girls in chokers, and most of that was because of her.


    The one she currently wore was actually something that he had given her for her birthday over a year ago. Originally, he gave her a dog collar as a sort of gag gift, and although seeing her pissed off expression was nice, it did not beat the genuine smile she showed him after she had received her real present.


    The two stared at each other for what felt like eternity. After a while, the woman by the door snapped out of her daze. She parted her lips to say something. At that moment, her eyes suddenly twitched. Her nose wrinkled, while her face paled.


    She vomited all over the front porch.


    Seeing such an all too familiar scene, Theo unconsciously smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± He finally spoke out the words that he had not spoken in over twenty-five years.

 Chapter 12: Welcome Back

    Chapter 12: Welcome Back


    The sound of retching echoed through the bathroom walls.


    Theo stared helplessly at the back of her neck.


    He stood behind the toilet, one hand gently massaged her back, while the other held up her ponytail. Her face was pressed up against the cold porcelain. She leaned over the bowl, her face sickly and pale. Drool ran down her chin.


    The scent of alcohol intermixed with the stench of bile. Theo unconsciously wriggled his nose, while she lurched forward and vomited. After a few seconds, she sputtered out a wheezy cough and tilted her neck back. She stared up at him with hazy eyes.


    ¡°Theo, you¡­ you¡­ when did you¡ª¡± Just as she was talking, her cheeks suddenly inflated. Half a second later, she was once again hovering over the toilet bowl, the sound of her vomiting reverberating loudly through his ears.


    ¡°Alright Aunt Lynn, don¡¯t say anything now. Just get it out of your system first.¡± He stated, as he gently massaged the knot in her shoulders. He didn¡¯t know whether she had heard him or not, but that didn¡¯t really matter. A weary sigh leaked out from his parted lips.


    I also have to clean up the mess on the front porch after this¡­ He briefly thought to himself, as he looked over at his distressed aunt.


    It¡¯s been so long that Theo almost completely forgot, but living with his aunt was never easy. She was a handful in more ways than one, but¡­ for all the trouble that she caused him, he did not really mind.


    Plus, it wasn¡¯t as if she went out of her way to make life difficult for him. This was just normal for her. Lynda Nighting; the kind relative and the raging alcoholic.


    In retrospect, their relationship wasn¡¯t as clear-cut as simply calling them aunt and nephew. The two looked strikingly similar, enough to pass for siblings, but truthfully, the two were actually unrelated.


    Lynn was originally the younger sister of Theo¡¯s now deceased step-mother. Over the years, he grew accustomed to calling her ¡®Auntie¡¯ or ¡®Aunt Lynn¡¯, but in reality, he treated her more like a big sister than anything else. Besides, their age difference only consisted of five years. Theo had trouble viewing someone like that as part of the older generation, especially when said someone grew up right next to him.


    Since his earliest memories, he¡¯s lived under the same roof as her.


    Lynn¡¯s parents died when she was ten. Since then, she went on to live with her considerably older sister, who at the time, also happened to be Theo¡¯s step mother. Basically, she became the fourth member of a three-person family.


    As for Theo himself, his real mother died shortly after giving birth to him and his father remarried when he was four. Not even a year after he got a new mother, some strange older girl suddenly started living with him. Having grown up together like that, even if they weren¡¯t really blood-related, the two possessed a relationship even closer than actual relatives.


    No, it was even more than that.


    Although the two were already pretty close during their childhood, it was only after the accident that their relationship truly transformed into what it was today.


    Five years ago, Theo¡¯s parents died in a maritime accident.


    It was their anniversary. The two traveled all the way to the east coast, arguably the country¡¯s biggest tourist destination. They were supposed to go sailing around the nearby islands, a rather popular activity within the area. Unfortunately, they met with misfortune. Their ship got caught in a massive freak thunderstorm.


    Even after the coast guard sent out search parties, they never did find them; only the remnants of a destroyed sailing boat.


    With nobody to lean on but each other, it was only natural for Theo and Lynn to grow closer.


    Actually, he found it kind of funny. Shortly after the accident, Lynn started putting on this sort of motherly persona. Maybe she was just trying to comfort him in her own special way, but¡­ it didn¡¯t work. Her actual status was that of an aunt, but Theo normally treated her like a sister. The change was simply too jarring for him to handle, especially with all of her various hiccups and personal quirks.


    That was especially the case for her alcohol problem.


    Theo shook his head, but inwardly, he felt a bit guilty.


    Lynn tended to drink whenever she was under a lot of stress, anxiety or some other kind of emotional distress. In fact, the first time she drank in such a way was on the night of the funeral.


    He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, was her current state due to his absence?


    ¡°Why are you he¡ª¡± She tried to speak, but her attempt was interrupted by another round of dry heaving.


    ¡°When did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where di¡ª¡±


    No matter how often she tried starting up a conversation or attempted to ask one of the millions of questions jiggling around in that head of hers, she would always interrupt herself.


    ¡°Just get it out of your system first and then we can talk.¡± Theo consoled.


    Her chin was covered in a mixture of sweat and saliva. Her originally beautiful appearance had been smudged out and replaced for the one currently in front of him.


    ¡°But I¡ª¡± Just as she was about to protest, something rose from the back of her throat, and Lynn was once again hunched over the toilet bowl. After a few seconds, she finally nodded her head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait¡­¡± was all she could muster out, before her head slumped down onto the cold porcelain.


    Theo sighed once more, his breath lingering in the room like stale perfume.


    ****


    After twenty minutes passed, Theo cleaned her face up with a towel, before he helped her out of the bathroom. Lynn¡¯s arm was draped over his shoulders, while her feet dragged along the floor.


    He practically carried her over to the living room.


    Along the way, he asked, ¡°Have you been drinking outside again?¡±


    Lynn, whose face was practically pressed against his neck, quickly shook her head. ¡°No, aren¡¯t I inside now?¡±


    ¡°I mean, do you go out drinking a lot.¡±


    ¡°I drink a lot, yes.¡±


    He found her surprisingly stable for a drunk person. At the very least, she was still able to talk in coherent sentences.


    ¡°But do you drink outside?¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± She paused for a moment, before she suddenly twisted her waist and threw her arms around Theo¡¯s neck. For a moment, he almost lost balance. Luckily, he was able to stabilize himself at the last second. He shifted his grip and supported Lynn by her waist. Their bodies were intimately pressed together.


    ¡°Someone told me that I can¡¯t go outside drinking, so I didn¡¯t.¡± She purred out like a drunken street cat. She lifted her head up and brought her lips close to his ears. ¡°Even though you were gone, I still did what you asked. Aren¡¯t I such a good girl?¡±


    Hearing her words, and feeling the hot breath of airbrush up against his skin, Theo involuntarily shivered. This was something he noticed a lot, but when she was drunk, Lynn tended to act a bit unrestrained. Calling her childish wasn¡¯t quite right, but it was something similar.


    Sometimes, he wondered if she really was the older one and not the other way around.


    If it was the him from before, Theo would have just brushed aside such comments, but the current him had changed. He decided to play along.


    His grip around her waist tightened. One of his arms snaked its way to her thighs, and before she could react, Theo suddenly lifted her up. He held her in what was essentially a princess-carry.


    Although his current body wasn¡¯t all that strong, luckily, Lynn was a light girl. With a half-smile on his lips, he looked her directly in the eyes and asked, ¡°Then, what does a good girl like you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She was a bit dazed, caught off guard by the way he was acting. The Theo she knew wasn¡¯t unreceptive to her teasing, but rather, the way he reacted to it was a bit different. Usually, his face would redden, or he would stutter something incomprehensible, before making a hasty retreat. Now, although she could still see the redness in his cheeks, he was a bit more confident, and had developed quite a glib tongue.


    Still, for all of her thoughts and emotions, she did not dislike the change.


    For a moment, she did not know how to respond. Seeing her blank face, Theo¡¯s cheeks reddened. Saying something like that was a lot more embarrassing than he originally expected. When the target of such a comment remained silent, he grew even more flustered.


    The shift in Theo¡¯s expression brought Lynn back to her senses. She let out a laugh, before she lightly kissed his cheek. ¡°To think that you actually have the guts to say something like that. This Aunt of yours is even more curious, just what exactly happened to you?¡±


    Theo let out a dry cough, as he looked over at Lynn with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that after we get to the living room, alright?¡±


    Instead of responding, she simply giggled.


    ¡°Alright, then get down so we can¡ª¡±


    Theo remembered that he was still holding her in such an intimate pose, and reflexively wanted to let her down. Unfortunately, just as he was about to loosen his grip, Lynn suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and vehemently shook her head.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°No way! You were the one who thought it was a good idea to carry me like this, so stick with it through the end! Didn¡¯t I teach you it¡¯s important to take responsibility for your actions? Take responsibility for me!¡±


    ¡°But Auntie, your heavy.¡± He begrudgingly complained. While Theo was able to carry her temporarily in his arms, he couldn¡¯t do it indefinitely. What¡¯s more, actually walking around with her like this was another challenge in of itself.


    Still, no matter how much he complained, Aunt Lynn would not listen. Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and carried this clingy drunk of an aunt all the way to the living room.


    After what felt like a painstakingly long eternity, he finally placed her down onto the couch and wiped the sweat off his brow. He took a moment to catch his breath, before his eyes scanned through his surroundings.


    The first thing he noticed was the mess. Empty wine bottles and beer cans littered the floor, while glasses of whiskey, scotch, and other hard liquors covered the coffee table.


    He shook his head. ¡°These aren¡¯t all from today, are they?¡±


    Lynn snorted in response. ¡°Do you think this little aunt of yours is a god? If it was all from today, then I¡¯d be long dead from alcohol poisoning.¡±


    ¡°No, well, this place is just¡­ it¡¯s a whole lot messier than I remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because a certain someone wasn¡¯t here to clean it all up.¡± She spoke provokingly. ¡°Plus, I¡¯ve been busy. Work and¡­ personal issues. The loss of a relative is a pretty heavy thing to deal with, you know?¡±


    She tilted her neck up and smiled at Theo, her eyes hinting at the hidden meaning beneath her words.


    Theo could only scratch his head awkwardly. He did not dare refute her.


    He shifted his gaze and stared at the quilt blanket strewn across the couch. For a moment, he frowned. ¡°Have you been sleeping in the living room?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She stared blankly at him for a second, before she looked over and saw the blanket. ¡°Oh, yeah. I have. This is your blanket by the way, I love how it smells.¡± She sniffed the blanket as if to prove her point. Lynn tilted her head and frowned. ¡°That¡¯s weird, it only smells like alcohol¡­¡±


    Theo directly ignored her mumblings and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your room?¡±


    ¡°Well, my room¡¯s um, it¡¯s no good.¡± She responded incoherently. ¡°You get it right? It¡¯s uninhabitable, like a desert or a trash heap.¡±


    Theo was quite curious as to why she would say something like that, but right now, he had something else he wanted to say to her.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s fine, but you really do have to stop drinking so excessively. Imagine what would have happened if I hadn¡¯t come home today.¡±


    ¡°Same thing that always happens. I pass out on the couch and wake up in the morning. What are you so worried about? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s my first time drinking.¡± She patted her chest self-assuredly.


    This woman can argue so well, is she really drunk?


    Theo¡¯s left eyelid twitched, before he let out a sigh.


    She liked drinking. She liked drinking a lot. It was to the point, where every time she went out to drink, she would always, always go overboard. Lynn was the type of person to not know restraint.


    Luckily, she doesn¡¯t drink often.


    Even she had some self-awareness of how bad of a drunk she was. As far as Theo knows, she only drank whenever she was under a lot of stress, or feeling anxious. She used her reckless, without-restraint drinking in order to relax and calm her nerves. Usually, these binge sessions of hers happened once every three months or so.


    Because she a would always end up in such a vulnerable and unstable state, it¡¯s become an unspoken role between the two of them that she was only allowed to drink at home, and while he was present. It was during times like this that the position of guardian switched between the two of them.


    He let out another sigh, before he went into the kitchen, pulled out a garbage bag, and started collecting the empty bottles and crushed beer cans. All the while, he asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go to sleep soon? It¡¯s a Friday today, right? Don¡¯t you have work on Saturdays?¡±


    Lynn worked as a trainer at a nearby fitness gym. Her job was the main reason why she was able to keep fit. Lynn was quite popular. On top of being beautiful, she was the poster girl for the gym. It was no coincidence that her working hours corresponded with the gym¡¯s busiest times.


    ¡°Job?¡± She tilted her head for a moment, before laughed. ¡°Oh, I quit that a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Quit? Why? For what reason?¡± He asked in confusion.


    She let out another chuckle. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot you don¡¯t know.¡±


    Theo frowned. I¡¯d know it if you actually explained it.


    Lynn paused for a moment. She stared into Theo¡¯s eyes, before she broke out into a huge grin. ¡°I did it.¡± She said. ¡°Theo, I finally did it.¡±


    ¡°You did it?¡± It took him a moment to understand what she meant, but after seeing the sort of happy expression scribbled all over her drunken face, it clicked. ¡°Really? Did you really do it?¡±


    She vigorously nodded her head. ¡°Let me tell you, Theo, nothing feels better than achieving your dream.¡±


    It was that. A dream. Her dream. Ever since she was a student, ever since she was a child, she had that sort of dream. She talked about it a lot too. How she was one day going to take the leap and finally do it, but¡­ whenever she spoke of her dream, it was always in the future tense. Her words were always filled with somedays and eventuallys, but today was different.


    ¡°You actually did it!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and rushed over to hug her. At first, she was caught off guard, before a boisterous laughter echoed through his ears.


    ¡°I actually did it!¡± She replied back.


    After a while, the two eventually separated. He sat next to her on the couch, and couldn¡¯t help but ask once more, ¡°So, you¡¯re finally an author?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. I told you I could do it.¡± She smiled with that trademark drunken smile of hers. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m not just some little old gym instructor anymore. I¡¯m a real-life, honest-to-god author getting paid the big bucks. I¡¯m also pretty popular too, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Then, let me read it.¡± Of course, he had to read it. Why wouldn¡¯t he read it?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your debut book, let me read it right away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. Hehe, I¡¯ll get you a cop¡ª¡± She abruptly stopped. For a moment, a rare trace of sobriety flashed through her eyes. She seriously looked at Theo for a long while, before she resolutely shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t look at it. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let you look at it.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Theo widened his eyes in surprise.


    What¡¯s with her sudden change in attitude?


    ¡°Come on, what¡¯s with you? Let me see your precious first debut, Auntie. Don¡¯t you know, your dreams are also my dreams. It¡¯s only natural that I share in your glory.¡± What he said was the truth. Right now, he felt genuinely happy for her, as if her achievement was his own.


    ¡°No!¡± She shouted back. ¡°Idiot. Theo, you idiot, I¡¯ll never show it to you. If you have the ability, go look for it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Then, maybe I will go look for it myself.¡± He responded back with confused, furrowed brows.


    Lynn¡¯s face morphed into a drunken sneer. ¡°Idiot, even if you do, you¡¯ll never find it. I used a pseudonym.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me the pseudonym.¡±


    ¡°If I told you, then it would be the same as letting you read it.¡±


    ¡°At least tell me the name of the book.¡±


    ¡°No way, you think just because I¡¯m drunk, that I¡¯ll turn into an idiot? I¡¯ll never tell you.¡± She spoke in a drunken slur, before she suddenly leaped over and hid underneath the blanket.


    Staring at her wriggling form, Theo couldn¡¯t help but wonder. What sort of thing was she hiding? Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s writing something she can¡¯t openly share? Could it be smut? Is that why she¡¯s so secretive?


    Peeking in from underneath the blanket, she saw the sort of expression on Theo¡¯s face. Lynn could only guess as to what wild fantasies filled that head of his. She did not want Theo to delve any deeper into the topic, so she reached out a hand and forcibly pulled Theo under the blanket.


    For a while, the two struggled with one another. Lynn bit Theo like a rabid dog. It did not hurt, but it certainly did leave a few marks on his body. Of course, this wasn¡¯t anything new. During her especially bad sessions, Lynn was prone to biting.


    Theo resisted against her relentless assault, while Lynn did her best to distract him.


    Eventually, the two somehow ended up falling off the couch. They had long since discarded the blanket. Despite the chill of the AC, Theo felt hot. His back was sweating and he was a bit out of breath. He let out a bitter smile and limply accepted his defeat.


    She¡¯s a lot softer than I remember¡­ Such a thought floated to his head.


    Theo¡¯s heart thumped erratically, while a cold sweat dripped down the side of his cheek. He greedily gulped down mouthfuls of air and exhaled out loud bellowing sighs. As he slowly regained his calm, Theo was suddenly aware of how ambiguous their current position appeared.


    The two of them were practically pressed against one another. Right now, they were no more than a mass of limbs and torsos.


    The back of his head rested on top of her chest. Soft and inviting, plump and amiable. He felt as if he was floating on a swollen cloud of physical happiness. Of course, that was just an exaggeration, but he was indeed feeling a bit joyful. Lynn¡¯s chin rested on the crown of his skull, sort of like how a puppy holds its favorite tennis ball within its jaws. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, not in a way that hurt or suffocated, but just firm enough to keep him from moving.


    She held him tightly, intent on never letting go.


    Theo was suddenly brought back to his childhood, back to the time when his parents first died.


    She used to hold me like this too¡­


    Warmth, comfort, and the undeniable feeling of security, those were things that he could only reminisce and dream about. Today, he had felt those faraway emotions not once, but twice. Once with Shirley, and now with Lynn.


    ¡°You know, these past few months should have been the best time of my life.¡± She whispered softly. From this distance, he could smell the alcohol in her breath. ¡°I finally accomplished my dream. I got away from that place, filled with all those wandering eyes. My book turned out to be quite popular. I finally bought that really expensive brand of liquor that I¡¯ve always wanted¡­ I was supposed to be happy, but I¡¯m not. I wasn¡¯t. You know why, right?¡±


    Her question lingered in the air. He wanted to answer, but he hesitated.


    ¡°There was one person missing.¡± She eventually continued. ¡°During my happiest moment in life, one important person was suddenly gone.¡±


    After a brief pause, Theo mumbled out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you tell me where you went?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Even if I tell you now, you won¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Tell me anyway.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You really won¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Then do something to make me believe.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I will. Just wait a few days.¡±


    A long silence. Neither one of them spoke. The only thing he could hear was the sound of breathing; her breathing. After a while, Theo felt her body slightly shift.


    ¡°Alright.¡± She whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully understanding,¡± Theo commented.


    ¡°The alcohol does that. If we were having this conversation while I wasn¡¯t drunk, then I¡¯d be a lot more violent.¡±


    ¡°You mean, disagreeable, right?¡±


    ¡°No, violent.¡± She paused. ¡°Like the leg-breaking kind.¡±


    He let out a hollow laugh. Although he did not think that she would actually do something like that, her threat was all too real. Only he knew just how capable this little aunt of his was.


    ¡°I talked to Shirley about it, she was a lot less, um, agreeable than you.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but say.


    ¡°You visited that girley before your precious aunt? You really are an ungrateful child, I thought I raised you better than that!¡± She exaggeratedly spoke out in a wronged tone, before she slightly tightened her grip around his neck. At the same time, she ground her chin into the crown of his head. Theo grimaced and reflexively wriggled his body in agony.


    ¡°Uncle, uncle, I give up!¡± He frantically called out.


    After a few more seconds, the two finally separated. Theo sat up, while Lynn crawled along the ground, looking at the remaining bottles that he had yet to pick up.


    As he carefully massaged the crown of his head, he couldn¡¯t help but stare at her with suspicion


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    ¡°Looking for something to drink.¡± She responded lightly. ¡°All that mushy-mushy stuff made me thirsty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing that even though I just got back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you just got back that we should drink some more.¡± She reasoned.


    ¡°But you never let me drink,¡± Theo grumbled.


    ¡°Then just watch. I¡¯ll just drink twice the amount tonight!¡± She laughed happily, as she continued to rummage around the bottles, looking for any that she might have missed the first time around.


    Theo let out a helpless sigh, but inwardly, he smiled. It was times like this that he was thankful that Aunt Lynn wasn¡¯t an angry drunk, but a happy one.


    Just as he was quietly reminiscing, Lynn suddenly stopped. She sat up and stared blankly at the carpeted floor. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°What? You have no more alcohol left?¡±


    She shook her head and looked up at him with an expressionless gaze. For a moment, silence, before she suddenly threw an empty wine bottle.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± Theo barely managed to catch the bottle that had been aimed directly at his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m just venting my anger.¡± She answered as she moved to pick another bottle up from the floor. ¡°I¡¯m an angry drunk right now, so accept my anger.¡±


    She threw another bottle.


    ¡°What?¡± He barely avoided the bottle. ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you came back.¡±


    ¡°Because I came back? What the hell? Aren¡¯t you happy that I came back?¡± He asked in confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am happy, but at the same time, I¡¯m not.¡± She looked at him with a serious expression and seriously asked, ¡°Why did you have to come back today?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would actually happen. I said it out on a whim, but to think that it would actually happen¡­¡± now, she was mumbling to herself.


    ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t explain it, I won¡¯t understand!¡±


    ¡°I made a promise today. I promised to myself that if you returned today, then I¡¯d stop drinking. Since you actually returned, I can¡¯t drink anymore. So, since that happened, I¡¯m now angry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, sorry?¡± Theo was at a loss for words. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. How was he supposed to know that she made that sort of promise during today of all days?


    ¡°Sorry¡¯s not going to cut it!¡± She once again threw an empty bottle towards him. ¡°At this rate, I¡¯ll never be able to drink again! Take responsibility!¡±


    ¡°That, that seriously has nothing to do with me!¡± Theo¡¯s aggrieved voice echoed through the house.

 Chapter 13: Underneath a Single Bed Sheet

    Chapter 13: Underneath a Single Bed Sheet


    After a while, Lynn finally tired herself out. She fell asleep on the carpeted floor, a bottle still firmly wrapped around her arms. Theo shook his head and involuntarily sighed. It was a good thing that he managed to avoid all the things that she had thrown at him. Unfortunately, that also meant that the living room was no covered in broken glass.


    That little tantrum of hers only resulted in more things to clean for him.


    Theo lifted Lynn up from the floor and settled her down on the couch. He tucked her in with the quilt blanket, before Theo turned off the lights and headed upstairs. As for the mess, well, that was a responsibility best left for future him.


    Theo was also quite tired. Today had been quite hectic and full of action. Right now, nothing sounded better than a good night¡¯s sleep. As he made his way to his room, he stopped in front of a door.


    It was Lynn¡¯s bedroom.


    Previously, she made quite a big deal about it, going on about how it was uninhabitable and what not. Curiosity got the better of him, so he turned the knob, and peeked into the room.


    ¡°Wow, she wasn¡¯t exaggerating.¡± He gawked at the mess inside.


    Ramen cups and empty pizza boxes, beer cans and wine bottles. A pile of laundry was haphazardly shoved into a corner of the room. It resembled a towering molehill, and probably measured at least three feet above the ground. Shards of glass littered the carpeted floor. They twinkled with the light that seeped in from the hallway.


    Bra and lingerie sporadically appeared all over the room like scraps of newspaper.


    The bed did not have any beddings. In fact, for some reason, the mattress was missing. After looking around for a bit, he finally found it. The mattress was propped onto its side, leaning against the wall. There was a stain in the middle of its surface. For a second, he instantly thought of urine, but the most likely scenario was alcohol. God knows how much of the stuff that aunt of his had consumed during the last seven months.


    The scene reminded Theo of a dungeon from the Alparline Kingdom. Alparline was a nation in Mistelhan ruled by a despotic king. Its numerous dungeons were famed for their crooked wardens and disease-ridden cells.


    He shook his head. Although he knew from past experience that Aunt Lynn wasn¡¯t very meticulous or organized, it seems that his long absence unknowingly caused that little trait of hers to undergo a drastic evolution. The stress of his disappearance, the workload of her new job, he could only begin to imagine how life had been like for her these last seven months.


    A bitter expression flashed through his face. Now that he was back, all of this turned into his responsibility. From cleaning, laundry, dishes, and scrubbing toilets, all the household chores with the exception of cooking, had always been his part of the labor. He certainly did not think that little rule would change any time soon.


    After grieving over this matter for a few seconds, Theo left the room and closed the door. He picked up a timely call from Shirley, went to the bathroom to relieve himself, before he finally retreated into his bedroom.


    To his surprise, unlike the rest of everything else in the house, his room was spotless. More specifically, it had been left perfectly intact, almost identical to the state before his disappearance. He would have happily gushed over his memories from twenty-five years ago, but the fatigue from today was simply too heavy. It hit like a runaway freight train, and Theo collapsed onto his bed with a heavy plop.


    He lay there for a second, his face pressed against the mattress, before he began to strip. He took everything off.


    In Mistelhan, he had grown used to sleeping with a full set of armor, so honestly speaking, he would have much preferred to sleep with his clothes on. That was his original plan, but then he recalled how he had always slept naked back on Plume.


    He wanted to chase that persistent feeling of nostalgia, so he stripped himself completely naked, before he jumped back into bed with a satisfied expression. It was a minor change, but it went a long way towards Theo¡¯s mental recovery.


    It did not take long before the heavy bags in his eyes grew too heavy to resist. Theo closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep. Unfortunately, that did not last long. A few hours later, in the dead of the night, Theo¡¯s eyelids suddenly shot open. His neck twisted, as he turned to face the door.


    He heard something. It was faint and sort of muffled, but he definitely heard it.


    That little girl didn¡¯t actually sneak into my room, did she? He had made sure to reply to Shirley''s call, so hypothetically speaking, she should have no reason to crawl into his bed tonight. Still, he had to admit, a woman¡¯s emotions were quite fickle. Who knows, maybe she was so overwhelmed by loneliness that she actually decided to go ahead with that little late-night escapade of hers.


    After thinking for a moment, Theo hurriedly ran to the closet and put on a pair of fresh underwear. He also added an undershirt for good measure.


    One second, two seconds, ten seconds passed, before the door creaked open. ¡°Theo, are you asleep?¡± A quiet whisper filled the room.


    To his surprise and slight disappointment, the voice did not belong to Shirley.


    ¡°I am now.¡± Theo blandly responded, before he focused his gaze on the head that peaked in from behind the door.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep together.¡± She spoke straightforwardly, as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. She had changed clothes, and now wore a set of pink tiger pajamas. In her hands was a pillow.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Sleep together?¡± Theo absentmindedly repeated to himself. If he had heard that from any other girl on the planet, then he would have definitely misunderstood. It was too bad that those words had come from his Aunt Lynn.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± After seeing the weird expression on his face, Lynn couldn¡¯t help but comment. ¡°We sleep together all the time. Don¡¯t be so weird about it.¡± She did not wait for Theo¡¯s response, as she directly crawled underneath his blanket and forcibly pushed him to one side of the bed, before boldly taking the other.


    Theo bitterly laughed. It was true, they had slept together before, but Lynn did not mention the fact that the last time they slept together was when he was thirteen! That was all the way back to when his parents first died. For him, that had been a time of immense grief and suffering. Unless Lynn was by his side, he found it nearly impossible to fall asleep.


    He shook his head and decided not to say anything. In the end, he thought her sudden desire was due to a bout of clinginess that aroused as a result of his disappearance. Sort of similar to the way he felt at thirteen. Since she was like this because of him, then so be it. Let her sleep here!


    With his silent consent, Lynn pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and wedged herself deeper into the folds of the mattress. The two of them lay side to side, with their faces pointed to the ceiling. Less than three inches separated the two from one another.


    Right now, he felt that those three inches were as long as the width of the universe.


    Ten minutes of silence went by. Theo found it immensely difficult to go back to sleep. He was too focused, his mind too caught up on her. The sound of light breathing echoed through the room, a certain warmth seeped into the air.


    Suddenly, she spoke. ¡°Do you notice it?¡±


    ¡°Notice what?¡± Theo responded back, his gaze still fixated on the tiny dots in the ceiling.


    ¡°The bed sheets.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Don¡¯t they smell like me?¡±


    ¡°Like beer and whiskey?¡±


    ¡°No! Smell it for real. It smells like me doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    He furrowed his brow. He hesitated for a moment, before he brought the blanket up to his nose and sniffed. In truth, he couldn¡¯t really tell. With Lynn right next to him, he did not know whether he was smelling the blanket or her.


    Still, now that she had brought it up, he couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®maybe that was the case¡¯. The longer he sniffed, the more convinced he was that Lynn was telling the truth. It did smell like her. It wasn¡¯t the overbearing stench of alcohol or the fragrance of fabric softener. No, it was a feminine scent. Gentle and mild, yet not too tepid.


    It smelled like her. It really did smell like Aunt Lynn.


    ¡°I slept here a lot.¡± She quietly explained. ¡°The bedsheets get washed pretty often, but that shouldn¡¯t have stopped the mattress from smelling just a little bit like me, no?¡±


    ¡°But why did you sleep here?¡± He asked, just as a thought came to his mind, "Is it because your room¡¯s currently an uninhabitable mess¡­ or is it the pee stain on your mattress?¡±


    Her shoulders stiffened for a moment, she turned on her side and stared at him. In the dark, all she could see was the faded outline of his silhouette. ¡°You looked in my room?¡± She said it not so much as a question, but rather as fact.


    ¡°Yeah, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± He simply nodded.


    ¡°¡­You really shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s embarrassing, you know. Also, it wasn¡¯t pee.¡±


    Theo almost laughed out loud. This all came from a girl who had no qualms drinking liters of beer and puking on the front porch. He really did have to wonder what kind of sense of shame she possessed. It was very skewed.


    ¡°But that¡¯s only part of the reason why.¡± Eventually, she continued. ¡°I slept in your room because I missed you, dummy. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    A long silence filled the room. After a while, Theo nodded. It took him a moment to realize that she couldn¡¯t see him in the dark, so he hurriedly added, ¡°Yeah, I missed you too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no point in lying about it.¡±


    She paused for a moment, before she broke off into a fit of laughter. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you really should have come back earlier. You know you missed that little girley¡¯s birthday, right?¡±


    ¡°I know, no need to remind me.¡± He bitterly stated, but honestly, what could he do? It wasn¡¯t so convenient for him to return all the way from another world, after all. It¡¯s not like he could perfectly time his return either. ¡°At least, I made it back in time for your birthday, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    If he remembered correctly, Lynn¡¯s birthday took place on the fifteenth of May. That was next month.


    She silently nodded. In truth, Lynn herself had forgotten all about her birthday. It wasn¡¯t really much of surprise. Considering how hectic everything¡¯s been lately, what with her new job and Theo¡¯s disappearance, she hardly had time for anything else.


    Of course, alcohol had a completely different schedule.


    As the two continued to converse, time passed and they eventually ran out of topics to discuss. Soon, they entered another round of silence. The sound of howling wind echoed from outside. Theo started nodding off. The fatigue from today really was too much for his current body to handle.


    Just before, he could fall back to sleep, Lynn¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted the quiet. ¡°You really won¡¯t tell me what happened?¡±


    He turned his neck towards her. Outside the window, the clouds had parted. A full moon lit up the night sky. Illuminated by the dim moonlight, he saw that her eyes were closed shut, while her face was turned up towards the ceiling.


    ¡°I thought we already went over this.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was when I was drunk. I¡¯m a bit sober now, so I thought I¡¯d bring it back up again.¡± She stated without opening her eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡± He hesitated for a second. ¡°You won¡¯t believe me even if I do tell you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that unless you actually tell me first.¡± She reasoned.


    Still, Theo was having none of that. ¡°I promise. Like what I told Shirley today, I¡¯ll explain everything to you later, eventually. You know I don¡¯t like hiding anything from either of you, so just wait for a while.¡±


    Truthfully, Theo already planned to tell her everything, but there was a certain measure of preparation needed if he wanted to really tell her everything. Theo was not a big fan of the stories where the protagonist hides their secrets from their loved ones. He believed that doing such a thing would only lead to confusion, anger, and feelings of betrayal.


    At the same time, Theo also believed that some things were too great of a secret to divulge. At least, not all at once without any proof or preparation. If he wanted to tell Aunt Lynn or Shirley the truth of his circumstances, then he needed sufficient proof to thoroughly convince them.


    She turned her head to the side. The two stared at one another for a long while. ¡°Promise?¡± She suddenly asked. ¡°You¡¯ll really tell me everything, eventually?¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Lynn silently nodded. She paused for a moment, before she moved towards him. The distance between the two immediately shrank, and after a bit of maneuvering, Theo¡¯s arm had been transformed into her own personal pillow. With one of her hands placed on his chest, and with her legs entwined with his, the two looked no different from an intimate couple sharing the same bed.


    Throughout this time, she did not say a single word.


    Even though Theo felt flustered at first and a little bit angsty, as time passed, he gradually calmed down. He breathed out a heavy sigh as he looked down towards her face. A subtle smell of alcohol lingered on his nose, but he did not mind.


    Even though their current circumstance appeared very intimate, it neither felt wrong or dirty. There was a slight trace of excitement, yes, but he felt that the current atmosphere was like that of a child and his parent. At the very least, it felt like the relationship between two close siblings. Of course, Theo was just spouting some bullshit on his own. After all, he never did have any siblings, so how the hell would he know what such a relationship felt like?


    Seeing Lynn sleeping peacefully by his side, he too felt the beckoning of sleep. Even though his heart thumped somewhat erratically, he eventually drifted off into the land of dreams.

 Chapter 14: A New Day

    Chapter 14: A New Day


    The next morning.


    Theo absentmindedly stared up at the ceiling.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He laid there, motionless. A certain feeling of numbness touched his fingers and spread through the rest of his body. He woke up five minutes ago, but the desire to get up and move never once reared its head. It was as if nothing else in the world existed except for the patches of dust that clung to the ceiling fan.


    In Mistelhan, he was used to sleeping in late and waking up early. Back then, he averaged three hours of sleep a day, with the rest of his time consumed by either training or battle. At some point, the lines between the two concepts blurred, and his life simply spiraled into an endless cycle of chaotic routine.


    Truthfully, Theo figured that he would retain a bit of that habit of his. After all, out of the many things that he picked up from that world, a good sleeping habit was one of the few useful ones. To his surprise, the desire to wake up early and be a productive member of society was nowhere to be found. Instead, he felt as if his limbs were encased in a vat of cement. A wave of lethargy washed over him.


    After thinking about it for a few minutes, he chalked it up to the change in environment. Plume was a considerably peaceful place, especially compared to Mistelhan. Plus, his bed possessed just the right mixture of comfort and nostalgia to keep him shackled like a prisoner in a dungeon.


    He was seriously in danger of sleeping in for the whole day.


    Theo wrinkled his nose. Eggs, bacon, and the aromatic scent of coffee. The smell wafted through the room like a slow-acting aphrodisiac. After a few more seconds, he finally pushed himself forward and sat up on the bed.


    He looked around his surroundings. Sunlight seeped in from the glass window. The room was empty and the spot next to him was vacant. Aunt Lynn was gone.


    ¡°She¡¯s probably the one cooking¡­¡± He mumbled to himself, as he stretched out his limbs and yawned. A second later, he grimaced.


    His left arm had gone numb. He remembered that Aunt Lynn slept on his left side, and had used his arm as a makeshift pillow throughout the entirety of the night. Theo sighed. ¡°This body really is way too weak¡­¡±


    The desire to grow stronger once again ignited. Like before, he did not expect to return to his peak, but even the slightest improvement was better than his current self. The shortcomings of his body grew more and more apparent the longer he stayed on Plume.


    A good example was the fight with those Thugs last night. He had wasted so much time and effort just to deal with a disorganized group of less than ten people. Even though he had technique and experience at his disposal, there was a limit to the things that he could do, given the strength of his body.


    He was lucky that the opponents from last night were at a level that he could handle, but what would have happened had they pulled out a gun? What if instead of ten, there had been twenty men there? He could not avoid sniper bullets, nor could his body resist the explosive strength of a rocket launcher. Even just a slightly more trained thug with a bit of martial experience would have put him in a dangerous situation.


    Of course, a few of these examples were a bit extreme, but the more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became of his future.


    His current body was simply too inconvenient for his liking.


    ¡°As expected, no matter where you go, strength is always important.¡± He nodded to himself. Whether it was the strength to defend your ideals, strength to protect your loved ones, or simply strength for the sake of strength, strength was the key. ¡°But what¡¯s the best way to get stronger?¡±


    As he was contemplating the issue, his door suddenly swung open. To his surprise, Shirley had barged into his room.


    ¡°Shirley?¡± Theo looked up at her with wide eyes and a weird expression on his face. Today, she was wearing a pale green sweater over what looked to be a set of pajamas. Her hair was a bit messier than normal, and instead of the rounded spectacles from yesterday, she had on a pair of glasses with a black-rimmed rectangular frame.


    Why is she here? Don¡¯t tell me she really did sneak into my room last night? He thought about it for a moment, before he immediately shook his head. Last night, he had slept in the same bed as his Aunt Lynn. If Shirley really had sneaked in, then she would have surely seen him under such compromising circumstances. If that were the case, things would have been a whole lot more chaotic this morning.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± He straightforwardly asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I told my parents that you came back yesterday, and they pushed me to visit.¡± She spoke up, her cheeks slightly blushing in the process. ¡°They said that you should visit them sometime soon. They want to see you too.¡±


    ¡°Your parents¡­¡± Theo vaguely remembered them. In his memories, they did not stand out as much as Shirley or Aunt Lynn, but they were without a doubt, good people. Since Theo was their daughter¡¯s closest friend, they obviously treated him quite well.


    He bitterly smiled.


    He recalled that sometime after Shirley and him entered high-school, the way her parents addressed him had abruptly changed. Instead of the usual kiddo or pal, they often called him ¡®son-in-law¡¯. He knew that they were joking around, but the underlying implications still remained. Back then, he could only shake his head. ¡®What would they have done if their precious daughter had brought home an actual boyfriend?¡¯ Although he wanted to say something along those lines, the image of Shirley with another man made him uncomfortable, so he remained quiet.


    The most jarring thing about the whole incident was that aside from blushing even more than usual, Shirley made no attempt at stopping them.


    Seeing Theo¡¯s thoughts wandering, Shirley hastily changed the subject. ¡°E-enough about that, I came up here to wake you up. Aunt Lynn¡¯s already got breakfast all cooked up.¡±


    He nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡±


    Shirley stopped in the middle of the room, and slowly surveyed the surroundings. From the carpeted floor, all the way to the bedroom window, she inspected every nook and cranny like a devoted health inspector at a high-class restaurant.


    Eventually, her eyes stopped on the bed. Shirley furrowed her brows.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Did you let Aunt Lynn sleep in your room last night?¡± She suddenly asked, her voice just a little bit accusatory.


    Theo subconsciously tensed his shoulders. Being the target of such a probing glare, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit guilty. In fact, he felt like a husband whose wife had just caught him sleeping with a mistress. For a moment, he thought about lying to her, but he immediately rejected that idea.


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± He spoke after a few seconds of hesitation. ¡°How could you tell?¡±


    She scoffed and glared at the innocent face Theo was currently making. ¡°The smell, obviously.¡± She gestured to the room. ¡°The smell¡¯s not too strong, but it¡¯s definitely there. The smell of alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Now that he thought about it, the smell of alcohol was kind of a dead giveaway, what with the fact that there was only one alcoholic in the household. Still, for some reason, he did not want to openly admit this fact, at least not so easily.


    ¡°But how do you know that it didn¡¯t smell like this before yesterday?¡± He argued. ¡°What if Aunt Lynn was here in my room before then?¡±


    She stared contemptibly at him. ¡°Who do you think cleaned your room while you were away? The most Aunt Lynn does is prevent herself from making a mess. As for cleaning, you know exactly how bad she is at that.¡±


    Theo smiled awkwardly. In the first place, why are you cleaning my room? He did not have the mind to ask this question out loud, as he worried about the sort of trouble he might stir up. In the end, after giving it some thought, the only thing he could muster out in response was a corny compliment. ¡°You¡¯ll surely make a great wife someday.¡±


    Shirley¡¯s cheeks visibly flushed. Her lips trembled, while an incoherent string of syllables leaked out from her throat. Seeing her distressed expression, the flames of temptation ignited within his heart.


    He couldn¡¯t help but add in, ¡°¡­ as long as you learn how to cook that is.¡±


    Her face immediately twitched. He knew of this. Theo had touched upon her reverse scale. If there was one thing in the world that would set Shirley off more than anything, then it would be commenting on her abysmal cooking skills. It¡¯s not that she never tried to learn, but Shirley Polaris physically, mentally, and spiritually cannot cook. It¡¯s reached a point where he actually started to believe that she might be cursed or something.


    Her cheeks bloated up like a puffer fish. She looked angry. No, she definitely was angry. For a moment, she scanned the room for something to punch, hit, throw, really anything that might allow her to vent out her stress. After a few seconds, she saw a pillow a couple of feet away from the bed. She reached for the pillow, before she threw it at him with full force.


    Theo made no attempt at dodging, and the soft pillow hit him square in the face. During the moment of impact, he reflexively flinched. The next time he opened his eyes, Shirley was already making her way out of the bedroom.


    ¡°Get dressed already! Breakfast is almost ready.¡± She angrily shouted at him, as she closed the door behind her.


    After a few seconds of silence, Theo let out a quiet sigh. ¡°Why bother waking up so early? Isn¡¯t today a Saturday?¡± Still, no matter how much he complained, it was already impossible to change anything.


    He got up and stretched his body. Theo looked into the closet for something to change into. In the meantime, he also returned back to the topic from before and began brainstorming of ways to improve his current strength.


    He recalled the training method that he had utilized back on Mistelhan. It had given him outstanding results, but replicating such a magic based training method would be relatively difficult here on Plume. Primarily, the problem lay in the fact that his current body could not perceive even a strand of energy.


    In that world, training started with rousing a human¡¯s latent potential for growth and evolution. To do that, the residents of Mistelhan had devised of a method to essentially jump-start the body through the introduction of foreign energy. This way, the practitioner not only gets introduced to what malleable energy feels like, but they now also have possession of a drawable source of energy, which they can use for future training.


    To achieve this result, they used something called a mana stone. In Mistelhan, mana was what they called the malleable energy that the planet naturally exuded out. Of course, there were other types of energy, but mana was regarded as the most easily accessible. A mana stone was a crystallized shard of mana. They were quite popular in both military encampments and wizarding academies. In fact, some kingdoms did away with their intermediaries and simply used mana stones as their sole currency.


    The reason why it was such a popular ¡®starter¡¯ was due to the fact that mana stones not only possessed quite a bit of manipulatable energy, but also because said energy was rather mild and gentle, especially compared to a few other alternatives.


    If he wanted to train using a similar method from his past, then he needed to get his hands on a mana stone. Unfortunately, in a place like modern Plume, finding such a thing was like searching for gold at the end of a rainbow.


    He felt a bit troubled by his situation.


    Two options lay before him; find a new training method or find a replacement energy source.


    As his mind churned, his eyes wandered. Eventually, he stopped at a wall socket. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Electricity is also energy¡­ although it¡¯s a bit chaotic, as long as I prepare¡­ I can do it¡­ I can definitely do it¡­.¡± He continually mumbled to himself, as a plan slowly began to form. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really a plan, but more like a rough outline built around one spontaneous idea of his.


    ¡°First of all, I need to make a runic circle¡­¡±


    Speaking briefly of the magic on Mistelhan, there existed two primary systems of standardized magic. The first system was called Inner Circulation. Inner Circulation was all about self-strengthening and placed its primary focus on the utilization of the essence that one¡¯s own body produced. It was a popular system of magic that was practiced not only by spellcasters, but also by the knights and warriors of Mistelhan.


    If Inner Circulation acted as the primary system for training, then Outer Casting was widely acknowledged as the best auxiliary system in all of Mistelhan. Its practice was not as widely spread as the former, and it was also considerably more difficult to learn, but it had its own inherent strengths.


    Its greatest strength was the fact that one could practice Outer Casting regardless of a person¡¯s magical power or sensitivity to mana. Outer Casting depended on a person¡¯s mastery of the arts, and not their arbitrary strength or potential. Unironically, this was also the primary reason for the system¡¯s unpopularity.


    Inner Circulation strengthened the body, and could even elongate the natural lifespan of a person. In comparison, Outer Casting left its practitioners untouched.


    In essence, Inner Circulation could turn humans into superhumans, while those that practiced Outer Casting remained within the ranks of the ordinary.


    Theo was a rare individual who practiced both disciplines


    Given his current situation, Outer Casting was the only option out of the two, as it allowed a completely ordinary person to utilize a few no tier spells. Unfortunately, Outer Casting had too many weaknesses, of which greatly hampered its viability as Theo¡¯s primary mode of combat. There was a reason why the discipline was eventually phased out in favor of its superior counterpart.


    Also, he still did not know whether the magic of Mistelhan worked on Plume. After giving it some thought, he shrugged his shoulders. There was no harm in trying.


    ¡°First of all, I need something to act as a medium¡­¡± He muttered to himself as he briefly surveyed the room.


    Outer casting relied on the power of a mana compatible medium. For Inner Circulation, the medium was the practitioner¡¯s physical body. Outer Casting practitioners did not have this convenience, hence the role of the medium. During most circumstances, this medium would take the form of an artifact or magic item, but temporary consumables would work just as well for his situation.


    A high schooler¡¯s bedroom did not really give him a lot of options, but lucky for him, Theo knew of something that was readily accessible even to a poor schmuck like him.


    He bit down on his thumb until it bled. He looked at the wound with a bitter smile on his face. ¡°The blood of a virgin¡­ good thing gender doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    Once a sufficient amount of red stained the end of his thumb, Theo then drew out an archaic circle on his bare abdomen. After a few seconds, a complicated structure featuring a variety of geometric shapes covered the entirety of his front torso.


    Theo was satisfied with his work and immediately lowered his shirt, before he walked over to the nearest electrical socket. He squatted down next to it and stared for a long time. Eventually, he took a deep breath and stuck his finger inside. At first, nothing happened.


    Theo frowned. He thought for a moment, before he wettened the tip of his finger with saliva, and stuck it back inside the socket. Almost immediately, a sharp jolt washed through his body. The smell of burning flesh filled the room. A short spark knocked Theo off his feet. A crackle of electricity buzzed through his hazing eyes before he abruptly passed out.

 Chapter 15: Look at Me There

    Chapter 15: Look at Me There


    THUD!


    From within the kitchen, Shirley and Lynn heard a loud crash. Judging by the direction of the noise, it came from somewhere upstairs. They turned to one another with questioning expressions on their faces.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Lynn asked.


    She looked completely different from yesterday. It was to the point where she was almost unrecognizable.


    Her black hair was tied into a bun and secured by a pair of chopsticks. Loose strands fell and covered parts of her face. The pale pallor and weariness from last night had disappeared, replaced by a healthy ruddiness. A white kitchen apron was draped over the rest of her clothes.


    She held a plate full of eggs in one hand and a spatula in the other.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡± Shirley shook her head in surprise. Her gaze subconsciously moved towards the direction of the stairs.


    ¡°Did that boy drop something? He¡¯s been back for less than a day and already, he¡¯s breaking things¡­ Geeze, what a handful.¡± Lynn let out an exaggerated sigh as she shook her head. Although her words appeared harsh, there was a small smile etched on her lips.


    As if infected by her positivity, Shirley also smiled. After a moment¡¯s pause, she suddenly offered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back upstairs and check on him again.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lynn nodded. She walked across the kitchen and placed the plate down onto the table. ¡°Do remind him that breakfast is almost ready. Tell him I made his favorite too.¡± Bacon and eggs. It was a bit plain, but Theo had a fondness for simple foods. Bacon and eggs just happened to be his favorite.


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lynn made her way back over towards the stove top. Just as she was about to drop a strip of bacon into the frying pan, she suddenly stopped and turned back around to face Shirley. ¡°And you better eat with us too, Sher. I cooked enough for three people and I don¡¯t want to see any food wasted.¡±


    Shirley meekly nodded her head. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be sure to eat here. Thank you, Aunt Lynn.¡±


    ¡°Well get going then.¡± Lynn shooed her off and soon started working on the bacon. ¡°Go check and see if that damn kid really broke something.¡±


    Shirley left the kitchen and quickly headed back up to Theo¡¯s bedroom.


    She briefly stopped at the top of the stairs and placed a hand over her stomach. A low rumbling echoed through the air. In truth, Shirley had not eaten anything for dinner last night. The smell of breakfast that wafted through the house was like a burning aphrodisiac. Her hunger had nearly reached a peak. Even without Aunt Lynn¡¯s earlier prompting, she would have surely stuck around for a plate or two.


    ¡°I better hurry,¡± She mumbled to herself as she walked up to his room.


    Standing just outside of his bedroom door, she called out to Theo. To her surprise, there was no response. She furrowed her brow and tried once more, this time she knocked on the door.


    ¡°Theo?¡± She called out, ¡°Are you in there?¡±


    A few seconds of silence passed before she heard a muffled groan coming from somewhere behind the door. Shirley opened the door and almost jumped back in surprise.


    There he was. Theo, the vanishing boy, the person that she had so dearly missed for more than half a year. Right now, he was sprawled on the carpeted floor. His body slightly twitched, while his hair stuck up on end. Looking closely, parts of it were singed. A faint burning smell wafted through the air.


    ¡°T-Theo?!¡± Shirley unconsciously exclaimed. ¡°Are you alright? What happened to you?¡±


    He groaned in response.


    Truth be told, Theo was feeling a tad bit groggy right now. Back then, he had passed out for half a second. Luckily, he woke up just in time to see Shirley barging into his room.


    ¡°I¡­ I um¡­ ay um¡­¡± He tried to speak, but all he could manage was a string of incomprehensible sounds.


    His mouth, tongue, lips, cheeks, everything felt numb and foreign. Things moved when he did not want them to, and parts froze when he wanted them to move. It was as if he had lost control, his whole body detached from his mind.


    He struggled to get up. Theo attempted to push himself off the floor, but his limps stubbornly resisted. His bones were noodles, and his spine was jelly. He managed to get a few inches off the ground but quickly toppled back to the floor with a resounding thud.


    An ugly expression contorted Theo¡¯s face. No matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to move, his body simply couldn¡¯t do it. He felt like a drowning fish out of water.


    All of a sudden, a shadow covered his face.


    Shirley kneeled down next to him and stared at his face with inquisitive eyes. An odd smile twisted her lips. After confirming that Theo did not look seriously injured, she eventually calmed down. She pulled on a strand of singed hair, which caused Theo¡¯s entire body to unconsciously twitch.


    After a while, she asked, ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ nothing.¡± A bit of feeling returned to his lips. Although for the most part, he was still paralyzed, at the very least, he was now able to form coherent sentences again.


    ¡°I just tripped, that¡¯s all.¡± He lied.


    Shirley frowned. She obviously didn¡¯t believe him, but that didn¡¯t really matter right now. Theo did his best to shake his head, before he asked her to help him up.


    She straightforwardly complied. She got Theo off the floor and placed him back onto his bed. The moment his back touched the firm mattress, a sigh leaked out from his lips.


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just fine.¡± Theo nodded. This time, he wasn¡¯t lying.


    If he really wasn¡¯t ¡®fine¡¯, then the only other options left on the table were either severe bodily harm or death. Those might sound like extremes, but he did just stick his finger inside an electrical plug socket. Normally, doing that sort of thing can cause hearing loss, cardiac arrest, third-degree burns, and yes, even death.


    Well, Theo was slightly exaggerating, but the essentials were the same. A lot of bad things should have happened, but they didn¡¯t. It was all verifiable proof that the runic circle had worked.


    As if to further confirm this, he turned towards Shirley and suddenly asked, ¡°Pull up my shirt.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± She looked at him with a face of utter confusion. What did he just say?


    ¡°Pull up my shirt.¡± He repeated. ¡°Pull it up and expose my stomach.¡±


    ¡°What, w-what are you saying?! Y-y-you want me to do what now?¡± Her cheeks flushed red.


    She did not know what sort of thing Theo was trying to pull. Suddenly making such an outrageous request like that¡­ he did not even give her any time to prepare herself¡­ I wasn¡¯t that she did not want to, but just, things like this needed time, preparation¡­ Her heart was not ready. No, they were moving too fast¡­ A date first or at least maybe a kiss before they moved on to the next step¡­


    A jumble of various thoughts and ideas filled her steaming head. Staring at her flustered expressions, Theo helplessly sighed. ¡°Just do it, okay? It¡¯s not that hard to do.¡±


    Worn down by his incessance, Shirley eventually agreed.


    She grabbed the hem of his shirt with two fingers. Shirley noticed her hands shake. Why wouldn¡¯t they? After all, they were about to do that¡­ It would be her first time. It was only natural for her to be so nervous. What¡¯s more, Aunt Lynn was still downstairs!


    She closed her eyes shut. Shirley took a deep breath and tried her best to calm her thumping heart, not that it actually worked.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Yah!¡± With a determined shout, she vigorously pulled his shirt up, exposing his stomach. Theo felt a cool breeze blow over his abdomen.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you see?¡± He interrupted the awkward silence and straightforwardly asked her.


    Right now, he was lying on the bed, his feet dangling over the edge. Shirley sat beside him, her fingers still firmly clamped onto the hem of his shirt.


    ¡°W-what do I¡ª You want me to look?!¡± She shyly asked, the heat literally exuding out from her flushed cheeks.


    ¡°Of course, why else do you think I asked you to pull up my shirt?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what do you see?¡±


    ¡°Theo¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You big pervert¡­¡±


    ¡°Just look already!¡±


    Faced with Theo¡¯s continued pestering, Shirley eventually complied and looked at Theo¡¯s exposed abdomen. She wasn¡¯t really sure what it was she was supposed to be looking at. All she saw was Theo¡¯s smooth, olive-colored stomach.


    His body was a bit on the skinny side, although he did still possess a few traits that she found attractive. For instance, the faint V line that ran down his abdomen¡­ If Theo was just a bit more muscular, then it would have been even better¡­


    ¡°Well, what do you see?¡± Theo¡¯s impatient voice snapped Shirley out of her reverie.


    ¡°I, um¡­ w-what exactly am I supposed to see?¡±


    ¡°Like, is there anything unusual?


    ¡°Unusual?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like what¡¯s the first thing that pops into your head when you¡¯re looking at it?¡±


    ¡°The first¡ª I, I don¡¯t know¡­ I, skin, all I see is skin!¡± She stuttered out in a panic, her face reddening with each successive question.


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, I don¡¯t¡­ y-you, your muscles¡­ um pubic, no your pelvis¡­¡±


    The longer she blabbered on, the less coherent her words became. Theo eventually stopped questioning her. He feared that if he continued on any longer, then Shirley¡¯s head might really just explode from overheating.


    ¡°Alright,¡± He leaned his head back against the firm mattress and breathed out a sigh of relief.


    The fact that the runic circle disappeared meant that the magic had worked. The rune had sunken into his flesh and entered his body, just like he had originally intended for it to do. Although he was currently too numb to feel any of its effects right now, given enough time to recover, Theo would surely be able to feel it coursing through the pit of his stomach.


    ¡°Okay, you can stop now.¡± He said as he looked up at Shirley¡¯s face.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She absentmindedly responded, her eyes still feverishly locked onto his stomach.


    ¡°Pull my shirt back down. I¡¯m getting cold.¡±


    Shirley¡¯s hand mechanically pulled down his shirt, as she numbly listened to his words. After a few seconds, she looked back at him with a blank expression. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she couldn¡¯t help but ask, a trace of disappointment hidden within her voice.


    Theo stared back at her with a weird look on his face. He had been with Shirley for a long time. He knew of the various expressions that she so often wore, but the one that she currently sported was unfamiliar to him. There was a hint of her usual shyness, but there was also something else, something extra added to the mix.


    Just what sort of face was she making?


    After a few seconds, Theo nodded. He then followed up by saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a few minutes. Just let me rest for a bit longer.¡±


    Shirley hesitated for a moment, before her lips contorted into a pout. She sulked her way out of the room, slamming the door shut in the process. Theo heard stomping footsteps descending down the stairs.


    ¡°Why was she so angry?¡± he muttered to himself.


    After a few minutes, some feeling eventually returned to his body. Although he was still pretty numb all over and his sense of touch still wasn¡¯t working quite properly, Theo was at least well enough to move about and walk.


    It was a feeling similar to forcing yourself to move, even when your legs had fallen asleep after sitting down all day. It was like that, but instead of just his legs, such a sensation spread throughout his entire body.


    Most people probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand, much less move and interact with the environment, but Theo wasn¡¯t most people. He was different. He was someone capable of fighting perfectly well even with three of his five senses impaired. Much less actual paralysis, what did a little bit of numbness count for?


    He slowly made his way to his closet and picked out a random t-shirt. After replacing his old shirt, and putting on the new one, he looked down towards his lower half. He was only wearing a pair of striped boxers. He wondered whether or not he should change, before ultimately deciding against it. Shirley had already seen him like this, so why even bother? In fact, why the hell did he change his shirt in the first place?


    With a sigh, he quickly made his way downstairs.


    Once in the kitchen, he was greeted by a plate full of food.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here.¡± Aunt Lynn smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re right on time, the bacon just finished cooking.¡±


    Looking around the room, he quickly spotted Shirley. She had always been a slow eater, so it did not surprise him to see that she had already started breakfast without him.


    As he quietly sat down by the table, he couldn¡¯t help but glance up at his aunt. More specifically, he was in awe.


    She looked completely different from the her from last night. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the her now and the her then were two completely different people.


    The smell of alcohol was gone. Her hair was neatly combed and tied into a tight-fitting bun. In addition, she had changed into a clean set of clothes and even wore an apron that matched well with the choker on her neck.


    Aunt Lynn looked like an actual, honest-to-god, proper adult.


    Even though he should be used to it by now, he could never really get over her ability to make such a miraculous recovery with just one night¡¯s sleep. It was almost like a superpower.


    Aunt Lynn brought over the last plate of food, before she sat down and joined the two teens. With her arrival, Theo did not wait any longer, and immediately began wolfing down the food on the table.


    Seeing such a scene, Lynn subconsciously smiled. The feeling of a family¡­ how long has it been since she last felt like this? She remembered back to the lonely meals that consisted of cup noodles and instant television dinners. Restless nights that could only be quelled by the bitter rush of alcohol. She never wanted to experience those days ever again.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Lynn suddenly asked.


    Theo swallowed a mouthful of food, before he vigorously nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s good. Better than I remember.¡± He complimented.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She responded with a smile.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A long silence filled the room. Theo returned to his meal, while Lynn followed shortly after. As for Shirley, she absentmindedly stared at the cup of coffee in her hands. She was lost in her own cloud of thoughts.


    After a while, Lynn spoke up once more, ¡°You¡¯ve heard about it a little from Shirley, but you¡¯re still enrolled in Valery Heights. Right now, your current status is that of a student whose skipped the last seven months of school. It¡¯s certainly better than being a dropout.¡±


    Theo nodded in response.


    ¡°I talked to the principal this morning. I informed him of your return¡­ although I didn¡¯t explain the specific details. If he pries, then you handle it.¡± She looked over at Theo with an odd expression. ¡°I told him not to make a big deal out of the whole thing, so he shouldn¡¯t give you too much trouble.¡±


    He nodded again.


    ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯ll also need to meet with someone on Monday. It¡¯s to sort out all the paperwork and stuff. I don¡¯t know the details, but its too make sure that you can graduate on time. Don¡¯t even think about skipping it.¡±


    Theo nodded for the third time. He swallowed down another mouthful of food, before he curiously asked, ¡°What did you tell the principal about my disappearance?¡±


    She paused. For a moment, Lynn looked at him. A particularly unnerving smile stretched her lips. ¡°I told him that you ran away. You met with some hussy who tricked you into moving across the country. After seven months, you came back to your senses, or rather, she cheated on you. Heartbroken and in despair, you crawled back home with your tail between your legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fantastical story filled with the indiscretions of youth. Nice, right?¡±


    Theo almost choked on his food. After sputtering out a throaty cough, he stared bitterly at his Aunt¡¯s taunting expression. ¡°Why did you have to give me such a pathetic sounding backstory, Auntie?¡±


    In response, she smirked. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I can always tell him something else. The truth, perhaps?¡± She looked challengingly at him.


    Theo laughed wryly. He shook his head. ¡°No, well, you already told him, so it¡¯s a little bit too late for that.¡±


    At the sight of his noncommittal attitude, Lynn could only nod her head. She let out a defeated sigh, as she shrugged her shoulders and leaned back against her chair. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re going to act like that, make sure to clean the whole house this weekend. Think of it as a punishment for being gone for so long.¡±


    He let out a groan. He knew it was coming, but still, no sane person was willing to clean up such a mess out of their own free will. As he silently sulked, Theo suddenly thought of an idea. He turned towards Shirley. His eyes watered, a mock puppy-dog expression colored his face. Although he did not say anything, his intentions were as clear as day.


    Seeing Theo acting like that, Shirley felt somewhat helpless.


    In contrast, Aunt Lynn immediately flared up in anger. ¡°You better not think about making Shirley help you! The girl comes here every weekend to clean up your room. I told her not to bother, but she insisted! Don¡¯t you dare get any funny ideas!¡±


    Theo sank back into his seat. You were the one that made the house into such a mess in the first place, yet you¡¯re not even willing to help? Life really wasn¡¯t fair. He returned less than a day ago, and this overlord of an Aunt was already bossing him around like this¡­


    Just as he was about to nod his head, Theo suddenly thought of something else. Without hesitation, he turned back over to Shirley and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s Aunt Lynn¡¯s book called again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, its¡ª¡± Shirley almost answered the question, but before she could get any further, Aunt Lynn immediately stopped her. She covered Shirley¡¯s mouth with her palm. Shirley widened her eyes in surprise, but after seeing the rare shyness that colored Lynn¡¯s face, she immediately understood.


    Theo, you big pervert, you almost made me say it!


    A cold sweat ran down her back. Shirley sympathized with Lynn. How could she not? She had read the book after all, and knew full well what its contents implied. If the roles were reversed and Shirley had written the book instead of her, then she would have long jumped off a bridge by now.


    Theo watched the duo¡¯s silent exchange. Their cooperation only fanned his curiosity.


    Just what sort of thing did she write?


    ¡°What is it, come on Shirley, tell me¡­¡± He blithely begged, as he reached across the table and tried to pry Aunt Lynn¡¯s hands off of her lips. Unfortunately, his attempt was met with a slap to the wrist.


    ¡°Back off, idiot!¡± Lynn shouted with a flustered expression on her face. ¡°I told you last night that you¡¯d never, ever, ever get the chance to read it, so stop trying!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that? So stingy¡­¡± Theo complained as he bitterly massaged the top of his hand. ¡°Come on, just tell me. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    Unfortunately, Lynn was as firm as limestone. Before Theo could do anything else, she suddenly grabbed onto Shirley¡¯s waist and lifted her up. Lynn practically ran away with the girl still in her arms. Shirley, on the other hand, was as stiff as a statue. She was so caught off guard, that she still held onto her fork even as she was being dragged away.


    A few seconds after they left, Theo let out a long sigh.


    He shook his head, but it did not mean that he had given up. In fact, he grew even more determined to find out the truth to this little incident. He looked down at the food on his plate, before stuffing another spoonful into his mouth. He chewed mechanically.


    The zap from earlier had temporarily fried his taste receptors. He had lied to his aunt back then. The food was completely tasteless.

 Chapter 16: Back at the Starting Line

    Chapter 16: Back at the Starting Line


    The next two days passed in a blink of an eye.


    Throughout the entire weekend, Theo kept himself busy with cleaning the house. From early morning to late evening, he worked constantly, only ever stopping for the occasional meal and bathroom break.


    He was used to rapidly switching between weapons on the battlefield. Sometimes a war hammer was simply more efficient than a one-handed sword. He experienced a similar situation, except instead of changing from weapon to weapon, he rotated between a dustpan, a mop, and a plunger.


    A few times during the day, Shirley would stop by. She didn¡¯t really do anything though. After chatting a bit with Theo, she¡¯d return home, only to come back an hour or two later. He thought her actions were a bit odd, but he didn¡¯t really blame her for them.


    He simply assumed that she wanted to keep in close contact with him. Maybe it was because she wanted to make up for all the lost time, or maybe it was because she was afraid that he¡¯d up and vanish again, he didn¡¯t know the real reason why, but nevertheless, he enjoyed her company.


    It was just that¡­ if she was going to come over so frequently, then she could have at least helped him.


    By the time night rolled in, Theo was dead tired.


    He hadn¡¯t felt fatigue like this since he last fought a battle with an entire legion of demons. Back then, it had lasted five days and four nights. Cleaning this house wasn¡¯t nearly as long-winded, but this ordinary, untrained body of his really did lack stamina. Every night, he collapsed onto his bed and immediately fell asleep.


    To his utter disappointment, despite being wholly responsible for the mess that engulfed the house, Aunt Lynn really didn¡¯t help him. In fact, the first thing she made him do was clean her bedroom. Afterward, that overlord aunt of his holed herself up in her room for the entire weekend, doing god knows what, while Theo cleaned the rest of the house all by his lonesome.


    If it was a punishment she was after, then this was one hell of a way to do it.


    Eventually, Monday rolled in.


    With a new uniform and his old backpack, Theo stood in the hallway, just outside of the school¡¯s faculty room. A soft sigh leaked out from his lips.


    One of the teachers had just given him a brief rundown on his current situation.


    While his seven-month long absence was definitely an abnormality, it wasn¡¯t the first of such cases. In fact, the school had experience dealing with even more exaggerated extremes. Because Valery Heights was a private school that completely depended on outside funding in order to keep afloat, the first thing that they needed to learn was how to be flexible.


    They had contingencies and backup plans for all sorts of situations. As for cases like his, they had an organized system set in place.


    Attendance didn¡¯t really matter for a school like this, so the issue of his absence was completely waved off. The one thing that they could not simply excuse though, was academic performance.


    The system they set in place was rather simple; he simply needed to come in every week and take a couple of exams. The exams were to be designed in a way to test him on the material that he had missed. Depending on how well he did, it was entirely possible for Theo to graduate on time.


    If he struggled with the material, but showed a willingness to learn and improve, then the school might set him up with extra classes or maybe even a tutor. The last resort was for Theo to repeat the year, but that was a measure taken only after all other options proved useless.


    Everything depended on his performance. It was the beauty of commercialized education.


    The first afterschool exam was to take place sometime next month. The pressure on his shoulders was heavy, but Theo wasn¡¯t really all that worried though.


    He breathed out another sigh. Just as he was wondering what to do next, someone suddenly bumped into him. He inadvertently took a step back, but otherwise remained upright. He looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the busybody that had almost knocked him over, but by that time, the person in question was already long gone.


    It was then that Theo finally noticed just how crowded the hallway was. A mix of students and teachers, all struggling to get to where they needed to go. Bodies lined the hall from wall to wall. It was like watching a herd of cattle at a slaughterhouse. He felt stifled, suffocated.


    A variety of different faces passed by him.


    A teacher with a bushy Afro and a five o''clock shadow. A pair of cheerleaders still dressed in their uniforms. A pot-bellied student whose hands were stained in orange food particles. Amidst the crowd, an unassuming janitor caught his eye.


    He was a grey-haired old man with pockmarked cheeks. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit and traveled with a yellow mop-bucket. An unknown liquid sloshed around inside the bucket.


    Theo blinked. For a second, he wondered whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. He could have sworn that he saw a faint bit of red inside the bucket. It was a scarlet red that reminded him of his time in Mistelhan.


    Unfortunately, before he could look at it any closer, the bell suddenly rang. The janitor disappeared amidst the crowd.


    Theo shook his head and quickly left the area. After carefully navigating through the tide of bodies, he finally managed to reach his first period of the day, a two-hour calculus class.


    His return was not met with the fanfare that he had half expected. Instead, he quietly slinked off into a vacant seat near the back of the room, while the class proceeded as normal. Aside from a single knowing glance from the teacher, who was probably already informed of his particular situation, nothing else happened.


    The teacher in question quickly started today¡¯s lesson, which to no surprise, Theo couldn¡¯t understand.


    He heaved out a heavy sigh and leaned back against his chair. He looked out the window and stared up at the blue sky. A content smile floated to his face.


    Ironically, it was during the middle of class, arguably a student¡¯s busiest time of the day, that Theo finally found some peace.


    After he spent a few minutes absentmindedly spacing out, Theo shook his head and once again tried to pay attention to the class. It didn¡¯t take long for him to learn that it was immensely difficult to suddenly jump into a subject, especially given a seven-month long absence. Actually, technically speaking, it had been a little more than twenty-five years since Theo last dealt with anything relating to calculus.


    He was more than just a little confused.


    In the end, he straightforwardly gave up. After coming to such a decision, he suddenly found himself with a lot of time to spare.


    ¡°Well, I guess I can always start on that¡­¡± He muttered to himself.


    Now was as good of a time as any to finally investigate the runic circle that Theo had created last Saturday. He had been so busy with cleaning during the weekend, that he hadn¡¯t gotten a proper chance to experiment with it prior to today.


    A serious expression masked his face. Theo sat back up, while his hand moved towards his lower abdomen. He did not touch his stomach. Instead, his hand hovered over the area where he had previously drawn the rune. He sat in silence and concentrated.


    Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed, before he felt something. A tiny spark, just barely noticeable. If it was anyone else other than Theo, then they probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed the change. In fact, the only reason why he had been able to identify it was because of his past experience.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    A slightly numb sensation snaked its way through his abdominal cavity. It felt like a sudden burst of static electricity.


    This was it. This was the thing that he had risked his life to attain.


    Since ancient times, the best way to familiarize yourself with manipulatable energy was for said energy to be inside you. The introduction of a foreign substance into a host body.  That was how many of the warriors and mages of Mistelhan were first introduced to the arduous road of self-strengthening.


    All people are born with a hidden force inside their body. Unfortunately, it was infinitely harder for a person to sense their own inborn essence. Hell, some might even claim it was downright impossible. The reason for this was because a person grew side by side with their essence. Something like that was impossible to notice, just as how it was impossible for a person to notice each shift and movement of their organs.


    The essence of life was incredibly sneaky. Pure and unadulterated, it was like the oxygen within the atmosphere, ever-present, but not something one can easily distinguish.


    The electricity that he had forcibly shoved into his body was different from that. It was violent and chaotic. Destructive in nature, yet still capable of producing life. It was a different form of essence, much like how mana and life force were two different, yet all too similar existences.


    Mana that came from the world, life force that breathed within the body, and electricity that powered the batteries on a television remote, they were all different, yet the same.


    In Mistelhan, the colloquial term for all the various energies and essences that existed within the ever-expanding universe was Prana. Prana possessed an omnipresent existence. There was no one true form of Prana. Instead, it was divided into several variations. The energy of life, the essence of the Earth, the celestial light of the stars, the moon¡¯s ephemeral glow, even the fire in a hearth, all of it was essence, all of it was Prana.


    In Mistelhan, the main area of focus was on the conversion of Prana into something more. They sought for something they considered a higher existence, something above, something that they could truly call their own. That was the ultimate goal. That was the purpose of Inner Circulation, to convert Prana into a malleable, manipulatable essence that acted as a part of one¡¯s body. They called such a thing Ichor.


    A human¡¯s capability is born finite. It was only through the production of Ichor that one can detach themselves from that finite possibility.


    Mana, Ichor, Prana, all of those terms originated from the first Hero. Argus the Conqueror King, the man who single-handedly created the Inner Circulation technique. Ironically, he was also an otherworlder like Theo, although Argus had not been summoned, but rather, he fell into a spatial wormhole and ended up on Mistelhan.


    In fact, those words came from his old world.


    Argus lived in a time close to the beginning of civilization. He practically created everything from scratch. More specifically, the thing that he created was not the modern-day Inner Circulation technique, but rather, its predecessor. Back then, it was called the Argus Enhancement Method or Argus Method for short.


    In truth, embarking on the path of Inner Circulation was not yet possible for Theo.


    For that, he first needed to go through the prerequisite. The prerequisite was something that the third Hero had created.


    In all, Mistelhan¡¯s history consisted of four great Heroes; Argus the Conqueror King, Carmine the Pheonixborne, Arlie the Saintess, and Theodore the Champion. All of them contributed to the evolution of Mistelhan¡¯s complicated magic system in their own little way.


    Argus was the father of Inner Circulation, Carmine single-handedly created Outer Casting, while Arlie devised of a way to circumvent a human¡¯s natural weakness.


    The Conqueror King represented the transition from common birth to the divine. His existence represented infinite possibility, but that wasn¡¯t really quite accurate. For his era, that might have held true, but not for modern day Mistelhan.


    In actuality, the people from the ancient era and the people from the current era were innately different.


    In Argus¡¯s time, for one reason or another, everybody was born with a strand of Ichor. Talent and resource distribution were determined by how strong or how weak their initial strand was. To them, the complicated and dangerous process that Theo underwent with the runic circle, was completely unnecessary. In fact, if Theo had lived in their era, then he would have been dismissed as a no-talent scrub with no prospects of ever becoming strong.


    It was only natural. The ancient era was a simpler time. They simply needed to grow and cultivate their existing Ichor. It was sort of similar to watering a flower within a field, completely unnecessary, but nevertheless, it helped.


    In Mistelhan¡¯s history, something happened and eventually, humans stopped naturally producing Ichor. While they still possessed life force, it was not something that they could easily manipulate.


    The Era of Loss, the darkest time in Mistelhan¡¯s history.


    The second Hero had lived within that time period. In his quest for power, he abandoned the theory of self-strengthening and focused his attention on the usage of outside forces. The end of Loss was ushered forth by the third Hero, who rekindled Mistelhan¡¯s obsession with self-strengthening.


    She devised a method to make the body more receptive to prana, and for it to eventually produce its own strand of Ichor.


    She called it the Severance Method.


    Her theory stated that a human body existed in its natural state with shackles placed on their potential. The humans of the ancient era also had these shackles, but they possessed far fewer shackles than modern-day humans. Essentially, ancient era humans possessed great potential, to the point where their bodies naturally produced Ichor all on their own.


    Break a shackle and unlock your potential. Once a person reaches a certain threshold, then their bodies will naturally start producing Ichor.


    Theo discovered that the body of a human from Plume was actually quite similar to the modern-day bodies of Mistelhan¡¯s citizens. It lacked naturally produced Ichor. Without a strand of Ichor, then Theo was incapable of absorbing any of the existing Prana that circulated Plume.


    Liken everything to the creation of a ceramic vase. Severance was all about digging up the dirt. The more you gather, the bigger the vase you can make. Inner Circulation was about adding in the water, forming the vase, and filling said vase with even more water. One cannot do the latter without first accomplishing the former.


    To ¡®gather the soil¡¯, Arlie identified three components of the human body. She called it a trifecta, consisting of the mind, the flesh, and the spirit. In other words, the brain, the heart, and the pit (abdomen).


    Each point represented a facet of a person¡¯s existence and all three points were sealed by an invisible, intangible force. The source of one¡¯s potential.


    Break a seal and evolve beyond your past self. Break enough and reach the threshold for self-strengthening. Break even more and become someone infinitely closer to the divine.


    Severance was the creation of the foundation. It was an important step that one could not take lightly.


    The number of shackles that one can break was inherently limited. The human body was not built for infinity. It was simply not suited for continuous breakthroughs, at least not until it evolves past something beyond human, beyond even superhuman.


    Break the heart and strengthen the body. Break the brain and enhance the mind. Break the pit and widen the breadth. No matter which shackle you choose to break, you are still restricted by your mortal coil. For instance, back on Mistelhan, the maximum number of shackles that a person has ever broken was nine. That was only the limit though, most individuals stopped before that.


    The Severance method represented choice and crossroads. An individual can break whichever source they prefer, but after each subsequent break, regardless of the type, progressing becomes more and more difficult. The limited amount of breaks a person can perform was the reason why most people usually focused on one or two sources. For instance, warriors mainly stuck to the heart source, while mages split their concentration between the pit and the brain.


    In the past, Theo had broken nine. Three brain shackles, three heart shackles, and three pit shackles. He became known as the well-rounded Hero, not the strongest in a particular field, but well versed enough in everything that it had allowed him to become the eventual victor.


    In order to reach such a height once more, the dancing electricity that rattled around in his stomach was the key.


    The runic circle forcibly locked the energy within his body. It was contained within a self-created cage, one made out of dancing electricity. The cage itself was the remnants of the runic circle. Basically, a small portion of the electricity restricted the rest of the electricity.


    Of course, this runic cage was far from enough. Theo had no way of directly tweaking with the cage. He could neither regulate it nor reinforce it. All he could do was sit and wait. Eventually, the cage would break or deplete itself, and when it does, the stored energy that it had kept at bay will do far more harm than good to his body.


    In that time, he needed to completely deplete the electricity and use it to sever one of the three sources.


    Right now, he needed to make a choice. Which point should he break first, the mind, the heart, or the pit? In the past, he maxed out with three shackles per point, but this time was different. He felt that this old body of his could surpass that once long-standing rule of nine.


    He didn¡¯t know where such a feeling came from. It was sort of like a gut instinct. Fortunately, he trusted his gut more than he did his rational mind.


    After some brief consideration, he decided to prioritize the shackles of his mind. It held the greatest benefits to the current him. The mind shackle, once severed, will increase a person¡¯s computational speed, memory, reaction time, and sensitivity.


    Not only would it help his future training, but it would also make school a hell of a lot easier.


    Theodore was not an overly optimistic person. He honestly didn¡¯t believe he could catch up with seven months of missed lessons purely through grit and hard work. He knew that if he wanted to pass the year and graduate on time, then he could only rely on such otherworldly methods.


    With that, he grabbed hold of the electricity and guided it towards his head. After a few minutes, he located the brain source and quickly started the grueling process of severance.


    There was only one way to break a shackle and that was through brute force. A strand of electricity struck the point.


    Almost immediately, a splitting headache assaulted him. It was like a thousand migraines rolled up into one. Unfortunately, this was only the start. Still, Theo did not plan to give up. He simply refused to stop at the starting line, especially not on a road that he had already traveled across.

 Chapter 17: Finding A Suitable Place

    Chapter 17: Finding A Suitable Place


    Theo once again directed a burst of electricity towards the Mind Source.


    His face contorted. It was indeed painful, but he knew it wasn¡¯t enough. It had only been a tiny spark, definitely not enough to forcibly break through the shackle. Without hesitation, he gritted his teeth and tried again.


    It felt as if someone was drilling a hole directly through his spinal column using only a rusty nail and a jagged screwdriver. A painful experience. What¡¯s more, the process was also unapologetically time-consuming. At some point, his entire body started shivering. Theo¡¯s complexion paled, while his breathing quickened. Soon, he was frantically gasping for air.


    Occasionally, he let out a grunt. Theo tried desperately to hold it in, but the pain was simply too much. Whether it be through clamped lips or gritted teeth, all the same, the noise came out. No matter how fiercely he resisted, his body¡¯s natural urges won over.


    It was impossible.


    His body was slowly slipping out of his control. Another grunt leaked out from his parched lips. Sweat dripped down his cheeks and pooled on his desk. STAB. Another jolt of lightning and another round of wincing pain.


    No.


    He couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡­At least, not here.


    He leaned back and sighed. Theo wiped the sweat off his brow and slowly looked around the room. He caught sight of a few probing stares. He shook his head. Others were beginning to notice.


    In retrospect, it was only inevitable. Imagine it from their perspective. Some random kid in class suddenly starts grunting and making all sorts of weird noises. In addition, his face was deathly pale, almost as if he had just finished scaling a mountain while wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and some fuzzy socks.


    Even the teacher was giving him a weird look.


    He couldn¡¯t continue like this. He knew he had to stop.


    Severance was an extremely painful process. It emphasized forceful improvement through self-destruction. Something that sounded as scary as that was bound to be painful. If it wasn¡¯t, then there would have been a hell of a lot more magicians running around Mistelhan. Theo knew that it would only grow worse the closer he got to breaking through.


    The moment when the shackle finally breaks was the most intense part of the whole process. The first time he had done it, Theo inadvertently pissed himself. This time around, controlling his voice was the least of his problems.


    A crowded, open place like this¡­ Theo shook his head. It was simply impossible to keep doing this sort of thing in the middle of class.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to think of something to fix this problem.¡± He muttered to himself. ¡°In the meantime, the only thing I can do is wait.¡±


    And wait he did.


    Theo rested his head on the desk and looked out the window. He lazily watched the clouds meander through the pale blue canvas. It had rained over the weekend and judging by the grey specs that loomed just beyond the horizon, another storm was on its way.


    After a little less than two hours passed, the bell finally rang. He immediately stood up and rushed out of the classroom.


    Although he had been in a rush earlier, in truth, he didn¡¯t really have a particular destination in mind. Theo staggered around the hallway, his thoughts preoccupied.


    His next class for the day was Languages. It was another two-hour class. After giving it some thought, he straightforwardly rejected the idea of going to class. In fact, he decided that the best course of action was for him to skip the rest of his classes entirely.


    The fastest way to improve his academics was not to attend classes on subjects that he knew he couldn¡¯t understand, but rather to build up his ability to understand. If he manages to successfully break his first shackle, then his computational speed and mental ability will undergo a drastic improvement. Something that would usually take him a week¡¯s time to learn, might only require a day¡¯s worth of effort, maybe even less, depending on how many mind shackles he can successfully break.


    With that sort of ability under his belt, then it would be a whole lot easier for Theo to bridge the seven-month gap in knowledge.


    So, in order to quickly sever his first mind shackle, Theo needed to first find a safe and somewhat quiet place for him to train. Said place also had to be somewhere on school grounds. After all, Shirley was here. He didn¡¯t want to worry her. Plus, he also promised to visit her club today.


    ¡°A place on campus where either no-one will disturb me, or where I can make all sorts of noises and others won¡¯t even bat an eyelash¡­¡± After thinking about it for a while, he came up with two possible options; the infirmary or the rooftop. The infirmary was a place for the sick and injured, so even if he were to groan and moan, nobody would find it all that odd. As for the rooftop, it was a restricted area from the start, so guaranteed no people.


    He immediately removed the rooftop as an option.


    Seven months ago, it would have been the perfect destination, unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case now. He recalled something that Shirley had once told him about over the weekend; the rooftop had been taken over by wannabe gangers. Right now, it was a delinquent¡¯s paradise.


    In truth, Theo wasn¡¯t afraid. Even with twenty or thirty thugs in waiting, he was still fairly confident in his ability to deal with that sort of number. Unfortunately, there was a difference between being able to fight and wanting to fight. The trouble that the rooftop brought with it far outweighed the benefits, especially since his original intention was to find a place for peace and quiet, not bloodshed and mayhem.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Eventually, the bell rang. Theo had long since decided on his destination.


    ****


    Five minutes later.


    Theo found himself standing in front of a white door. Located just a bit to the right of the door was a black plaque with nine white letters printed on its surface.


    [Infirmary]


    He knocked on the door. Half a second later, he heard shuffling coming from somewhere inside. A few more seconds passed and the door creaked open.


    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± A feminine voice. Theo looked up, only to see a woman standing in front of him.


    She was a beautiful woman, slightly older than Aunt Lynn. Pale blue eyes and wavy golden blonde hair that fell all the way down to her shoulder blades. She wore a spotless white lab coat draped over a black low-cut sweater. A fair bit of her alabaster skin was exposed.


    His eyes subconsciously traveled downward. Past her bulging chest, she wore a tight-fitting grey tube skirt and a pair of black high heels.


    He subconsciously creased his brow.


    Another beautiful woman?


    Not that there was anything wrong with beautiful ladies, but Theo felt as if he was encountering them way too often. Shirley and his Aunt Lynn, plus that pair of gaudy students from his history class¡­ with the addition of this mature looking beauty, that made five girls in total with looks rivaling that of a supermodel¡¯s.


    In the twenty-five years he spent on Mistelhan, Theo probably encountered far fewer girls of similar caliber than in the three days that he¡¯s been on Plume.


    Are my standards worsening or is Mistelhan just a lot worse than I remembered it to be?


    He shook his head and focused on the lady before him.


    Honestly, he had no recollection of her within his hazy memories, but Theo didn¡¯t really find that too surprising. For all the time that he¡¯s spent enrolled in Valery Heights, he couldn¡¯t actually remember a single instance of him ever visiting the infirmary.


    For a moment, the lady¡¯s eyes widened. She stared piercingly at Theo¡¯s face, before her expression immediately reverted back to normal. She tried to hide the surprise on her face, but Theo had seen it quite clearly.


    ¡°What did you want?¡± She asked again, warily glancing up at him. The woman was about half a head taller than Theo, just a little bit shorter than Aunt Lynn.


    ¡°Yeah, I have a splitting headache. I can¡¯t concentrate in class, so can I take a nap here until I get better?¡± He straightforwardly asked. Technically speaking, he wasn¡¯t lying. His head really did hurt from all of the attempted breakthroughs that he had performed.


    ¡°Do you have a note from your teacher?¡±


    ¡°Um, no¡­¡± Theo hesitated for a moment. ¡°Do I need one?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    For a time, the two stared at each other in silence. Theo felt a bit awkward. He was too na?ve! Not once did he consider the possibility of rejection. In fact, he actually assumed that the nurse in charge would just let him right in as longa as he gave some half-hearted excuse.


    Theo was stuck at an impasse, uncertain of what to do next.


    Just as he thought about leaving, the lady suddenly widened the door and retreated back inside the room.


    Click-click, click-click, click-click¡­


    She sighed lightly, the sound of her clicking high-heels echoed through the room. She moved towards the far corner of the room and sat down on a leather swivel chair. She returned to her computer and started typing something down.


    After a few seconds, she realized that Theo had not followed her. She slightly turned her head and gave him a sidelong glance.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get in already.¡± The lady spoke lightly, before she turned back around and continued with whatever she was doing.


    ¡°Um¡­ alright then.¡± Theo was a bit hesitant, but nevertheless, he easily agreed. He walked into the room and quietly observed his surroundings. It was a simple set up.


    The room was narrow but rectangular in shape. Three beds were spread evenly throughout the room. Each bed had their own private partition. The nurse¡¯s desk was located in the far back, along with a series of cabinets and other medical compartments.


    Now that he was actually here, Theo didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    Should he just straightforwardly take one of the beds in the room or was he supposed to say something beforehand? What about the nurse? Was it fine for him to do whatever he wanted or should he ask for permission first?


    Thinking about it now, it was a bit awkward with just the two of them in the room like this¡­ not that he minded the company of a beautiful woman. In fact, the nurse was actually his type of girl, but that wasn¡¯t actually saying much, considering Theo¡¯s rather wide strike range.


    Even if her presence did make him feel a bit uncomfortable, Theo wholeheartedly believed that it was still several times better than being alone.


    ¡°Just to be clear, I¡¯m only making an exception just this once.¡± The nurse suddenly spoke up, interrupting Theo¡¯s train of thought.


    ¡°An exception?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t skip class. And if you do skip class, at least bring a teacher¡¯s note.¡± She paused for a moment, before she gestured for Theo to come forward. ¡°Come here for a second.¡±


    Theo acquiesced and quietly walked up to her.


    With her sitting down like that, the difference in height forced Theo to look down on her. She apparently did not like this, because she immediately gestured for him to lower his head. Theo could only comply with her demands.


    The lady squinted her eyes and suddenly placed a hand on his forehead. For a moment, he was dumbfounded. He felt the coldness of her palm seep into his skin, before he managed to regain a little bit of clarity.


    ¡°Look, if you¡¯re going to pretend to be sick, then at the very least, be a bit more convin¡ª¡± Her face suddenly froze. She looked oddly at him for a second, before she pulled her hand away.


    ¡°You¡¯re burning up.¡± She said.


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you are.¡± She dismissively waved her hand, as she turned back around and reached for another drawer. ¡°Who would have thought? You really were telling the truth.¡±


    Theo bitterly smiled. He didn¡¯t really mind the teacher¡¯s attitude. It kind of reminded him of his Aunt Lynn, except the woman before him was a whole lot colder. Still, he too was surprised.


    Why was he so hot? It was only a casual excuse, to think that he really was running a fever¡­


    He thought about it for a moment and quickly blamed his current condition on the attempted severance from earlier. The process does place a considerable physical strain on my body¡­ I guess a fever is one way to show it.


    ¡°Your body temperature¡¯s elevated, I¡¯m guessing somewhere above one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (38~ C). I won¡¯t know the exact temperature unless I actually measure it. Regardless, that¡¯s quite the high fever you¡¯ve got there.¡± She explained. ¡°You might be sick; do you want to head home for the day?¡±


    Theo shook his head. ¡°Can I just lie down? Hopefully, I¡¯ll get better with a little bit of rest.¡±


    ¡°Well, do what you want¡­¡± Just as she was about to dismiss him, a weird glint suddenly flashed through her eyes. She enthusiastically asked, ¡°Do you want some medicine?¡±


    ¡°Um, sure, if you got any.¡± Theo agreed. It was a long shot, but modern medicine might actually have a positive effect on his next round of severance.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ve got some suppositories near the back, let me go get them¡­¡±


    ¡°S-suppositories?¡± Theo widened his eyes, before he hurriedly shook his head. ¡°Wait, wait, never mind. I don¡¯t need the medicine. On second thought, I¡¯ll just go rest¡­¡±


    The nurse laughed in response. ¡°Suit yourself, although if you ever do get in the mood, don¡¯t hesitate to call. I¡¯ll be right here, always ready and waiting¡­¡±


    Theo self-deprecatingly smiled to himself. He didn¡¯t dare converse with this weird nurse for even one second longer. He retreated towards the closest bed and quickly pulled on the bedside partitions.


    Soon, the curtains encircled all around him. Now, Theo was finally alone.

 Chapter 18: The First Shackle

    Chapter 18: The First Shackle


    With the wall to his back and the curtains all around him, Theo was finally alone.


    No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. He wasn¡¯t truly alone. What he felt was the illusion of isolation. He knew the truth, he knew that there was still someone else here with him, that this tiny little slice of the world was merely a part of a much bigger room. He knew it all, but still, he fell for it.


    The illusion of isolation. Even if it wasn¡¯t real, to him, it was real enough.


    Theo breathed out a heavy sigh.


    It was time. He had stalled for long enough; he needed to get back to work.


    He plopped down onto the bed and quickly pulled the blanket over his body. Theo laid there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. The dim white of the lights, the rough texture of the sheets, even the way the mattress compressed underneath him, he felt it all.


    He briefly hesitated, before he suddenly unbuckled his belt. He took the belt, folded it in half, and bit down on the leather.


    This should stop me from screaming¡­ he silently thought to himself.


    Without any further delay, Theo closed his eyes and concentrated.


    He directed his consciousness over towards the runic cage near the pit of his stomach. Almost immediately, he felt the rampaging energy. It struck out at the cage, threatening to break loose. Electricity. The runic cage was formed out of pure electricity, while the energy that it kept locked up was also formed from electricity.


    Theo opened a tiny sliver of that cage and quietly watched as a streak of electricity forced its way out.


    He then guided the streak towards his head, in the direction of the mind source. Half a second later, he felt a sudden burst of pain. His teeth ground against the leather, while he subconsciously spasmed in place. The bed rattled around while Theo gripped the sheets as if his life depended on it. He struggled to maintain both his sanity and his consciousness.


    The next couple of hours passed by in agonizing slow-motion.


    Theo entered an endless loop of pain and suffering. It was as if a jackhammer continually kept trying to drill its way through his head. It never once succeeded, but boy did it try.


    This was only his first shackle, but it was already so painful. Still, Theo kept persisting. No matter the pain, no matter how frequently he almost slipped into unconsciousness, he persisted all the same.


    Break, break, break, break, break already!


    Within his mind, an image slowly formed. It was a simple depiction of a lock. Slowly but surely, as the time passed, he could hear it. The sound of creaking. It was like the whining of a dying animal, the squeaking of strained metal. The surface of the lock began to weaken. Still, it resisted. That¡¯s what it was meant to do; a lock was meant to keep others away.


    A few more minutes passed.


    Suddenly, it cracked. Theo gritted his teeth. He clenched his fists, his nails dug into his palms. A splotch of red dyed the bed sheets. The first crack revealed a dim light shining from somewhere within the lock. The pain intensified, but Theo was filled with renewed vigor.


    He guided another streak of electricity towards the lock. The crack widened, but the pain also spiked. This time, Theo could not hold back the groan in his throat. Long and throaty, he sounded like a drowning man in a desert. The pain momentarily short-circuited his mind.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Suddenly, a voice called out. It snapped him out of his reverie.


    Theo strained to open his eyes. A dimly lit white ceiling. Shadows danced on the surface. For a moment, he was confused.


    Where the hell am I?


    ¡°Hey kid, are you alright in there?¡± There it was again. That voice. Where did that voice come from? ¡°Do you need any help?¡± It asked.


    Ah, that¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯m in the infirmary.


    He looked around the room. His hands were bleeding, the bedsheets underneath him felt uncomfortable. They were soaked in sweat. At some point, the blanket from before was now sprawled on the floor. He turned towards the noise. He noticed that the partitions were still up. From behind the thin curtain, he saw the shapely silhouette of a woman.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°The first crack appeared¡­¡± Theo dazedly mumbled to himself. ¡°I¡¯m almost there¡­¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, it was nothing.¡± Theo reflexively answered. He suddenly remembered the nurse. She was still inside this room. Her voice was tinged with worry. He did not know whether that worry was genuine or merely compulsory. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He said.


    ¡°You sounded like you were in a lot of pain. Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± She asked. ¡°Or maybe take up that offer for some medicine?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ really, I¡¯m fine.¡± He shook his head, completely ignoring the latter half of her question. ¡°It was just, it hurts a little bit, my stomach.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you had a headache?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said. My head hurts, a nightmare.¡± He nonchalantly corrected. ¡°I just need a little bit of rest. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get better soon.¡±


    In the face of his insistence, the nurse could only reluctantly agree. ¡°Well, alright then. But if you seriously keep making all those noises like you¡¯re being tortured, then I¡¯ll drag you to the hospital myself.¡±


    Theo bitterly smiled. He did not dare to comment. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of receding footsteps.


    He breathed out a sigh. With the temporary interruption all done and handled, he once again tackled the lock.


    This time, he completely opened the gates of the runic circle. The rest of the remaining electricity burst forth and chaotically rampaged all over his body. For a moment, a cold numbness washed over his organs, before he gritted his teeth and began guiding the streaks of energy towards his head.


    Theo was planning to break the lock in one fell swoop.


    The electricity rushed forth like a pack of starved wolves. Sparks flew within his head. His ears were filled with the sound of booming thunder. Raw energy repeatedly struck the crack on the lock. Slowly but surely, the lightning seeped into the lock, further destroying it from the inside.


    The crack widened.


    One minute, two minutes, five minutes passed. The crack had grown to over twice its original size.


    Theo did not have time to celebrate. The whole process was unimaginably painful. He simply did not have a large enough vocabulary to describe just how painful it was.


    The crack continued to widen. Finally, after what felt like an eternity¡¯s worth of struggle, only about a fraction of the original electricity remained. As for the lock, only a thin, superficial layer kept it together. With one final strike, he attacked the lock with all of his might.


    The sound of shattering glass echoed through his head.


    Theo let out a cathartic moan. It echoed all throughout the room, before silence. He felt weak. His body was shivering and his lips were pale blue, but a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.


    He did it. He had done it once again.


    He had broken through to the first shackle.


    Almost immediately, he felt the change. It was as if the world had suddenly gotten several times brighter. If his previous life was in 360p resolution, then right now, everything was displayed in 8k UHD. The dreariness of existence gave way to a bright and shining universe.


    Despite the weakness that proliferated his entire body, his mind felt firm and his thoughts were clear. He was now able to think faster and remember better. There was no easy way to describe it. Theo was simply just¡­ more.


    Computational speed, reaction time, and memory. These were the things that the mind shackle affected, improved upon. That alone was already impressive enough, but in truth, those changes were far from the mind shackle¡¯s greatest achievement.


    The mind shackle¡¯s greatest advantage was its effect on his senses. Not only did it enhance his original senses, but unshackling the mind-source also gave rise to the possibility of unlocking new senses. A sixth sense to detect outside prana, a seventh sense to identify killing intent, even a mythic eight sense that bestowed the user with premonitions of danger¡­ the possibilities were endless.


    Unfortunately, opening just one mind shackle wasn¡¯t enough to unlock a new sense. Still, Theo wasn¡¯t too bummed out. He knew that this was only the first step in a long and arduous journey.


    He closed his eyes and breathed out. Theo spread his awareness to his surroundings. Spatial awareness was something that any ordinary person possessed, but Theo¡¯s spatial awareness was heightened to an almost supernatural degree. No, at this point, calling it spatial awareness was an understatement.


    It was more like a map of his surroundings, an amalgamation of everything that this world had to offer. A mental image, built by all the sights, sounds, smells, everything that his body accepted. They all came together to form one clear, coherent picture. It was a certain sense of awareness that allowed him to view the surrounding space with an almost crystal-clear clarity.


    He called such a skill [Comprehensive Awareness].


    Of course, in its current state, Comprehensive Awareness only reached a range of three meters. Any further and the mental image in his head would grow blurrier and blurrier. The absolute range was fifteen meters. After that, he might as well just rely on his eyesight or hearing. Still, it was far more than what his original body was capable of.


    He tested out his new-found ability.


    Almost immediately, a mental image in his head formed. He was at the center, while an invisible bubble suddenly spread all around him. It moved, encompassing everything within a three-meter radius. Within those three meters, nothing could escape his eye. The bubble grew fainter the further it went,


    Theo frowned. As he viewed the room through this periphery, he noticed an oddity.


    The beautiful nurse from before.


    She was staring in his direction. It was an odd gaze, one that Theo could not quite identify. Abnormal, curious, somewhat probing, the nurse gave him all sorts of impressions, but not one that he could clearly identify. The only thing that Theo could clearly tell was that there was no hostility. That assurance came notfrom his new ability, but rather from his experiences in Mistelhan.


    Whatever it was that the nurse was plotting, at the very least, she did not want to harm him. After giving it some thought, he eventually dismissed his worry. As long as she meant no harm, Theo did not really care what it was she did, nor what her goals were.


    Heck, who knows, maybe the lady likes me. Love at first sight? Was it possible? That sort of indecent student-teacher relationship¡­ I don¡¯t particularly mind¡­


    As various thoughts filled Theo¡¯s head, he suddenly heard footsteps. He did not need to use his new comprehensive awareness in order to hear those footsteps. They were deliberately loud, almost as if not enough people could hear it.


    A few seconds later, the door to the infirmary suddenly opened.

 Chapter 19: Incident in the Infirmary

    Chapter 19: Incident in the Infirmary


    ¡°What the hell is that kid doing in there?¡± The lady looked over towards the bed with a rather complicated gaze.


    Because the partitions were still up, she couldn¡¯t quite tell what exactly it was that he did, but if the noises that she was hearing were of any indication, then it certainly wasn¡¯t anything pleasant. Muffled grunts and stifled cries. The metal bed rattled around as if there was an earthquake.


    And that wasn¡¯t even the worst of it. Less than five minutes ago, she heard a rather emotional moan echo through the room. It was filled with what she could only describe as cathartic pleasure¡­ why the hell was he moaning like that?


    ¡°He¡­ he can¡¯t be relieving himself in there, can he?¡± Such a thought floated to the lady¡¯s head.


    She liked to think of herself as someone with a wealth of experience. She knew a lot of things. For example, she was fully aware of how guys were always in a state of perpetual horniness¡­ at least, according to the magazines that she liked to read on occasion. Either way, teenage boys were especially like that, just piles of walking, talking hormones.


    Still, even if that were all true, even if the youth of today had nothing but sex and porn in their minds¡­ could someone really be that ballsy? Was that scraggly-haired kid from before really a sexual deviant waiting to happen?


    Masturbating within school grounds¡­ what¡¯s more, while another person was in the same room with him as well¡­ no matter what, she simply couldn¡¯t believe it. Nobody was truly that perverted, right?


    But if not that, then what? The moan was still fresh in her mind. It was filled with so much emotion and youthful vigor that it even stirred her adult heart. Just remembering it now, a flush crept up her cheeks. Other than jerking off, what else could have possibly caused him such joy?


    She thought about stepping in and stopping whatever it was that he did in there, but she hesitated. As a teacher and a health professional, she knew that it was her duty to stop any sort of student mischief that occurred within these sacred halls, but then again, as a young woman, catching someone in the middle of the act was a bit¡­ well, she just really didn¡¯t want to do it. After all, there was a difference between teasing a student and actually seeing the actual thing.


    Thankfully, after the moan, the noises seemed to have stopped. This comforted her.


    ¡°Since it already happened, there¡¯s really no reason to do anything else¡­¡± was how she reasoned it. That was definitely the reason. It wasn¡¯t because she was shirking her duties or anything, but rather, she simply could not act fast enough to stop him. If she had even one more second of foresight, then she would have definitely gone up to his bed and immediately put a stop to whatever misdeed he was committing.


    Even if his thing was in his hand, she still would have done so. Definitely.


    All sorts of thoughts filled the young teacher¡¯s head. She dazedly stared at the partition before. A part of her wanted to pull open the curtains and kick the perverted youth out of her room, but then again¡­ she¡¯s always been curious, what did it look like?


    Just then, she suddenly heard it. It wasn¡¯t the lascivious noises that she had heard earlier, but something else. Something a lot more familiar, and several times more irritating.


    It was a familiar set of footsteps. Loud, forceful, all too deliberate. Her face darkened. Not a second later, the infirmary door suddenly flew open.


    ¡°Miss Eliza, I¡¯m here.¡± A grating voice filled the room. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve come to play around again.¡±


    ¡°You again.¡± The young teacher, Eliza, gritted her teeth as she looked at the newcomer with unmasked spite in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve told you time and time again, stop coming here! This place is for sick students and sick students only!¡±


    A youth with clearly dyed white hair shrugged his shoulders. He carried himself with an air of confidence. He had the face of a pretty boy, but his body was covered in a thick layer of well-trained muscles.


    Like how Eliza did not hide her contempt, the lecherous glint in his eyes was as clear as day.


    ¡°Come on, you have to learn to lighten up.¡± He said. ¡°Stretch the rules a bit, especially for me.¡±


    It¡¯s because it¡¯s you that I don¡¯t want you coming here. She inwardly thought to herself.


    The young man seemingly did not notice. He leisurely walked towards her. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve been here countless times already. Shouldn¡¯t you be treating me a little better by now? You know, you still haven¡¯t exactly agreed to go on that dinner date that I previously offered.¡±


    She let out a scoff. ¡°What¡¯s there to accept? You¡¯re just a stinking kid. You¡¯re a bit too young to be making a move on your teacher like that.¡± She raised her chin up and turned her head away.


    Seeing such a display, even if the youth had god-like self-control, he still couldn¡¯t stop the spark of irritation that filled his heart. Luckily, he was able to quickly bury it down. He smiled a somewhat strained smile. ¡°You say that, but Miss Eliza, you are only just a few years older than me, you know? In a few months, I¡¯ll graduate, so why bother waiting? If it¡¯s with me, I can guarantee that it won¡¯t affect your job. In fact, you might even get a promotion.¡± He let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough already.¡± She scolded. ¡°A greasy fellow like you has no shot with me. I¡¯ve told you time and time again, I¡¯m not interested in my students. Even if you weren¡¯t a student, I still wouldn¡¯t go out with you!¡±


    At this point, the youth simply couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He took a step forward and bared his teeth. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been reeaal patient here, Teach. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time for you to lower your guard?¡±


    Eliza looked clearly troubled. She subconsciously moved backward. She only stopped because she bumped into her table. By this point, she looked up at him. For a moment, hesitation, before she forcibly shook her head. ¡°Please go away. I¡¯ve already told you how I feel.¡±


    He let out a cold laugh. Who does this bitch think she is?


    In the first place, the only reason why he didn¡¯t forcibly conquer this annoying woman was because he had made a bet with his friends. The bet was for him to take her to bed without the use of force or money. If it wasn¡¯t for that, then he would have long gotten a few of his men to ¡®help out¡¯. No need to jump through all these hoops and ladders just for a single chick with no background.


    With how annoyingly closed off this cold bitch was, even he finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He silently brooded for a moment, before he suddenly thought of something.


    He smiled and stared at her with a mischievous smile. ¡°Look, I won¡¯t beat around the bush anymore. You do know what my father does, right?¡±


    The subtle threat in his voice wasn¡¯t very subtle.


    Eliza furrowed her brow. She was clearly troubled. In actuality, this wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s had to deal with these sorts of students. Since the very first day she started working at this school, she continuously encountered this familiar archetype. They cropped up like weeds on a garden and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.


    These teenagers, these people, by this point, they really couldn¡¯t be called students anymore. They were like thugs, doing whatever the hell they wanted. Their backing came from their rich parents. In a private school like Valery Heights, such things were not uncommon. The youth before him was no different, except, he was a lot more dangerous than your ordinary snotty nosed brats.


    He was backed not only by his father¡¯s wealth, but also by the local gangs that have infected this city.


    What the hell is the school doing?!


    In her opinion letting such a black sheep into the school was clearly a bad idea. Still, it was not as if she had zero awareness. Despite everything, she too was an adult. She knew how Private Schools operated. They lacked funding from the government, thus could only rely on themselves to keep afloat. Pandering to such people was only natural, but¡­ if it was a few years ago, or even as close as seven months ago, such a thing would have never happened.


    Students with connections to the mob were definitely bad for business, but even if they wanted to kick him out now, the school board did not dare. It was not just the student with connections, but also his father. Not only that, the school itself was already running in the red due to all the dropouts and complaints they¡¯ve been receiving. Losing another backer now would be catastrophic.Stolen novel; please report.


    It was an ironic situation. Because of the rise in gang activity in the area, the school¡¯s reputation plummeted, but it was also because of the support from said gangs, that they were still able to stay in operation.


    With the spike in delinquency going on around campus, these school-yard bullies have grown increasingly more arrogant. They openly harassed women, skipped class wantonly, and even extorted without remorse. Rumors have it that not even teachers were exempt from their actions.


    Hearing the arrogant youth¡¯s words, and understanding the threat veiled within them, Eliza did not dare to retort. She gritted her teeth and remained silent.


    He stared at her for what felt like forever, before he finally let out a quiet breath. After staring at such a beautiful face for a long time, he eventually calmed down. He shrugged his shoulders and begun to walk away. ¡°Since you¡¯re being that stubborn, then I¡¯ll just sleep for a while. Maybe by then, you¡¯ll have changed your mind.¡±


    Although outwardly, he looked calm and composed, on the inside, he was fuming. Screw the bet! I¡¯ll make sure to call the guys and fix you up real good tonight!


    Eliza was unaware of the type of thoughts that floated through this degenerate¡¯s head. She suddenly recalled the bed that the delinquent always liked to use. The one closest to the nurse¡¯s table, it also happened to be the same one that the perverted student was currently occupying. Just as the youth was about to pull back the partitions, Eliza suddenly shook her head. ¡°No, you can¡¯t sleep there! That one¡¯s occupied. Pick a different bed.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Someone¡¯s already here?¡± If he truly slept on another bed, then he would be that much further away from her. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll just get him to move.¡± He commented lightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± She hesitated for a moment. ¡°The student, that student is really sick. You can¡¯t move him.¡±


    ¡°Sick?¡± he laughed to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s sick or dying, if I tell him to move, then he¡¯ll move.¡± The youth spoke in a deliberately loud voice, loud enough for whoever was inside to hear. Unfortunately, contrary to his expectations, nobody came out. Instead, his provocation was met with silence.


    This irritated him. He was the son of a rich man. Not only that, but his father had half a foot in the underworld. He was especially close with the local Pit Cobra gang. The youth was used to doing whatever he wanted. Those that resisted were usually met with a pitiful ending.


    He coldly sneered, and abruptly pulled open the curtain. ¡°Hey kid, you¡¯ve been eavesdropping enough right? It¡¯s time for you to get the hell out!¡± He shouted.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Eliza hurriedly stood up. Just as she was about to walk over towards the bed, she suddenly stopped. She froze in place, her eyes fixed on the bed. More specifically, she was looking at the person lying on the mattress.


    The delinquent youth was equally surprised. Underneath his breath, he muttered out, ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The sight before his eyes shocked him. A pale student lay prone on the bed. The sheets were damp with sweat, his pants were unbuckled, while a pillow covered his head. On top of the pillow was a leather belt.


    The pale student showed no reaction to the delinquent¡¯s sudden arrival.


    The delinquent youth snapped out of his reverie. He looked at the student with an odd smile, before he said, ¡°Get out kid.¡± Honestly, seeing as how wet the sheets were, he really didn¡¯t want to sleep here any longer, but since he had already committed himself to the act, he couldn¡¯t just stop halfway through.


    After waiting for a while, the delinquent¡¯s brow furrowed. He was ignored. Again.


    The vein on his forehead throbbed. ¡°Get up already!¡± He shouted.


    By this point, Eliza arrived beside the bed. She stared incredulously at the pale student. Her eyes drifted towards his lower half.


    His pants are unbuckled¡­ he really was¡­


    She did not dare finish her thoughts. She shook her head and silently wondered to herself, what is he doing? Feigning sleep? As if anyone would believe that, especially with this dumbass screaming!


    As for the delinquent youth, after shouting at the pale student for almost a full minute, he finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer. It¡¯s like shouting at a fucking carrot!


    With unmasked fury in his eyes, he reached out for the pillow covering the youth¡¯s head. Just as he was about to grab it. His hand suddenly stopped. More accurately, someone had grabbed onto his wrist.


    A muffled voice sounded out from underneath the pillow. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my pillow.¡±


    The white-haired delinquent was momentarily caught off guard, before a wave of anger washed over him. His expression darkened as he glared at the pillow.


    ¡°What the, so you can talk, you bastard!¡± He sneered. ¡°In that case, get the fuck out already!¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    The pillow did not respond, which immediately caused the delinquent even further annoyance.


    ¡°Enough already!¡± He shouted, stripping off all forms of pretense. Even though there was a teacher behind him, he simply did not care anymore. He pulled back his free hand and aimed a fist towards the student¡¯s stomach.


    Unfortunately, before he could get any further, another hand snaked its way towards his face.


    The delinquent widened his eyes in surprise. He wanted to dodge, but he couldn¡¯t. The pale youth pulled him forward using his other arm. He could only helplessly watch as the hand grew closer and closer to his face.


    ¡°Aaargghh!¡± A piercing scream reverberated through the room.


    The delinquent clutched at his eyes and unconsciously took a step backward. Meanwhile, with two fingers pointing proudly towards the ceiling, the pale student held his hand in the air. He waited for a full two seconds, before he suddenly sat up.


    The pillow fell from his face, revealing Theo¡¯s sickly countenance.


    Eliza sat there, mildly surprised by what had just taken place. The quick exchange took no more than a few seconds to happen. Even if she wanted to stop them, she simply wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    She stared at Theo with a complicated gaze. The young man clearly looked even sicker than when he first came in here. His face was pale, sweat covered his entire body, while his limbs slightly shook, almost as if he was a patient with Parkinson¡¯s disease.


    Despite everything, Theo leisurely glanced down at the screaming delinquent. He stood up and quietly approached.


    Hearing the soft footsteps amidst his raging roars, the delinquent looked up. His face contorted to one of hate. Although he couldn¡¯t see the bastard that had tried to blind him, the rage in his heart formed a mental image on its own.


    ¡°You bastard, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± He shouted.


    In response, Theo let out a chuckle. ¡°Much less kill me now, you won¡¯t even be able to get revenge for the beating I¡¯m about to give you.¡± His voice sounded hoarse and weak, yet the threat laced within them was all too palpable.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­ do you know who I am!?¡±


    Theo did not bother with the thug¡¯s empty threats. He casually walked around the fumbling hulk. In truth, this was his original goal. No matter how badly the delinquent raged, he simply could not find him.


    It¡¯s a lot more convenient this way¡­ Now that the delinquent was blinded, even if he wantonly thrashed the guy, Theo wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any repercussions or unwanted revenge attempts. After all, the delinquent did not know what he looked like. What was he going to do? Harass the entire male student body population?


    Theo silently walked towards the nurse. The thug did not notice at all. In fact, he was still screaming in the direction of the bed.


    Theo stood beside the teacher and briefly glanced at all the things scattered around the surroundings. Eventually, he found a metal meter stick located beside the nurse¡¯s table. He gingerly grabbed the object, while casually asking, ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I borrow this for a bit, will you?¡±


    Theo did not bother to wait for a response. At this point, the delinquent heard his voice and instantly rushed towards him.


    The following events happened in the span of thirty seconds. Theo evaded like the wind, while simultaneously attacking back with the meter stick. Each and every one of his blows was precise, aimed at a specific weak spot on the human body. The neck, joints, ribs, armpits, everything that he could find, he struck.


    Eventually, the delinquent collapsed onto the floor. He had long since passed out, but his body continued to spasm and twitch.


    With that done and out of the way, Theo breathed out a sigh of relief. Theo hobbled over to the table and returned the meter stick, before he looked up at the clock.


    Just in time¡­


    The last period of the day was about to start, and Theo planned on going. After all, it was the only class that he shared with Shirley.


    He turned towards the nurse and hesitated for a moment. Eventually, he asked, ¡°You won¡¯t tell on me, right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eliza stared at him in a daze.


    ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t I just beat up a student? It¡¯s a bit of a stretch to ask this, but let¡¯s not make a big deal out of this, okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The teacher eventually shook her head. She snapped out of her stupor and immediately waved her hand. ¡°Just go. This punk¡¯s been harassing me for a long time.¡± She looked at Theo with a mischievous smile. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯ve been wanting to settle things with him for awhile now. You did me a favor. Even if you were to threaten him and extort money from him, I guarantee that I won¡¯t even bat an eyelash.¡±


    Theo couldn¡¯t stop himself from staring at her smile. It was indeed a very beautiful smile. After a moment¡¯s pause, he nodded his head.


    ¡°Ah, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can just beat people up whenever you want.¡± She hurriedly added. ¡°I¡¯m only turning a blind eye just this once. Don¡¯t do it again, got it?¡±


    Theo softly smiled. He nodded his head again and hobbled towards the door.


    Just as he was about to walk out of the room, a voice suddenly called out from behind him. ¡°Do you want to stay for longer?¡± Eliza looked at him with a somewhat hesitant expression. ¡°I mean, you do look so sick after all. I think it¡¯s better for you to stay.¡±


    Theo thought about it for a moment, before he shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t. Got class. Plus, I wouldn¡¯t want to be here when that guy wakes up.¡± He pointed towards the unconscious delinquent on the floor.


    ¡°Alright, if that¡¯s what you want.¡± She shrugged her shoulders and sat back down on her swivel chair. ¡°But, if you do need anything, come see me. I do owe you a favor after all. I can pretty much get you out of anything school related, as long as it¡¯s not anything worse than a suspension. Hehe, just tell them my name and I¡¯m sure most teachers won¡¯t bother with you.¡±


    Theo raised his brow. ¡°And your name is?¡±


    ¡°Doctor Eliza Howlett.¡±


    ¡°Doctor?¡± Theo was somewhat surprised. He had previously heard that the person in charge of the infirmary was a registered nurse. What was a doctor doing at this school? What¡¯s more, she was someone so young.


    He looked at her with a somewhat skeptical expression.


    Eliza did not mind the confusion on his face (at least, that¡¯s how she interpreted his expression). Instead, her interest was piqued. ¡°You don¡¯t know me? Wow, and here I thought that I had made quite a bit of a ruckus when I first came here¡­


    ¡°Actually, I started working in this school seven months ago.¡±


    Seven months? Theo furrowed his brow. That was around the same time that he disappeared. No wonder I don¡¯t recognize her. So, she came after I left?


    Eliza carefully observed Theo¡¯s facial expression. After a while, she smiled. ¡°Alright then, you better get going. Class is about to start.¡±


    Theo glanced back up at the clock. She was right. He had less than three minutes to make it to his history class. He hurriedly excused himself and ran out of the room.


    As he raced across the hall, Doctor Howlett¡¯s distant voice echoed through the air. ¡°Bye Theo, let¡¯s meet again soon!¡±


    He turned the corner, just as a single thought popped into his head.


    When exactly did I tell her my name?

 Chapter 20: Underneath the Fa?ade

    Chapter 20: Underneath the Fa?ade


    Eliza Howlett watched as Theo turned the corner. She shook her head and helplessly smiled, before she quietly returned to the infirmary.


    The moment the door closed shut, her expression suddenly chilled. Her entire demeanor changed, the atmosphere around her morphing into something icy and rigid. She scanned the room with narrowed eyes.


    She walked across the room, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. Eliza stopped at the teacher¡¯s table. Her gaze landed on a particular object. A metal meter stick, the very same one that Theo was using. She stared at it for a moment, before picking it up. She felt the weight in her hands; light, nothing too noteworthy. She then brought the stick close to her face and thoroughly inspected. Flat, perfectly straight. No curves, abnormalities, nor indentations in sight. What¡¯s more, there was no blood.


    This surprised her.


    A metal meter stick, used with enough force, was no different from a blunted blade. In fact, sharpen the edges with a whetstone and attach a handle to one end, and you¡¯d have a fully functioning sword, albeit several times less durable.


    She saw the way Theo used the stick. Sharp, forceful strokes. Each strike contained with it a power that originated not from brute strength, but rather, technique. Normally, going by the way that he had swung the stick, the delinquent¡¯s flesh should have been riddled in cuts, while the meter stick should have been dyed in red. Surprisingly, no such thing occurred. Instead, the thug¡¯s entire body was covered in ugly discolorations. Bruises, as if he had been struck by a baseball bat, and not something as skinny and blade-like as a meter stick.


    The only question was, how? How had he managed to pull off such a feat?


    Most normal people wouldn¡¯t find it impossible to replicate such a thing. She was no exception. No matter how much pride she had for herself, Eliza knew where her limits lay.


    Did he strike with the flat side of the stick? But if he had done that, then it wouldn¡¯t have had enough strength to leave such bruises behind¡­ Was there truly a sword technique within this world capable of turning blades into blunt objects?


    Theo, that youth, he possessed a far scarier level of proficiency than she first anticipated.


    After a few more seconds of thought, she gently placed the ruler back on the table and walked over towards the unconscious student. She looked down at him with a cold stare.


    The boy¡¯s name was Anthony Varess. His father did business in real estate, and after twenty years of work, he had managed to build himself quite a fortune selling plots of land around the area. Of course, the only reason for his success was due to the backing of the Pit Cobras.


    Eliza knew all of this. How could she not? She already thoroughly investigated this slimy scumbag. From his family, the people he hung out with, his past relationships, even the number of warts on his back, she knew it all.


    Originally, she was planning to deal with him sometime in the near future, but to her surprise, someone already beat her to the punch. Thanks to Theo¡¯s actions, her own desire for revenge had diminished, cut by almost half.


    Still, Eliza was a finicky woman. She was not one to be so easily pleased.


    She thought for a moment, before she suddenly stomped down on his crotch.


    A high-pitched squeal reverberated through the air. It lasted for ten seconds, before it transformed into a sobbing whimper. Still, Eliza wasn¡¯t satisfied.  She ground her heels against his crotch, driving it deeper and deeper, as far as she could manage.


    The cries of a desperate dying animal. No, it was the sound of something that wanted nothing more than death. A long while passed, before Eliza eventually stopped. She lifted her foot up and used his pants leg to wipe clean her heel.


    She looked down at the youth one last time. His eyes had gone white, while foam bubbled in the corners of his mouth. A yellow liquid slowly seeped out onto the floor.


    She sneered.


    The youth was already unconscious. There was no better opportunity than now for her revenge. In truth, Theo had saved her numerous hours of tedious planning and maneuvering.


    What worried her the most was the amount of attention that she might attract. Some attention was good, but too much would be detrimental to her original goal. In order to do things as covertly as possible, she needed time to prepare. Fortunately, Theo acted on his own. Since the youth had already been dealt with by someone, then any other damages that he incurs during this brief time period would naturally be pinned back to the first assailant.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    She was essentially using Theo as a scapegoat, but that was alright. She was sure that he wouldn¡¯t mind.


    Eliza was a woman that knew how to hold grudges. She did not like the idea of some nobody scheming behind her back. If it was anybody else, then she might have hesitated, but Anthony Varess was someone that deserved no mercy. This thug was a dangerous individual with no prospects in life. What¡¯s more, he had already ruined countless numbers of girls.


    She had no qualms with destroying any chances for this guy to ruin another girl ever again.


    After thoroughly handling the problem that had been bugging her for the past few months, she turned around and sat in front of her computer.


    Without hesitation, she pulled up an unfinished report. This one was completely different from the one that she had been working on while Theo was in the room. In fact, it was a completely different type of file from all of her other school-related documents.


    The document had no title and every time she typed, the words that appeared on the screen were already encrypted. Rather than a report, it looked as if she was typing down a very long password.


    After five minutes, her phone suddenly rang. Eliza paused for a moment, before she answered the call.


    ¡°How is he?¡± A muffled voice asked. The voice had been filtered through a voice changer, making it impossible to tell who the person on the other side of the line was. Even their gender was a complete unknown. ¡°Is he like what we suspected?¡±


    Eliza frowned. She looked over towards a specific corner of the ceiling. ¡°Have you been watching me again?¡±


    The person on the other end of the line scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s my job, genius. If I wasn¡¯t watching you, what the hell else would I be doing?¡± The muffled voice irritably asked again, ¡°Anyway, how is he?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. I¡­ I didn¡¯t expect him to actually come to me, so I was a bit surprised.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, Eliza my dear, how reckless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use my name.¡± She coldly responded.


    ¡°You should have known better.¡± The voice ignored her words and playfully spoke. ¡°Contact with our targets is bound to be inevitable. Even if you are new to fieldwork, this is still something that you should familiarize yourself with.¡±


    Eliza twitched her brow. Getting lectured was okay, but getting lectured by this person really didn¡¯t sit well with her.


    ¡°I may be younger than you, but technically, I¡¯m still your senior at work.¡± The voice continued. ¡°Look how I do it. I¡¯m constantly around my target, but she doesn¡¯t suspect a thing.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°yeah, so follow my example loyally, okay junior?¡± The muffled voice laughed. ¡°Otherwise, you might just get booted again~¡±


    That was the final straw. Eliza derisively chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll try to follow your example, but it might be a bit hard for me. It¡¯s because you¡¯re so dumb looking that nobody suspects you even if you run up to them. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d be able to replicate such a dumb looking face.¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s insubordination. You really think I won¡¯t demote you?¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°Go ahead and try. You¡¯ve been on fieldwork for three years now, yet showed no signs of promotion. You really think anybody will listen to a washed up has-been like you?¡±


    ¡°Old hag, my connections number more than the hairs on your head.¡± The muffled voice growled back.


    ¡°Old ha¡ªYou!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± The muffled voice abruptly interrupted. ¡°Just continue with your damn report already. My target¡¯s about to go mobile, I don¡¯t have the time to be chatting with you.¡±


    Eliza gritted her teeth. Her earlier mood was completely ruined by this person. She sighed tiredly, before stating, ¡°I was unprepared, but I did manage to gather some sufficient information.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s not connected?¡±


    ¡°Inconclusive data, but¡­¡± she hesitated. ¡°¡­ but I don¡¯t think we should remove him from our list of possible targets. The circumstantial data alone makes him too valuable of an asset to ignore.¡±


    Eliza briefly recalled the information that her team had gathered on Theo. He suddenly disappeared seven months ago, at almost the exact same time as when Incident 1 occurred. At first, nothing much happened regarding this missing target, but then, three days ago, approximately seven months after the first event, he suddenly returned. Coincidentally, his return happened on the same day as when Incidents 2 and 3 took place.


    Such a chain of events was simply too much of a coincidence. Surely he had to be connected with whatever it was they were dealing with here.


    ¡°So, team leader¡¯s predictions were on the money?¡± the muffled voice asked. ¡°He is the one responsible for all the anomalies happening in Harwick city? Or at least, he¡¯s somehow involved?¡±


    ¡°Are you not listening to anything I¡¯m saying?¡± Eliza irritably said. ¡°I said inconclusive. Aside from circumstantial evidence, he hasn¡¯t done anything that might point to him being responsible¡­ although, I do agree he is somewhat unusual. Still, further surveillance is necessary.¡±


    Eliza remembered back to all the things that she had observed from Theo. Even when he was sick and in such a weakened state, he still managed to showcase such a high degree of skill and proficiency. Even for a fit and healthy high schooler, replicating his actions would have been immensely difficult to do.


    Although the delinquent he faced off against wasn¡¯t much to brag about, for someone of Theo¡¯s fitness level to handle him as if he was playing with a child, it was definitely more than just a little bit impressive¡­ but then again, her target this time around did possess a few abnormalities that she would much rather he didn¡¯t. For example, he was a major world-class pervert.


    Eliza was somewhat worried about her future.


    ¡°¡­Alright. Continue observing him.¡± The muffled voice commented. ¡°Out of all the people of interest on our list, he¡¯s the only one that¡¯s been here since before the seven months. The rest of the targets moved into the city shortly after, around the same time as us. They may have similar goals.¡±


    Eliza nodded. She paused for a moment, before a small smile surfaced on her face. She suddenly remembered a bit of the data that she had read earlier today. ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ll be seeing him soon enough. So, prepare yourself.¡±


    The muffled voice grunted, before they hung up.


    She turned back towards her screen.


    Displayed on the white monitor was a string of black dots. She recalled back to the way that Theo had fought.


    Fighting prowess like that was definitely unusual. No, it wasn¡¯t just his skill, but also his ruthlessness and efficiency. Short of crippling him, he had utilized everything at his disposal to take out the thug. No fear, no hesitation.


    Eliza shook her head, before she continued typing up her document.

 Chapter 21: An Unusual Encounter

    Chapter 21: An Unusual Encounter


    Theo arrived to class earlier than usual.


    In fact, to his surprise, the clock on the wall of the classroom indicated that he still had ten more minutes left before the period officially started. He furrowed his brows. He was confused for a moment, before he smacked his forehead with an open palm.


    ¡°The infirmary¡¯s clock, it was early.¡± He concluded.


    Theo let out a sigh. Dr. Howlett tricked him, but Theo didn¡¯t know the reason why. Then again, judging by their brief interaction, that woman possessed a pretty playful personality. Messing around with students was probably the norm for her. He just wished it wasn¡¯t with such petty methods.


    He shook his head, before he walked over to his desk. The room was empty; now was as good of a time as any for Theo to relax and recover a portion of his strength.


    In fact, recovering didn¡¯t take all that long. Even after just a few minutes of walking, he was already feeling better. A bit of ruddiness returned to his skin, while his arms no longer trembled. Under the surface, he still felt weak and light-headed, but it was certainly an improvement from before. Breaking the first shackle had truly left him in a terrible state, akin to a newborn calf in the middle of a blizzard. The sooner he left such a state, the better.


    Speaking of which, the first shackle. It signified the start of everything. Within the next few weeks, Theo planned to break three mind shackles. Three was the magic number. Once a person breaks through three of a certain source, they officially cross a threshold. Their bodies undergo a qualitative improvement. What¡¯s more, in terms of breaking the mind shackle, Theo would also unlock the ability to sense the prana in the air.


    In Mistelhan, such a thing was called essence awareness. Essence awareness wasn¡¯t really all that special. A variation of it could be gained when one officially begins practicing Inner-circulation, but don¡¯t let such a thing undermine its importance. It was still a momentous milestone, especially for Theo.


    In a sense, essence awareness could be viewed as a special ability of sorts. There were other special abilities too, scattered amidst the road of severance. After the third heart shackle, one gains something similar to a regenerative healing factor, albeit much weaker. With it, you could theoretically recover from any injury, no matter how severe. At least, as long as you don¡¯t die from it first. Even if you severed an arm, with the third heart shackle¡¯s ability, then you would eventually grow it back, although it may take over five years to do so.


    There were others too. All that stuff about sensing killing intent and premonitions to danger were special abilities gained after breaking through the sixth and ninth mind shackles respectively. Theo never experienced it himself, but he had heard stories of people that had.


    As he was mulling over his future training, the door suddenly opened.


    Bubbly laughter filled the air. He caught a faint whiff of perfume. It was a mix of lavender and honey. Theo¡¯s nose wriggled. He instinctively turned his head. Standing in front of the doorway were a pair of familiar faces.


    The gaudy-looking girls from last week. One had platinum hair that fell down all the way to her hips, while the other sported a golden tan.


    Like last time, they were dressed in a very showy manner today as well.


    The lady with the platinum hair wore an altered skirt that left almost nothing for the imagination. She had on an unbuttoned pink cardigan, while the dress shirt underneath was only halfway buttoned up, revealing a considerable portion of her milk-white chest.


    As for the girl with the golden tan, she wore a plain white dress shirt. Like with her friend, her shirt was not completely buttoned up, but it wasn¡¯t for a lack of trying. Her breasts were pressed against the fabric of her shirt, threatening to spill over. Out of all the girls that he had met on Plume, she probably had the largest chest.  It took Theo¡¯s full will just to force himself to look away.


    He focused in on her face. She had clearly dyed blonde hair, of which was tied into a pair of pigtails that fell down all the way to her shoulder blades. Golden hoops dangled from her earlobes.


    Beautiful. From the structure of their faces to the curves of their bodies, both of them were beautiful. Still, aside from the slight admiration in his heart, Theo didn¡¯t feel much of anything. They had so much make-up covering their faces that it was almost off-putting. Others might find that sort of thing attractive, but Theo didn¡¯t. They simply weren¡¯t his type.


    After a few seconds of staring, he quickly looked away. Theo turned towards the windows. The girls sat somewhere on the opposite side of the room, right beside the doorway. Even with the three of them alone in the classroom like this, Theo did not have any delusions of fateful encounters or whimsical scenarios.


    He stared up at the clouds that floated amidst the pale blue background. Outside of the clouds that loomed just beyond the horizon, the skies were clear. Today was a peaceful day.


    Theo wondered whether a quick five-minute nap before class was worth it, when he suddenly frowned. He heard two sets of footsteps click-clacking towards his direction. He slightly turned his head and shot a sidelong glance towards the source of the noise. To his surprise, the two girls were quickly making their way towards him.


    Before he could react, they were already on top of him.


    One of them, the one with the platinum hair, sat on his desk, while the other pulled a chair forward and sat right in front of him. They looked at Theo with glimmering eyes. He subconsciously shivered.


    The gaze of a predator, ready and willing to pounce at any given moment¡­ at least, that¡¯s what it looked like to him.


    Why are they here? Don¡¯t tell me, I really did turn into someone popular after returning to Plume? Is it my springtime of youth? Am I about to lose my virginity?


    A long silence filled the room. Neither party spoke. Theo was still reeling from his confusion, while the other two found it more entertaining to stare than actually do anything else.


    After what felt like an eternity, a beautiful chorus of giggling filled his ears.


    ¡°Did you see his face? It looked so funny.¡± The platinum-haired girl laughed, one hand pressed against her red lips. He noticed the glitter and gloss on her fingernails.


    ¡°Hehe, he looks like a lost puppy.¡± The tanned girl added.


    Theo did not respond to their words. Rather, his confusion only grew. He wasn¡¯t very good at social situations. He couldn¡¯t quite tell whether they were making fun of him or simply teasing him. Was there even a difference between the two?


    What is this? Am I being bullied right now? I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m being bullied right now.


    Of course, even if they weren¡¯t his type, Theo still held some expectation within his heart.


    He had heard of the legends. Of spineless gopher-like teenagers being pushed around and bullied by beautiful mean-spirited female students. Of course, when he spoke of these legends, he was talking about the fake, fabricated stories that circulated the wild, wild internet. Even when faced with a situation where he was potentially being bullied by two beautiful girls, he still couldn¡¯t quite decide whether what he was experiencing was real or just a giant misunderstanding.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    After a while, their laughter stopped. They stared down at him with mischievous grins.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up Loverboy?¡± The platinum blonde suddenly asked.


    ¡°Loverboy?¡± Theo raised his brow in surprise. Who¡¯s the Loverboy? Me?


    The other girl giggled. ¡°What else are we supposed to call you if not Loverboy? Mr. Boyfriend? Or would you prefer Husband?¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend? Husband? Whose?¡± Theo was utterly lost.


    ¡°You, of course, silly. You¡¯re going out with that shy little squirrel after all.¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup. I¡¯ve seen hundreds of lovestruck idiots before and going by the way she so passionately looks at you, I¡¯d say that girl¡¯s turned completely stupid for you.¡± The platinum-haired girl responded. ¡°You guys are dating, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    At this point, it finally clicked. ¡°You¡¯re talking about Shirley, right?¡±


    ¡°Who else would we be talking about?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d be talking to such a boring person like you.¡±


    Hearing her words, Theo bitterly smiled. Still, an odd look flashed through his eyes. Me dating Shirley? Was that what it really looked like to outsiders?


    ¡°No, well, you¡¯ve got one thing wrong.¡± Although he hesitated at first, in the end, he decided to come clean with it. ¡°I¡¯m not actually dating her. We¡¯re just childhood friends.¡±


    ¡°Heh, childhood friends he says.¡± The platinum-haired girl narrowed her eyes. She nudged her friend in the shoulders. ¡°Hear that Maddy? They¡¯re apparently just friends.¡±


    ¡°Puh-lease! As if anyone would believe that.¡± The girl with the golden tan, the one that Theo just found out was named Maddy, rolled her eyes. She looked at Theo with a gaze full of despise. ¡°If you want to keep your relationship a secret, then you two aren¡¯t doing a very good job at it, especially not after that big incident last week.¡±


    Theo felt helpless. He really was telling the truth. Shirley and him were just childhood friends. Taking the next step forward¡­ he would be lying if he were to say he never thought about it, but for one reason or the another, he just didn¡¯t.


    Fear. A part of him was afraid. He didn¡¯t know how Shirley herself felt about the whole situation. Did she even want him?


    ¡°If you two are really just childhood friends, then you need to hurry up.¡± The platinum-haired girl said. ¡°If you¡¯re not quick enough, then someone else might just gobble her up.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, you¡¯re wrong here Nica.¡± Maddy suddenly interjected. ¡°It¡¯s not this doofus that needs to hurry up, but rather that girl. You know what they say, right? Childhood friends never win.¡±


    ¡°Childhood friends never win? Where did you hear something like that from?¡± Nica raised her brow.


    ¡°Comics, girl.¡±


    ¡°You read that stuff?¡± A look of genuine surprise colored her face.


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s pretty interesting every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you have any recommendations?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can try Romeo Pastier for starters¡­¡±


    For some reason, the two of them suddenly started a separate conversation without him. Theo stared blankly at the girls. The one with a golden tan, Maddy, was currently giving comic recommendations to her friend. The one with the platinum hair, Nica, enthusiastically nodded along.


    In the midst of all this, Theo felt somewhat left out.


    ¡°Um¡­ you guys¡­¡± His voice interrupted the two. Maddy was currently on her fifth recommendation, which involved a rather popular series about a group of cowboys currently searching the grand west for the mythical treasure of a certain king of the cowboys.


    The two turned to him. Surprise colored their faces.


    Nica laughed sheepishly. ¡°Soz, soz, for a second there, I completely forgot about you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, what were we talking about again?¡± Maddy scratched her head and giggled.


    ¡°Shirley. We were talking about Shirley.¡± Theo answered.


    ¡°Oh yeah, right. That girl. She needs to act soon before its too late.¡± Maddy said.


    ¡°Ah, but she¡¯s not really the sort of person to take the initiative.¡± Nica sighed and shook her head. ¡°And this blockhead doesn¡¯t look very reliable either¡­¡±


    ¡°Ai! This couple¡¯s totally hopeless!¡±


    Although the topic was now back on track, that didn¡¯t stop Theo¡¯s perpetual confusion. In the first place, why were these two talking about Shirley? Were they her friends?


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but are you guys¡­ are you guys Shirley¡¯s friends?¡± Theo asked.


    The two looked at one another for a moment, before they shook her head.


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re not friends,¡± Maddy said.


    ¡°In fact, we¡¯re practically strangers.¡± Nica added.


    ¡°Then, why are you so interested in her?¡± Theo tilted his head. His confusion only grew deeper. He mulled it over for a moment, before a thought suddenly came to mind. He hesitated, before he warily asked, ¡°You two aren¡¯t bullying her or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Bullying?¡±


    ¡°Who, us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Theo seriously nodded. If he really thought about it, it sort of made sense. Or rather, it was the only logical conclusion that Theo could come up with. After all, why would these two popular ladies suddenly show such keen interest in a nobody like Shirley?


    Without warning, they suddenly burst into laughter. ¡°Bully her? Please, only low-class woman would do something like that.¡± Nica commented with a look of despise scribbled on her face.


    ¡°Besides, what reason would there be for us to bully her?¡± Maddy asked as she twirled around one of the ends of her pigtails with her fingers. ¡°It¡¯s not like we look any worse than her.¡±


    That Theo had to agree. Objectively speaking, he believed that the two in front of him rivaled Shirley in looks¡­ Although in his heart, he did possess some bias towards his lovable childhood friend. Plus, he seriously considered their heavy makeup to be a demerit. They still looked beautiful, yes, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that with a subtler makeup, then they would look even more beautiful.


    Now that he thought about it, what would their reason be for bullying her?


    Most stories involving girl-on-girl bullying stemmed from the root cause of jealousy. Whether that was stealing each other¡¯s boyfriends or simply being better looking than the rest, it all came back to jealousy. Of course, this was all from Theo¡¯s perspective, who was arguably not the best source for worldly experience.


    The two before him clearly weren¡¯t jealous of Shirley¡­ but if it wasn¡¯t that, then why the hell were they so concerned about her?


    Maddy answered the bubbling question in his heart. ¡°Isn¡¯t it only natural though? In this world, most people adore beautiful women. Even if they say that they don¡¯t, between a beautiful person and an ugly person, the majority would pick the beautiful person. Even things like personality is measured by the standards of beauty. In this world, people glorify the beautiful.


    ¡°That girl¡¯s disguise is pretty good. Most people wouldn¡¯t be able to see through it. Luckily, we aren¡¯t most people.¡± She cheekily smiled.


    ¡°Disguise¡­¡± Calling Shirley¡¯s usual appearance a disguise was a bit of a stretch, but Theo could see how someone might think that.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Shirley purposely hid herself, but her appearance did give off that sort of impression. Hair that covered the majority of her face, no makeup, wide-rimmed glasses, and a sweater designed to cover as much skin as humanly possible¡­ If Theo hadn¡¯t known Shirley personally, then he too would have probably come to the same conclusion as these two.


    ¡°Shirley Polaris is a beautiful girl,¡± Nica interjected his thoughts. ¡°Someone like that is worthy to hang out with the two of us.¡±


    ¡°To hang out with you?¡± Theo subconsciously repeated.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s only natural. Beautiful people should stick with beautiful people. You wouldn¡¯t want to plant weeds in a flower garden now, would you?¡± Maddy spoke with an unhesitant and completely straight expression.


    ¡°So, all of this¡­ all of this was just some sort of friend-seeking endeavor?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you could call it that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯ve been trying to get along with her for quite some time now,¡± Nica said. ¡°but we haven¡¯t been very successful though.¡± She sighed with genuine dejection.


    ¡°And that¡¯s when you came along.¡± Maddy stared at Theo with a look of interest. ¡°Some random guy from who knows where, but it just so happens that he¡¯s the only one capable of breaking through that pesky little bubble of hers.¡±


    ¡°When we saw you here today, all alone, we couldn¡¯t help ourselves.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t help yourselves?¡± Theo skeptically raised his brow.


    ¡°We were wondering, how is a guy like you able to become friends with a girl like her?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it sucks.¡± Nica shook her head. ¡°To think that the answer was so boring.¡±


    ¡°In the end, I should¡¯ve guessed it was something like a childhood friend.¡± Maddy also shook her head. ¡°Why else would such a boring looking guy be her friend?¡±


    Theo sat back and watched their animated words and flamboyant gestures.


    The two before him were a couple of vain and narcissistic people. That much he understood. Usually, most people would hate to be around such a person, but strangely enough, Theo didn¡¯t really dislike them. They were so open about their arrogance and vanity, that it was almost refreshing. Their boldness added a whole new twist to everything. Maybe that was the sort of ¡®beauty¡¯ that they had talked about earlier; an invisible charm, one that no matter how much you know is wrong, you still couldn¡¯t help but be attracted to.


    Just as they were about to speak, the two suddenly turned towards the door. After half a second¡¯s pause, they turned back around.


    Nica smiled, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s about time.¡± She suddenly stood up.


    Maddy followed suit. She waved nonchalantly at Theo. ¡°Talk to ya later Loverboy.¡±


    ¡°You guys are going? Just like that?¡± He felt as if their departure was too abrupt. They had only just gotten into the meat of the conversation. Plus, he did somewhat enjoy conversing with a pair of beauties, even if said conversation was more or less one-sided.


    Maddy nodded her head. ¡°We don¡¯t really want to be seen talking to someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Soz, Loverboy. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Nica added. ¡°We don¡¯t hate you or anything, but you really don¡¯t qualify to be out in public with us.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    Just then, the door suddenly opened. A student walked in. Even though he knew beforehand, Theo¡¯s attention still momentarily shifted towards the newcomer. By the time he turned back to the girls, they were already walking away.


    Theo watched them leave. He scratched his head in confusion. The whole exchange, it had felt completely surreal. Even now, he was still reeling.


    A few minutes later, the bell rang.


    To the surprise of many, Shirley actually arrived on time today.

 Chapter 22: Club Activities

    Chapter 22: Club Activities


    Two hours passed uneventfully. The bell rang and school officially ended.


    Theo and Shirley were on their way to the clubroom.


    The orange glimmer of sunset illuminated the hallway. Compared to the morning traffic jam from earlier, the halls were near empty. Distant commotion sounded out from somewhere far away. Judging by the direction, it probably came from the various sports clubs. For them, the end of the day was merely the start of something else.


    ¡°So, what type of club is it anyway?¡± Theo asked. He walked with his hands behind his head. He stared out at the windows and watched the slow-moving clouds quietly meander through the horizon.


    ¡°The Paranormal Research and Strange Phenomenon club,¡± Shirley stated in one well-practiced breath.


    ¡°Paranormal research¡­ you really joined that sort of weird club?¡± He raised his brow in curiosity.


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not really that weird. We mainly just hang out and eat snacks. Sometimes the president brings tea.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all that you do, then why not just call it the ¡®Afternoon Tea Party¡¯ club or something.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s not what the club is about!¡± She sighed in annoyance. ¡°Geez, you don¡¯t understand, Theo. Even if all we do is eat and play around, we do it within the context of the club.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°We eat cookies while talking about spooky stuff. We drink tea while watching scary movies.¡± She huffed her chest up with pride.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Theo shook his head. It really did sound like they were just messing around. Still, he had to admit, his curiosity was indeed piqued.


    ¡°So, your club, the Paranormal Research and Spooky Phe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Paranormal Research and Strange Phenomenon.¡± Shirley corrected. ¡°Or PRSP for short.¡±


    ¡°PRSP?¡± He repeated. ¡°Really just rolls right off the tongue now, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Shirley shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not a very good acronym, I know, but the president likes calling it that. Says it makes us sound more professional.¡±


    ¡°Judging by the name, it should deal with stuff like ghosts and monsters, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°More or less. Although we do delve into other things, like ancient artifacts, supposedly real ¡®lost footage¡¯, and urban legends. Stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°And this is all during or outside of your designated snack time?¡±


    He laughed at his own joke, to which he received a rather miffed punch from Shirley. As he rubbed his sore shoulder, he turned back towards her and asked. ¡°Why¡¯d you decide to join a club anyway?¡±


    Since as far back as he could remember, Shirley really wasn¡¯t one for extracurriculars. Her suddenly joining a club like that¡­ without a doubt, his disappearance probably played a role in her decision.


    As if to validate his theory, Shirley answered. She shrugged her shoulders, a faint smile etched to her lips. ¡°It kept me distracted.¡± She looked at Theo with a begrudging glare. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to tell you why, do I?¡±


    He scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± she continued. ¡°I¡ªI thought that your disappearance might have been related to something¡­ paranormal.¡±


    ¡°Paranormal?¡± He raised his brow.


    ¡°Right. I know how silly it sounds, but¡­ I was at a really dark place back then. I wanted to believe¡­ I wanted to believe in anything that might keep the hope alive.¡± She paused for a moment. She looked down at her feet. ¡°I¡­ my greatest fear was that you¡­ you might have¡­¡±


    Before she could finish, Theo suddenly placed his hand over the crown of her head. He stayed quiet as he ruffled her hair.


    He sort of understood how she felt. On the battlefields of Mistelhan, he experienced death countless times. Some of those deaths were the enemies¡¯, but many more were the friends and warriors that fought alongside him. He knew what the gravity of death felt like. Even the mere thought of it was already a heavy burden for most people.


    Although the summoning was out of his control, he couldn¡¯t help but feel partly responsible. Staring at the teary-eyed Shirley before him, he was infinitely thankful that he wasn¡¯t stuck in one of those stories where the protagonist never returns to his original world.


    They walked in silence for a while. Eventually, Shirley sniveled. She wiped her eyes with the cuff of her sweater. ¡°¡­ Sorry about that.¡± she whispered. ¡°But yeah, I thought that maybe you got kidnapped by aliens, or you were spirited away by the ghost of the mountain. Nonsensical stuff like that. In retrospect, it really was kind of stupid, but a part of me really did believe it at the time.¡±


    Theo broke out in a cold sweat. She was close! Although he wasn¡¯t abducted by any aliens, he was forcibly summoned to a fantasy world. To think, although the specifics were a bit wrong, Shirley was on the right track. His disappearance did involve something paranormal.


    At the very least, when the time comes, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that hard to convince her¡­ Theo thought to himself, just as the duo arrived in front of a certain door.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Theo looked up. The door looked half rotten. The knob was missing, and the glass panel on its surface had a giant crack running down the middle.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Looking at the rest of his surroundings, Theo¡¯s expression fell even further. He hadn¡¯t noticed it when they were walking, but the two of them were currently standing in the middle of the decrepit part of the school.


    The school was made up of three separate buildings joined together by a series of open courtyards and skyways. This place was a part of the first floor of the oldest building. Despite how badly damaged everything was, for one reason or another, the school board never bothered fixing the place up. For all intents and purposes, it was effectively the ¡®abandoned section¡¯ of the school.


    The hallway was lined with rotting floorboards. The lockers had long turned brown from rust, while mold grew along the edges of the walls. A slimy dampness filled the air.


    This place was so destitute, that not even the delinquents bothered coming here.


    ¡°This is the clubroom.¡± She enthusiastically introduced. A beaming smile was on her face. Shirley opened the door and waved Theo forward. ¡°Welcome to the PRSP!¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± While Theo was still hesitating, a feminine voice suddenly called out from somewhere within the clubroom. ¡°Shirley, you brought someone with you?¡±


    Theo peered inside. Almost instantly, he sucked in his breath and reflexively widened his eyes. Staring back at him was a beautiful girl!


    ¡°This is my friend, Theo.¡± Shirley introduced, snapping Theo out of his daze. She snickered. ¡°I know how Prez is always worrying about our lack of members, so I thought we could rope this guy in. It¡¯s not like he has anything else to do.¡±


    Theo wanted to protest. He had plenty on his plate, what with having to catch up to seven months¡¯ worth of curriculum, but he held his tongue. A part of what she said was true. Aside from training, he really didn¡¯t do all that much.


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The beautiful lady inspected Theo with probing eyes.


    Before he could respond, Shirley pulled him into the room. It was a bit unexpected, but the interior of the clubroom wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as he first assumed. Although the paint on the walls had faded, the room itself was well maintained. There was a large table placed directly in the middle of the room.


    Soft light illuminated the interior, while large shadows danced within the periphery. Tiny little dust particles danced through the air. It felt as if he had suddenly stepped into a whole other world.


    As Theo was inspecting the room, the girl from before suddenly slammed her hands on the table. ¡°Great!¡± She nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I can ¡®t say no to new members. Mary, prepare the gentleman some tea.¡±


    Theo jumped back. Within the far corner of the room, something suddenly moved. The far side of the room was covered in dark shadows. It was also outside of the range of his accumulative perception, so Theo wasn¡¯t able to properly discern everything within the room. Stepping into the light, Theo saw a short, somewhat petite girl with azure blue hair.


    In Plume, natural blue hair existed. This girl¡¯s hair did not appear dyed.


    What the hell!? Another beauty! Theo was inwardly surprised, but he did not let his shock show on his face.


    Before he could gawk any longer at the new girl, something suddenly pushed him forward. Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of the first girl. Theo did not know when she had gotten so close. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she dragged him forward.


    Theo wriggled his nose. She smelled faintly of lavender. His heart couldn¡¯t help but race. Her breath brushed against his cheeks. Theo gave her a sidelong glance.


    She really was a beauty. A soft oval face and light brown hair. She styled her hair into a pair of braids that fell all the way to her waist. When she smiled, Theo couldn¡¯t help but notice how white her teeth were.


    She did not talk. The girl kept smiling at him, her blue eyes stared piercingly at his face.


    In order to alleviate the awkwardness that he was feeling, Theo was forced to make conversation.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the president of the club?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The one and only.¡± She grinned a toothy grin. ¡°The name¡¯s Mao Lin. You can call me Lin.¡±


    ¡°Lin.¡± He unconsciously spoke. He liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. The pronunciation was the same for his Aunt Lynn, but knowing the fact that it was meant for a different girl, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a slight twinge of nervousness. He inwardly vowed to just call her Mao Lin.


    Mao Lin laughed. ¡°Although I said you could call me Lin, I didn¡¯t mean now.¡±


    Theo scratched the back of his head and sheepishly smiled.


    Inwardly, a wave of relief washed over him. Mao Lin was the club president. That meant that the mysterious guy that he had been worrying about before did not exist. In fact, that mysterious guy turned out to be a girl. All was well with the world.


    ¡°Me, Shirley and Mary, three people, the three members of PRSP. Impressed?¡± Mao Lin asked playfully.


    ¡°I am.¡± He truthfully responded.


    Three girls, three beautiful women who would not look at all out of place on a fashion magazine. The small blue-haired girl that gave off the impression of a harmless squirrel, the boisterous club president with the playful personality, and of course, his one and only childhood friend. He did not know what sort of otherworldly divine being bestowed him with this miracle, but nevertheless, he felt immensely thankful.


    While Theo was busy fantasizing, Mao Lin suddenly pushed him into a chair. He looked up at her, only to see a soft smile plastered on her face. She snapped her fingers. Shirley and the blue-haired Mary suddenly appeared, one person on each side.


    ¡°Shirley?¡± Theo felt that there was something wrong with the current atmosphere. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°Theo, I¡¯m sorry for this.¡± She lowered her head and sighed somewhat helplessly. In her hands was a long string of rope. Before he could react, Shirley and Mary suddenly tied him to the chair. Thirty seconds later, they finished. Theo tried to pull himself forward. The rope had been tied pretty tightly. Unless he was prepared to dislocate a bone or two, then there was no way he was getting out of here anytime soon.


    Still, despite Theo being tied up, he wasn¡¯t really that worried. In fact, the majority of the thoughts that filled his head were that of confusion.


    Shirley and Mary took a step back, while Mao Lin stood a mere foot away from him. She had a wide grin plastered on her face.


    ¡°Now, what do you think?¡± She asked.


    ¡°What do I think of what? Tying me up like this? Well, it¡¯s pretty kinky, and I¡¯m a bit unsure whether I have the ability to take on three women at once, but I guess I can give it a try¡­¡±


    Mao Lin looked over at Shirley. ¡°Is he usually like this.¡±


    Shirley cheeks flushed red. ¡°W-well¡­¡± she really did not know how to answer.


    After a few seconds of thought, Mao Lin shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Well, outside of his flappity mouth, is his personality any good?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shirley vigorously nodded her head. ¡°That I can guarantee!¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re the one saying it, then I trust you.¡± Mao Lin smiled appreciatively.


    Watching from the sideline, Theo tilted his head in confusion, but otherwise remained silent.


    Mao Lin turned around to face Theo. ¡°Now, without the perverted comments; what do you think?¡±


    Again, he asked, ¡°What do I think of what?¡±


    ¡°The PRSP.¡± She answered. ¡°We are a club determined to search for the romance hidden beneath the ordinary eye, but outside of that, we are also a club composed of beautiful girls. Three beautiful, ripe, and in the prime of their lives, flowers! Don¡¯t you feel some sort of shame for trespassing into such a sacred flower garden?¡±


    Theo gawked. He thought his earlier response was bad, but Mao Lin¡¯s flamboyancy really was too much for him to even compare. He did not know how to respond to her words. Luckily, she did not give him any time to reply.


    Mao Lin suddenly pulled out a piece of paper. She pushed it towards his face. ¡°now, we don¡¯t have a lot of people here. That¡¯s mainly because I have a very strict requirement when it comes to member application. It is only by recommendation! And Theo, my boy, you happen to be someone that¡¯s been recommended. What¡¯s more, it is also a recommendation from someone as shy and careful as Shirley.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Theo narrowed his eyes.


    She smiled mischievously. ¡°For sullying this sacred flower garden, won¡¯t you take responsibility and join the club?¡±

 Chapter 23: A Series of Coincidences

    Chapter 23: A Series of Coincidences


    ¡°You want me to join the club?¡± Theo squinted his eyes and asked.


    Mao Lin nodded her head vigorously. ¡°That¡¯s right. You might not know this, but the more members a club has, the more funds the school will give them.¡± She spread her hands out, indicating towards her surroundings. ¡°Look at this room. You really think I wanted to set up the club in a shabby place like this? No, the only reason why we¡¯re here is because we only have three members, the absolute bare minimum number of people required in order to be formally recognized as a club.


    ¡°I want to improve the club¡¯s current situation. That¡¯s why, as much as it pains me to do so, I am left with no other choice but to recruit new members.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the only reason why you want me to join?¡±


    Theo¡¯s skepticism further increased. He honestly did not believe that a club like this would have any trouble recruiting new members.


    Admittedly, the club itself seemed pretty weird.


    It was like some malformed offshoot variant of a typical run-of-the-mill occult club. Even under normal circumstances, clubs like that tended to be unpopular, much less one located within the school¡¯s abandoned building. Still, the Paranormal Research and Strange Phenomenon club held one distinct advantage that most normal occult clubs lacked; its members.


    Mao Lin, Shirley, and even the blue-haired Mary, all of them were beautiful women. If they actually went out of their way to advertise the club, then without a doubt, dozens of desperate teenage boys would fight tooth and nail just to sniff the air within this stale clubroom.


    ¡°Even without you saying it, I can already tell what your thinking.¡± Mai Lin suddenly said. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we just mass recruiting by the school gates or something? With our members, we¡¯re sure to attract a sizable population to our cause. After all, who doesn¡¯t want to spend their high school life with three beautiful girls¡­ something along those lines, right?¡±


    Theo silently nodded his head.


    ¡°Well, the reason for that is actually quite simple; we don¡¯t want to attract any unwanted attention.¡±


    ¡°Unwanted attention?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°A place like this, a club filled with three spry, beautiful, ripe-for-the-picking maidens¡­ it¡¯s definitely a tempting sort of thing for any young, healthy male. Unfortunately, while our collective beauty is one of the club¡¯s greatest strengths, it is also the club¡¯s one fatal flaw.¡±


    Mao Lin sighed. ¡°You know what¡¯s been going on with the school lately, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the delinquent situation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. These days, it feels as if half the school is made out of bastards! Delinquents, thugs, gangsters, whatever you want to call them, they¡¯ve been acting as if they own the damn place. There¡¯s not a single thing that us little clubs can do in order to oppose them.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a tough situation.¡± Theo nodded his head and agreed.


    ¡°Yes, it certainly is. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to keep the spotlight away from our club as much as possible. I want to avoid all those troublesome fellows. Can you imagine? Just what would happen to our little garden of flowers if those ruffians were to catch wind of us¡­ I certainly can¡¯t imagine it. No, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t imagine it, but that I don¡¯t want to imagine it!¡± Her face contorted as she vigorously shook her head.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, she turned back towards Theo and faintly smiled. ¡°Plus, between the two of us¡­¡± She suddenly leaned in close and whispered in Theo¡¯s ear. ¡°Do you really want to see your precious childhood friend hanging out with guys like that?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Theo subconsciously answered. He almost worried himself half to death with some non-existent male club president. If it meant keeping Shirley out of the wrong hands, then Theo wasn¡¯t afraid of even the devil himself.


    ¡°Then you understand.¡± Mao Lin nodded. She took a step back and continued. ¡°That¡¯s why we can only resort to such a method. Recruiting new members in secret, and using our other members as secret proxy recruiters¡­ It¡¯s all a very inconvenient process, and not many of us have had much luck, but it¡¯s the sacrifices we make to stay safe. At the very least, it protects this proverbial flower garden from being trampled by those warthogs.¡±


    After some thought, Theo nodded back. ¡°Okay, I can see where you''re coming from, but¡­ I do still have one question.¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°If all of this was just to get me to join your club, then why tie me up?¡± As if to prove a point, Theo tried moving his arms. He silently winced as he felt the coarse rope dig into his skin.


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± Mao Lin laughed sheepishly. ¡°Theatrics. Were you not entertained?¡±


    Beside her, Shirley shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Prez told me to do it. Mary was in on it too.¡± She pointed towards the quiet blue-haired girl standing beside her.


    On the other hand, Mary didn¡¯t even react. She kept her head down, her eyes focused on the book in her hands. At some point during the conversation, she was holding a book. Where did she get that book?


    Theo shook his head and pitifully stared back up at Mao Lin. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying all of this was planned from the very beginning?¡±


    ¡°Basically, yeah.¡± Mao Lin nodded. ¡°From the very moment you walked into the room. Shirley already informed me that you¡¯d be stopping by. I simply pretended to not know. Had you pretty good back there, didn¡¯t I?¡± She laughed to herself.


    Theo helplessly sighed. ¡°Then, can you let me go now? This is sort of uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± She snapped her fingers. ¡°Shirley, help our new recruit out.¡±


    Shirley moved towards him and began untying the knots. All the while, Theo caught sight of the playful smirk that occasionally danced on the tips of her lips.


    This girl, she was seriously enjoying his distressed appearance. Theo restrained another sigh, before he stood up. He rubbed the sore parts of his arms. A bit of his skin had turned red.


    In the meantime, Mao Lin gestured him towards another chair. Theo looked warily at her. ¡°You won¡¯t tie me up again, will you?¡±


    She grinned a toothy grin. ¡°Nope, only snacks and some tea.¡±


    Theo hesitated, but ultimately gave in. He sat at the rectangular table located at the center of the room. The seating arrangement was a bit unusual.  For some reason, Theo sat in the center. Shirley sat to his left, while Mao Lin sat to his right.


    Mao Lin snapped her fingers again. ¡°Mary, bring out the snacks!¡±


    Mary finally looked up. She tucked her paperback book underneath her shirt, before she once again walked towards the side of the room covered in shadows. A few seconds later, she came back out with a circular tin can. She placed the can on the table and opened it, revealing a fancy set of store-bought butter cookies.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She sat down by the table, directly opposite of him. She nibbled on a cookie. Mary stared directly at him, but at the same time, Theo felt as if she wasn¡¯t really staring at him. Her gaze was dull, filled with this sort of empty haze. It wasn¡¯t him that she was looking at, but rather the wall directly behind him.


    ¡°Um, this girl is¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Mary.¡± Mao Lin answered. ¡°The third member of the club. She¡¯s a 2<sup>nd</sup> year, so technically your junior, but within this club, we don¡¯t treat our members based on seniority. Don¡¯t mind her, she¡¯s always like that.¡± Mao Lin abruptly grabbed a cookie from the can and reached out towards the other side of the table. She directly placed the cookie into Mary¡¯s waiting lips.


    ¡°Look, she¡¯s like a little animal.¡± She laughed. ¡°Also, she likes to read horror novels.¡±


    As Mary munched down on the cookie, Mao Lin turned back towards Theo and looked at him with enthusiasm. ¡°Now, I¡¯d much rather we talk about you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Theo raised a brow in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you.¡± She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the kid that went missing seven months ago, right?¡±


    ¡°Did Shirley tell you?¡±


    ¡°She did, but she didn¡¯t have to. I¡¯ve looked up all the past happenings and unusual events that have taken place within this city for the last seven months. Naturally, I knew about you.¡±


    ¡°Why seven months?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but ask. It aligned perfectly with his summoning.


    She smiled. ¡°Seven months was when I first moved to this city.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a transfer student?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°I came to live here with my¡­ um, relative. You know how it is, people are always saying how the East Coast is so much nicer than the rest of the country. I wanted to experience it for myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°And as for you, I won¡¯t pry into where you went or what happened. Even if I try, I doubt I¡¯ll get any results.¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I already heard from Shirley that you¡¯re not willing to divulge anything.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you¡¯re not going to ask anything, why bring it up in the first place?¡±


    ¡°To confirm, I wanted to hear it from the source itself.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Also, I wanted to talk to you about coincidences.¡±


    ¡°Coincidences?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since you¡¯re going to be our newest member, I thought I might ease you into club activities through a story or two. Don¡¯t worry, the type of stories that I tell are the ones filled with nothing but the truth and only the truth! It¡¯ll be a good way to get you interested in what we do.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t exactly agreed to join you yet.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s leave all that for later.¡± She waved her hands dismissively. ¡°First, let¡¯s get back to the previous topic; coincidences.¡±


    Mao Lin cleared her throat. A serious expression suddenly replaced her usual playfulness. After a few seconds of silence passed, she began narrating in a noticeably deeper voice from before.


    ¡°You see, I came to this city seven months ago. Around the exact same time, weird things started to happen¡ª not to me personally, but the city in general. At first, I didn¡¯t really notice it, but it soon became readily apparent that the atmosphere within this city was not normal.


    ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think anything of it at first. You know, new city and all, maybe I was just unfamiliar with the norms or something? To my surprise, after doing a bit of research, I discovered that all the weird happenings started roughly seven months ago or around the same time as I first came to the city.¡±


    ¡°You keep talking about weird things happening in the city.¡± Theo interrupted. ¡°What sort of weird things?¡±


    ¡°I was about to get to that. Don¡¯t interrupt.¡± She chided. Mao Lin let out a cough, before she continued, ¡°Now, where was I? That¡¯s right, so, I thought to myself, ¡®could I be the one doing all this? Am I bringing ruin to this city?¡¯ You know, since the coincidence of my arrival and all.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case. Nothing actually happened around me, the weird occurrences occurred somewhere else around the city, so in the end, I dismissed the idea. But still, for a time, I really did believe it was all connected back to me. It almost felt as if the city was personally welcoming me.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained what sort of weird things were happening.¡± Theo urged her forward. At this point, his own thoughts were practically identical to Mao Lin¡¯s at the time. Could his disappearance seven months ago have something to do with the things she kept referring to? Unlike her, Theo actually had a basis for his delusion. After all, his situation was sort of paranormal in nature. Well, rather than paranormal, it would be more fantastical than anything else, but his point still stands.


    He couldn¡¯t confirm any of this unless he actually got specifics on what these weird happenings were.


    ¡°Oh right. I almost forgot.¡± Mao Lin laughed to herself. ¡°Yes, well, first of all, the gangs. You noticed that they¡¯ve been increasing lately, right? Well, I did some digging, and I found out that Harwick city normally isn¡¯t like this. In fact, gang-related incidents only really started to take off around seven months ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really paranormal though.¡± Theo creased his brow. Was he really the cause of all the gang-related incidences happening all over the district? No matter how much he thought about it, he simply could not connect a fantasy summoning to an increase in gang-related crimes.


    ¡°Well, I agree it might not exactly be paranormal, but the next two coincidences certainly are.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°The lights and the bodies.¡±


    ¡°The lights and the bodies?¡± Theo unconsciously repeated.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard about those.¡± Shirley suddenly chimed in. ¡°I think they were talking about the bodies in the news a couple of weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve become somewhat of a local urban legend.¡± Mao Lin added. ¡°But first, let¡¯s talk about the lights. Well, calling them a light show would probably be more appropriate. What happens is that sometimes, during the late evenings, the skies above the city start to glow with iridescent greens and sparkling blues. It¡¯s sort of like an Aurora, but a lot less murky and a bit more distinct. They don¡¯t appear everywhere, only on certain spots, mainly around Mountainview district.


    ¡°Like before, the lights all started happening around seven months ago.¡±


    At that moment, Theo noticed Mary¡¯s shoulders slightly twitch. It was a small action, barely noticeable. Normally, nobody should have noticed, but thanks to Theo¡¯s Accumulative Perception, and the fact that Mary happened to be in range, he noticed.


    He stared up at her. Mary was still staring at him, but this time, Theo caught a slight trace of light within her empty gaze. She wasn¡¯t as absentminded as before.


    Theo thought that this was slightly interesting. Does this girl know something about the lights?


    Unfortunately, before he could delve any further into the topic, Mao Lin already moved on. ¡°The lights aren¡¯t really that famous within the city. That¡¯s mostly because most accounts of them only come from first-person encounters and eyewitness reports. There still hasn¡¯t been any verifiable video footage or even pictures of the phenomenon.¡± She sighed in disappointment. For a moment, her expression dropped, before she immediately bounced back up. ¡°The bodies on the other hand¡­ they are a completely different story altogether.¡±


    She looked over towards Shirley. ¡°You¡¯ve heard it from her, but this particular incident is currently being documented by both the police and many major news sources. Heck, it¡¯s even made it to national news a couple of times.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Spit it out already.¡± Theo goaded.


    ¡°A string of murders. It started seven months ago. All suspected to be from the same killer. The thing that really makes this story stand out though, is the condition in which the bodies were found in. Like dried husks, no different from a mummy¡¯s corpse. Every single one of them, without exception, all appear as if their blood and innards have been sucked out through a straw. Many believe it¡¯s a serial killer, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°The President thinks it¡¯s a vampire.¡± Shirley interrupted.


    ¡°What else could it be!¡± Mao Lin shouted. ¡°Vampires are well known for sucking blood and striking during the dead of night, which is completely in line with the killer¡¯s M.O. I refuse to believe otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Vampires, huh¡­¡± Theo met real vampires back in Mistelhan.


    In truth, not every vampire was evil. In fact, some joined the human nations during the war against the Demon King. Vampires were actually just a divergent species of man that branched out from regular humans during the ancient era. In summary, they were humans with a special constitution. Unlike regular folk, vampires could control and manipulate life force. The reason why they sucked blood was to absorb the life force of others. On the downside, their bodies negatively reacted with celestial energy, primarily solar light.


    In truth, because of the constant presence of the moon and the sun, vampires were always in a weakened state, even during the nights. They were only ever truly at their peak indoors or underground.


    Of course, like most things, even a vampire¡¯s weakness can be circumvented¡­


    Do vampires really exist in Plume? He wondered to himself. If they really did, then he wondered whether there was any variation between Mistelhan¡¯s vampires and Plume¡¯s.


    ¡°And finally, there¡¯s the third coincidence.¡± Mao Lin¡¯s words snapped Theo out of his thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Theo blinked. ¡°You¡¯re referring to my disappearance?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°You disappeared seven months ago, around the same time as when all the weird things started happening. Where did you go? What did you experience? Even if I know you won¡¯t answer, I still can¡¯t help but ask.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Theo scratched the back of his head and awkwardly chuckled. Before he could come up with an excuse, Mao Lin¡¯s skirt suddenly vibrated. She widened her eyes for a moment, before she pulled out a smartphone. She looked at the screen for a moment, before she clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Sorry guys, I¡¯ve got to go do something.¡± She apologized with a bitter expression on her face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Shirley asked.


    ¡°No, nothing important. Just some ha¡ªsomeone I don¡¯t like. They¡¯re being real pushy, so I can¡¯t exactly ignore it.¡±  She sighed dejectedly, as she grabbed her things and quickly made her way towards the door.


    ¡°Alright, I have to go. Shirley, make sure you get your boyfriend to sign the application form. As for everyone else, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡± She waved her hand goodbye and left like the wind.


    Half a second later, Shirley¡¯s flustered voice echoed through the clubroom. ¡°He-he¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡±

 Chapter 24: Blue Hair Bobbing in the Sunset

    Chapter 24: Blue Hair Bobbing in the Sunset


    After Mao Lin¡¯s sudden departure, silence filled the room. Shirley breathed out a heavy sigh.


    She looked around her surroundings. A murky mixture of vibrant oranges and soft reds colored the walls. The shadows in the corners elongated, contorting and expanding to fill as much space as they possibly could.


    Amidst the silence, Mary suddenly stood up. Shirley did not know when, but at some point, Mary was wearing a red backpack that was nearly twice the size of her torso. She walked towards the doorway.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving too?¡± Shirley asked.


    Mary curtly nodded her head. Her azure blue hair bobbed up and down in the process, resembling the rising tide of a turbulent ocean. Shirley didn¡¯t find her actions all that surprising. She knew Mary. Although the two never spoke more than ten words at a time to one another, she liked to believe that the both of them were pretty close. Mary only ever went home after Mao Lin did, and whenever Mao Lin left early, Mary would also leave early too.


    After spending months together with these two, Shirley had gotten desensitized to their rather odd behavioral quirks.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± She said.


    Mary nodded in response and quietly left the room.


    After a few seconds of silence, Theo¡¯s voice suddenly sounded out from next to her.


    ¡°Is your club always like this?¡± He had to admit; this small club was filled with high-quality weirdos. The silent Mary and the pushy yet energetic club president; a rather odd combination to say the least


    ¡°Well, more or less.¡± Shirley shrugged her shoulders. She really had grown quite desensitized. She shook her head, before she grabbed the application form that Mao Lin had left on the table. She waved the form in front of Theo¡¯s face. ¡°Now, are you going to sign the paper or what?¡±


    ¡°Do I have any other choice?¡± Theo bitterly asked.


    She stuck out her tongue in response. ¡°Nope, you don¡¯t.¡±


    With one last final sigh, Theo took the application form from Shirley¡¯s hands and quickly scribbled his name down. He begrudgingly returned the paper to Shirley. It wasn¡¯t that he was averse to joining the club, but the feeling as if he had been manipulated into joining left a bad aftertaste on his tongue.


    Shirley happily took the form and folded it into thirds, before she stuffed it inside her backpack. ¡°With this, you are now the official fourth member of the Paranormal Research and Strange Phenomenon club. I¡¯ll bring this application form to the faculty room tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s just go already.¡± He bitterly spat out, as he stood up.


    Shirley laughed to herself. She cheerfully followed Theo out of the door.


    ****


    A bobbing blue head quietly made its way through the school¡¯s empty hallway. The orange glow of the setting sun made for a rather stark contrast. The small girl who could easily be mistaken for a middle schooler, right now, her appearance was like that of a transcendent fairy from whispered legends.


    After a few minutes, she arrived at the school¡¯s front courtyard. She looked up and saw two people. Girls, dressed in flashy clothing. They were casually conversing by the school¡¯s landmark water fountain.


    Mary hesitated for a moment, before she eventually walked up to them. When she got closer, she squinted her eyes in scrutiny. One of the girls possessed a head full of pearly platinum hair, while the other sported a golden tan.


    The two quickly noticed her arrival. They stopped and looked up.


    ¡°Yo, Mary you¡¯re a bit early today, aren¡¯t you?¡± The one with the golden tan greeted. Her name was Madison, although most people just usually called her Maddy.


    Mary nodded in response.


    ¡°Did that little club president of yours leave early again?¡± The other girl, the one with the platinum hair, asked. She was Monica, or Nica for short.


    Mary nodded again.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever stay around and spend some time with Shirley?¡± Nica couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. We¡¯re over here busting our heads and trying our uber hardest for even a single opportunity of alone time, yet here you are, throwing it all away like it¡¯s nothing.¡± Maddy grumbled, as she crossed her arms and huffed.


    Mary was silent for a moment. She thought about what to say, before she lowered her head. For a moment, the bangs of her blue hair hid her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t. Being alone with her is¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± She said such a thing with a seriously deadpanned expression on her face.


    Hearing this, the two girls sighed.


    Maddy scratched her cheek with a manicured nail. ¡°Even though you come off as a cold and serious character, to think underneath that wooden face of yours, you¡¯re like this¡­ how do I say it, it¡¯s kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Disappointing.¡± Nica finished for her. ¡°Mary, you¡¯re a seriously disappointing girl.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Maddy nodded in agreement. ¡°What¡¯s more, you¡¯re kind of clashing characters here. Shirley¡¯s already the shy character, we don¡¯t really need two.¡±


    Mary remained silent. She lowered her head for a moment, almost as if she was thoroughly digesting their words. After a few seconds, she looked back up at them and nodded. Without warning, she suddenly kicked their shins.


    A chorus of high-pitched screams filled the air. Maddy and Nica, both of them hopped around on one foot, each clutching one of their legs with an expression of agony on their faces.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I wanted to be like this¡­¡± Mary grumbled out. She did not look at the girls again, before she abruptly started walking away.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Seeing this, the two hurried to catch up to them.


    ¡°Hey, hey, come on Mary. It was a joke! Lighten up, geez.¡± Maddy complained. She walked with a slight limp.


    ¡°I¡¯d just like to say, Maddy started it first,¡± Nica interjected.


    Mary ignored them and continued walking. Although her face appeared wooden at first glance, if one looked carefully, then they¡¯d notice the slight puff in her cheeks, as well as the faint crease in her brow. Mary was pouting.


    She was about to continue walking, when she suddenly remembered something. She stopped and turned back towards the others.


    ¡°Ah, there was someone else there too.¡± She said.


    ¡°Someone else?¡± Maddy and Nica looked at one another. ¡°Who?¡±


    Mary hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He came with Shirley.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Loverboy?¡± Nica said.


    ¡°Loverboy?¡±


    ¡°Yup, Shirley¡¯s childhood friend.¡± Maddy answered. ¡°He has this sort of unassuming face, right? Like, if it wasn¡¯t for how sloppy he looked, then nothing about him would really stand out. That¡¯s the guy you¡¯re talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Mary was silent. Towards random people that she didn¡¯t particularly care for, she had trouble remembering their faces, much less their names. After struggling for a few seconds, an image slowly formed. It wasn¡¯t a face, but more like a general profile. What she saw was a head of messy black hair.


    She nodded.


    Seeing this, Nica also nodded. ¡°As far as we know, only Shirley¡¯s childhood friend hangs out with her outside of club activities.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, only a twisted god would put such a boring looking guy together with a beauty like Shirley.¡± Maddy added.


    Mary stayed quiet for a while. After a long pause, she suddenly said, ¡°That guy, he¡¯s kind of weird.¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡±


    ¡°Weird how?¡±


    ¡°Nnn.¡± Mary nodded. ¡°Even when he wasn¡¯t staring at me¡­ I¡­ for some reason, I still felt as if he was.¡±


    ¡°Staring at you?¡±


    ¡°Nnn.¡±


    ¡°Ah, come to think of it, you¡¯ve always been sensitive to others, haven¡¯t you?¡± Nica commented.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the legendary ¡®pervert¡¯s gaze¡¯?¡± Maddy said.


    ¡°Pervert¡¯s gaze?¡± Nica repeated in confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve only heard of it through hearsay, but¡­ it¡¯s like, seriously bad news. If a person has the ¡®pervert¡¯s gaze¡¯, then they''re capable of visually stripping a girl with a single glance!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that! That¡¯s seriously creepy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mary, you must have sensed that pervert¡¯s ill intentions.¡± Maddy turned towards her and seriously stated. ¡°I knew it, such an unassuming face, it only makes sense for it to hide such a lecherous mind.¡±


    Mary furrowed her brow. ¡°No, it¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°Different how?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± She shook her head. Truthfully, aside from that unnerving feeling of being watched, she felt nothing. The fact that she felt nothing only made her more suspicious. Were her senses off? As far as she knew, she had never once been off in her intuition.


    Even after thinking about the issue for a while, she could not reach a satisfying conclusion. She shook her head again and resumed walking. ¡°Let¡¯s go already.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, Big Sis called. Apparently, we¡¯re on night duty today.¡± Nica commented as she hurried to catch up. ¡°Says she found another ¡®client¡¯¡±.


    ¡°Client?¡± Mary frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t it cool?¡± Maddy said. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be a codeword. Nica thought of it.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Nica scratched the back of her head, a bashful expression on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that word ever again.¡± Mary coldly said. ¡°It¡¯ll make people misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand? What will they misunderstand?¡± Nica tilted her head in confusion.


    Mary simply shook her head.


    ¡°Anyways~, we¡¯re supposed to be the ones on duty tonight¡­ sooo, let¡¯s go together, Mary!¡± Maddy playfully asked.


    ¡°No. You guys are the ones on duty. Not me.¡± A cold rejection.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s with that, so stingy. Share the burden with us~¡±


    ¡°Unfair, unfair~¡±


    She ignored their childish taunting and continued walking.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Eventually, they gave up. Maddy suddenly asked, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to help tonight, then where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Back home.¡± She curtly responded. The place in her mind was dark and dreary, with cobwebs everywhere and rotting wood nearly taking up half the infrastructure. It wasn¡¯t much, but for now, it really was her home.


    Mary, without pause, kept walking. She walked past the gates and down the street. She disappeared beneath the horizon, with the quiet sunset in the background. She left behind Maddy and Nica by the school¡¯s front gates.


    As the duo watched her go, one of them suddenly nudged the other. ¡°Hey, do you think that little girl fell in love?¡± Maddy asked.


    ¡°Fell in love? With who?¡± Nica questioned back.


    ¡°With Loverboy, of course! Who else would I be talking about?¡±


    ¡°Him? Why would she fall in love with him?¡±


    ¡°Well, wasn¡¯t she particularly interested in him? It¡¯s rare for that girl to show interest in other people.¡± Maddy paused for a moment, before hesitantly adding, ¡°Plus, he looks like he gives off that¡­ that disposition.¡±


    ¡°What disposition?¡±


    ¡°The type who can¡¯t hold back.¡± She stated. ¡°I bet Loverboy¡¯s the type of guy that¡¯d jump at any girl that gives him even the slightest sliver of attention.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Nica nodded her head in agreement. For a moment, she was deep in thought, before she suddenly widened her eyes and snapped her fingers. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°What? What happened?¡± Maddy reflexively took as step back, caught off guard by her friend¡¯s sudden burst of enthusiasm.


    ¡°Loverboy!¡± Nica answered. ¡°If we fall in love with him, won¡¯t that naturally make us closer to Shirley?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Maddy widened her eyes. She looked at Nica with an expression as if she was staring at a genius. ¡°You might be on to something!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯ll be like the common saying, ¡®pole sisters!¡¯¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound quite right, but basically yeah.¡± Maddy nodded. ¡°If we fall in love with Loverboy, then we¡¯d naturally have to spend more time with him, and vice versa, we¡¯d also be spending more time with Shirley!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the perfect plan?¡± Nica proudly boasted.


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re a genius!¡± Maddy clapped her hands and furiously nodded her head.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    With the setting sun as their background, two idiots laughed merrily in front of the school gate.


    ****


    ¡°Achoo!¡± Theo sneezed. He rubbed the tip of his nose. ¡°Is someone talking about me behind my back?¡± After thinking about it for a moment, he eventually shrugged his shoulders. He opened the doorknob and loudly greeted, ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nothing but dead silence.


    ¡°No one¡¯s home?¡± He raised a brow.


    Theo had just finished dropping Shirley off, and it was only now that he made it back. Although it was still light outside, a certain wave of fatigue and drowsiness hit him the moment he walked through those doors.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Aunt Lynn?¡± He wondered to himself.


    After briefly investigating all the rooms, he found a sticky note slapped onto the surface of the refrigerator. It was a short message, and it took Theo less than ten seconds to read to full completion.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be out for tonight. Something to do with my publishing agent. Don¡¯t wait up for me, I¡¯ll probably be late. Cook something for yourself.


    P.S.


    Don¡¯t burn the house down.¡¯


    After he finished, Theo rubbed his chin and silently pondered. I really should have gotten here early. Heck, just a little earlier and maybe I could have caught a glimpse of the agent. With that sort of advantage, I would have definitely been able to get a name or two out¡­


    The fact that Aunt Lynn still wasn¡¯t willing to tell him the name of her book seriously bothered him. For the last three days, the curiosity¡¯s been gnawing on him from the inside out.


    He shook his head and sighed.


    With Aunt Lynn out of the house for tonight, Theo suddenly found himself alone.


    How should he spend this quiet evening? Of course, things like watching a movie or surfing the internet did not come to mind. Instead, he immediately concluded that tonight was the perfect opportunity for even more training.


    He glanced over at the electric socket by the kitchen table. A bitter smile flashed through his face.


    This method really did suck. Not only was it inconvenient, but it also left his body numb for extended periods of time. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t as if he had any other alternative. For starters, using substitutes like battery packs wouldn¡¯t work. Those types of things simply lacked the juice


    Using alternative energy sources also wasn¡¯t very viable. Where the hell would he even get alternatives?


    If he could get his hands on a car batter or a generator, maybe that¡¯ll work, but Theo¡¯s family didn¡¯t own a car, and buying any sort of generator was already an expensive investment, one that he could not afford. In the end, he was left with only one option¡­


    Theo shook his head, before he bit down on his thumb. Tonight was going to be a long night¡­

 Chapter 25: Daily Life

    Chapter 25: Daily Life


    The next day.


    A vast cluster of clouds loomed over the horizon. The faraway threat of a thunderstorm once again reared its ahead towards Harwick city.


    Theo lazily looked up at the sky. Today was another peaceful morning.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he never experienced peaceful moments back on Mistelhan, but they were indeed quite a rarity. Mostly, his time there consisted of combat. One battle after another. He hopped from kingdom to kingdom, beating back the encroaching demon army and at the same time solving a few problems that the various nations couldn¡¯t solve by themselves.


    A busy and hectic life. Some people might find that sort of thing enjoyable, but Theo certainly didn¡¯t. He much preferred a quiet and unambitious life, much like his current one right now.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with your finger?¡± A voice cut through his thoughts and wrenched him back to reality. Theo looked over, only to see Shirley. Her curious eyes were fixated on his hand. More specifically, she was looking at the band-aid on his index finger.


    The two were currently walking to school.


    ¡°Oh, you noticed this?¡± Theo unconsciously looked down towards his own finger.


    Underneath the band-aid was a rather severe burn mark. It was the unknowing aftermath of his training from last night. To make a long story short, he stuck his index finger inside an electrical socket three times. On the third attempt, he ended up burning himself.


    It was unfortunate, and in retrospect, he may have overdone it, but it wasn¡¯t as if he had any other choice. The energy expenditure for breaking the 2<sup>nd</sup> shackle was more than ten times as much as the first one. Even now, after spending an entire night training, he wasn¡¯t even halfway close to his next break-through.


    Theo felt fatigued. His face was a bit pale and there were dark circles underneath his eyelids. He had a sleepless night last night, not to mention his body was also a bit sore or rather, it was numb. Probably the aftereffects of the constant electricity that passed in and out of his body. His current state was a bit disconcerting.


    ¡°Aunt Lynn was out, so you know¡­¡± Technically he wasn¡¯t lying, he just left his words ambiguous on purpose. As is human nature, Shirley subconsciously filled in the blanks all on her own.


    ¡°You burned yourself on the stove?¡± She asked.


    Theo did not answer. Shirley interpreted his silence as a quiet confirmation.


    ¡°Aunt Lynn went out last night, right?¡± Shirley continued. ¡°Did she go meet up with Quinn?¡±


    His ears pricked up. ¡°Quinn? Who¡¯s Quinn?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Lynn¡¯s publishing agent. I heard she¡¯s close to finishing her second book, so those two will probably be meeting up quite frequently from now on.¡±


    Theo¡¯s eyes narrowed. Quinn, Quinn, Quinn¡­ is that a guy¡¯s name or a girl¡¯s name?


    He felt a massive headache forming. He had just recently uncovered the truth regarding the mysterious club president that kept driving Shirley home. All of a sudden, before he even had a chance to relax, there was suddenly another unknown character added into the mix. He couldn¡¯t help but worry. Quinn¡­ was that a guy or a girl?! Why is the name so damn ambiguous?!


    At the same time, he wondered to himself: Was he always so¡­ so possessive? Did his personality change when he returned to Plume or was he already like this even back then?


    As if she could read his mind, Shirley looked at Theo with an odd smile on her face. She said, ¡°Quinn¡¯s a female.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Theo tried not to show it on, but he unconsciously breathed out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°But still, you shouldn¡¯t let your guard down.¡± She suddenly added, a faint smirk on her lips. ¡°Although Quinn might be a girl, I heard she swings that way.¡±


    ¡°T-that way?¡± He widened his eyes.


    Shirley seriously nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Also, she recently just got out of a relationship, so Aunt Lynn might be in more trouble than you think.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Theo went slack-jawed. He honestly did not know how to react. Should he still be concerned? The image of Aunt Lynn in bed with another woman, the two firm, yet supple bodies pressed against one another, naked thighs and bare legs¡­ he subconsciously gulped. He felt a certain heat rise from deep within his chest.


    SMACK!


    Someone suddenly punched his shoulder. Although it didn¡¯t really hurt, the impact had snapped him out of his reverie.


    He massaged his shoulder and exaggeratedly groaned.


    ¡°Just what sort of dirty thoughts are you having?¡± Shirley glared at him. She did not bother hiding the contempt in her eyes.


    ¡°Ha-ha¡­¡± Theo awkwardly laughed.


    ¡°Anyway, Aunt Lynn texted me yesterday.¡± She said. ¡°Since she¡¯ll be a bit busy with work from now on, she wanted me to go with you and pick out a new phone.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Now that he thought about it, ever since he returned to Plume, Theo still didn¡¯t have a phone of his own. As someone who lived in a fantasy setting for more than two decades, he didn¡¯t actually mind all that much. In fact, he had completely forgotten about the issue. It was only after Shirley¡¯s reminder that he suddenly remembered.


    In retrospect, from the perspective of a modern-day teenager, going three days without a phone should be a pretty big deal.


    He thought about it for a moment. ¡°Maybe over the weekend? Does that work for you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Shirley nodded. ¡°Then, it¡¯s a da¡ª¡±


    Her words abruptly stopped.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I-i-it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± She stammered out, her cheeks slightly reddening.


    She lowered her head and hurriedly walked forward. Theo stared at her. He tilted his head in confusion. What¡¯s with her?


    The rest of the trip to school had suddenly taken on a huge turn. Most of that originated from Shirley¡¯s sudden shift in attitude. She went quiet and started nervously fidgeting. Occasionally, she would glance up at him. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words ever came out. Instead, she¡¯d just hurriedly turn around and continue walking.


    Theo saw her mouthing something out to herself. He wasn¡¯t very good at lip reading, so he had no clue what she was saying, but from the looks of it, it almost appeared as if she was rehearsing a speech or something similar.


    Eventually, the two reached the front of the school building.


    Theo had one hand on the door and was about to go in when someone suddenly grabbed onto the cuff of his shirt. He turned around, only to see Shirley looking up at him with a determined expression on her face.


    Her cheeks were dyed red, the flush crawling up to her ears and down to her neck. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead. Her glasses were fogging up. Her lips slightly quivered. She looked nervous. She looked excited.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± The two locked eyes with one another. Her voice trembled. She breathed in several hurried puffs of air.


    ¡°T-t-t-then, i-it¡¯s a da-date¡­¡± She stuttered out. Before he could even react, she suddenly let go of his sleeve, and hurriedly ran into the building.


    Theo was left standing there, dumbfounded and just a little bit confused. After a while, he scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s a date.¡±


    A slight smile colored his face.


    ****


    Theo decided to skip class again.


    Despite training for the entire night last night, he still planned to train even more today. Obsession might not be the right word to call it, but it was something similar. Theo felt this desire, this itchy yearning to keep going. Some of it was rational, while parts of it were purely nonsensical.


    He was under a lot of pressure. The sooner he upgraded his mind source, the better. After all, his supplementary exams weren¡¯t that far off. Ever since he first got back, he made no attempt at studying. By this point, he had staked everything on his mind source. The current plan was to improve himself now, and then spend two or three-days cramming for the exams.


    While he was fairly confident, that didn¡¯t mean Theo was completely guiltless.


    Although his memory constantly improved with each new shackle that he broke, still, it wasn¡¯t enough. He would only feel secure once he got to the third mind shackle. At that point, his body would undergo a qualitative improvement. Among other things, he would acquire something similar to eidetic memory.


    Plus, there was another reason; Theo had an obsession with getting stronger. Well, it wasn¡¯t so much as getting stronger, but rather, he wanted to avoid the feeling of being weak and vulnerable. He had this¡­ this impending sense of crisis, like something bad was hiding behind the corner, waiting to pounce.


    He felt a similar feeling back on Mistelhan. Every day, it was there, the looming dread, the uneasy foreboding. He was under the constant impression that something would swallow him up if he so much as stopped for even a second.


    Despite being back on Plume, that uneasiness did not disappear. Even though he knew his fears were groundless, nevertheless, it breathed down on the back of his neck like a starving dragon.


    ¡°Maybe this is what PTSD feels like?¡± He half-jokingly muttered to himself.


    Since he was skipping class again today, he obviously needed to find a place to hole up in. His first thought was the infirmary. Theo shook his head. Almost immediately, he decided against it.


    Going there a second time was a bad idea. If he really did show up with the same lame excuse of being sick, then that weird doctor might grow suspicious. Why was he going to class while he was sick? Why didn¡¯t he just visit the hospital? Theo really didn¡¯t want to answer those questions.


    Plus, the delinquent that he beat up yesterday might return to cause trouble. Theo wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible.


    Luckily, Theo¡¯s afterschool visit had given him an idea. The abandoned section of the school building was the perfect place to hide. Not only were those classrooms vacant, students and teachers alike usually avoided the area.


    Since classes were currently being held and students were preoccupied at the moment, then he could just go to the clubroom. It should be empty at this hour.


    It did not take Theo very long before he arrived in front of the PRSP¡¯s clubroom. He opened the door and widened his eyes in surprise.


    He had expected an empty room, but that wasn¡¯t what he got. Sitting in the middle of the room was a certain blue-haired individual. She sat by the table, a plate full of butter cookies in front of her.


    She subconsciously looked up and locked eyes with Theo.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Silence filled the room. She simply stared at Theo with an expressionless face, while Theo awkwardly scratched the back of his head. What was he supposed to say in this sort of situation?


    Why was she here? Was this girl also skipping class? What type of excuse should he give her? All sorts of thoughts filled his head. Eventually, Theo let out a cough, before he greeted, ¡°H-hello. Do you remember me from yesterday? I¡¯m the newest member.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As expected, she did not respond.


    ¡°Erm¡­ so, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Skipping class? I guess I¡¯m also doing the same thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ you, your name was Mary, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was like talking to a brick wall. No matter what he said, no matter how hard he tried to start a conversation, the girl would not respond. She simply stared at him with a lightless gaze. He was reaching his limit. He was used to dealing with socially stunted individuals like Shirley. Heck, he himself was socially inept, but this girl was simply on another level.


    Just as he was worrying over what to do, the girl suddenly stood up.


    ¡°W-what?¡± Theo warily asked as he subconsciously took a step back.


    Mary ignored him and mechanically took her stuff. She walked over towards the door in silence.


    She came to a stop in front of him. Theo stared at her in confusion. She did not say anything. The distance between the two was less than a foot from one another. Because she was such a short girl, she only measured up to the top of his shoulders. She stared straight ahead with unblinking eyes. Because of the height difference, she was essentially staring at his chest.


    Theo felt awkward. She was like a statue. No matter what he asked, the girl did not respond. Eventually, he realized something: he was blocking the doorway. Could it be¡­?


    He hesitated for a moment, before he took a step to the side.


    As if that was what she had been waiting for, Mary started walking again. She left the room and quietly disappeared down the hallway.


    Theo scratched the back of his head. He stared at the empty doorway for a moment, before he shook his head and closed the door.


    With nobody else around, he started his training once again.


    Like that, Theo¡¯s daily life progressed.

 Chapter 26: Routine

    Chapter 26: Routine


    A brief insight into Theo¡¯s daily routine.


    Every morning, he wakes up and walks to school with Shirley. Once there, he immediately heads to the clubroom, where he trains for the majority of the day. For some reason, Mary was always there, sitting in the middle of the room, usually reading a book or enjoying a plate full of butter cookies. He did not know why she was here, nor why she always came to school so early in the morning, just that her presence had become common routine for him.


    In fact, it got to the point where Theo almost believed that she spent her nights inside the clubroom.


    Regardless of the truth, she always left immediately after Theo arrived. Aside from his one-sided greeting, the two never once conversed.


    Once the day progresses some more and the time draws nearer towards the last period of the day, Theo then leaves the clubroom and heads for his history class. He always arrives early, approximately ten minutes before the official start of the period.


    Inside the classroom, he meets up with the two gaudily dressed girls from before, Maddy and Nica. They get to class fairly early as well, usually one or two minutes after Theo¡¯s own arrival. He quickly learned that they were a rather talkative bunch. They used every chance they could get to strike up a conversation. Most of their conversations were one-sided, but it was fun in its own way.


    Ah, of course, this was all on the basis that they were alone. Despite how ¡®friendly¡¯ they had gotten lately, they still couldn¡¯t stand the idea of being seen out in public with him, a sentiment that made Theo feel rather helpless.


    Their presence felt somewhat stifling. It wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d exactly call intimacy or even affection, but they were just a bit too clingy. No, maybe calling them clingy isn¡¯t the right word¡­ within that short span of ten or so minutes before class started, they gave him no respite whatsoever. Theo liked to believe that it was his springtime of youth taking effect, but he wasn¡¯t so na?ve. The most likely scenario was that the girls were just trying to use him to get to Shirley.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like he minded all that much. After their repeated interactions, although he still felt that the two were indeed quite vain, truthfully speaking, Theo didn¡¯t believe that they were bad people. At the very least, he didn¡¯t mind them becoming friends with Shirley. Plus, no sane man would reject daily afternoon conversations with a pair of beautiful ladies.


    After class, Shirley dragged a half-willing Theo back to the clubroom.


    Theo did not go to club every day. In fact, he made it a point to only go every other day. The excuse that he used whenever Shirley questioned him was that he needed the extra time in order to prepare for his upcoming supplementary exams. Technically speaking, he wasn¡¯t lying. He used the extra time during the late afternoons in order to get a bit more training in.


    On his ¡®off¡¯ days, Theo spent the time in an empty classroom. Since it was after school hours, there were no shortages in empty classrooms. He also couldn¡¯t just leave the schoolgrounds. After all, Shirley and him walked home together every day.


    During the days that he actually did attend club, his experience there really did align with the things that Shirley previously mentioned. Club time consisted of afternoon snacks and freshly brewed instant tea.


    Occasionally, Mao Lin would bring up a topic of conversation, which ranged from alien sightings, lost footage, and other sorts of innately ¡®paranormal¡¯ subjects. They would then spend the rest of the afternoon discussing said topic, which was usually just Mao Lin lecturing them on a new urban legend or scary story. Of course, half the time, the conversation derailed into her own ranting of the mysteries of Harwick city.


    The club president really was quite a handful. She was the main reason why Theo decided to skip club every other day. He feared that he could only handle such a person in small doses.


    An hour or two later, club eventually ended, and Shirley and Theo walked home together.


    Afterward, Theo spent the remainder of the evening alone. For the past few days, Aunt Lynn¡¯s been busy. She was always gone during the evenings. In fact, Theo only ever saw her in the mornings, during the brief span of time before he left for school. This made him somewhat worried.


    That Quinn character, did she really gobble up his little Auntie?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Before he even noticed it, Friday rolled in.


    Theo¡¯s date with Shirley was tomorrow. He¡¯d be lying if he were to say he wasn¡¯t even just a little bit nervous.


    It wasn¡¯t as if the two of them never spent the weekends together. Going to the movies, seeing the animals at the zoo, dinner outside, such ¡®date-like¡¯ activities were rather commonplace for them, they just never actually called it a date. Now, an actual date where both parties actually acknowledged it as a date¡­ that was something that Theo had yet to experience.


    His day started off rather normally.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After waking up, he left his room and went downstairs to get some food. There, he saw Aunt Lynn. She was standing by the stove, cooking a plateful of pancakes.


    ¡°Morning.¡± She greeted.


    ¡°Morning¡­¡± Theo echoed back. He suddenly thought about the stuff that plagued his mind all week. He tried to resist, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So, about that woman, Quinn¡­¡±


    ¡°Quinn?¡± She raised a brow in surprise. ¡°Are you talking about my publishing agent? Where¡¯d you hear about her from? Was it Shirley?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now.¡± He dismissed, ¡°She¡­ she¡¯s not like, doing anything¡­ anything bad to you, is she?¡±


    ¡°Bad?¡± She glanced back at him with a weird look on her face. ¡°What sort of bad things are you talking about?¡±


    That¡¯s¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment, before he eventually sighed and shook his head. ¡°Never mind. It¡¯s nothing, forget I said anything.¡±


    Lynn kept staring at him for a while. She wondered what sort of weird thoughts filled that head of his so early in the morning. Eventually, she shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Alright. Tomorrow you¡¯re going with Shirley to buy a new phone. Now, you don¡¯t do anything weird to her, got it?¡±


    Theo rolled his eyes and groaned. Before she could start another awkward conversation, he hurriedly grabbed a pancake from atop the finished batch on the plate and immediately sprinted out of the house.


    ¡°Hey, Theo!¡± she shouted in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t just take food like that! I was serious too, don¡¯t do anything weird to her!¡±


    Her voice echoed through the house, but the moment he closed the front door, all he could hear were muffled noises.


    Theo walked to school all by himself today. This time around, Shirley wasn¡¯t here with him. He didn¡¯t find her absence all that weird. Knowing her, she was probably avoiding him on purpose. Considering how fidgety she¡¯s been getting, what with tomorrow fast approaching, he figured she¡¯d pull something like this sooner or later.


    Still, he thought her actions to be unnecessary. After all, regardless of what she does or where she hides, the two would still see each other during history class and once more during club.


    He shook his head.


    Prior to arriving at school, Theo already decided that he¡¯d skip today¡¯s training.


    He wasn¡¯t some mindless training machine. He needed a break every now and then. Besides, repeated attempted breakthroughs wasn¡¯t exactly a good thing, especially not with the destructive method that was Severance.


    Tales of practitioners who crippled themselves due to carelessness was not at all uncommon back on Mistelhan. Foreign energy was innately destructive. If it wasn¡¯t so destructive, then it wouldn¡¯t have been used in Severance. Even the gentler variants, like mana stones were not an exception to this. Leftover residual energy had a way of incrementally damaging the human body.


    Cases of self-harm through training were especially common for those who used alternate forms of energy (i.e. energy not from mana stones), much like what Theo was doing right now. The damage was especially bad for poor practitioners who specialized in mind and pit sources. Those types of people aspired to become mages. Unfortunately, they did not possess the necessary resources to purchase mana stones, so they could only settle for cheaper, but more violent alternatives.


    Many aspiring mages destroy themselves before they even get the chance to officially walk the path of magehood.


    Truthfully, Theo¡¯s body was already showing signs of deterioration. Electricity was one of the more destructive energies. On occasion, he would be met with this feeling of numbness. It lasted for a few hours, but the time it persisted for had steadily increased as the days pass. He feared that if it progressed any further, then he might just end up paralyzed on a hospital bed. What¡¯s more, there were the burns. He had several burns all over his body, most of which was concentrated on his fingers.


    Theo knew of a few ways to fix his current situation. The first method was to switch to a milder form of essence. Unfortunately, such a thing was impossible. The second method was to simply strengthen his body. He could do this by shifting his focus over to the flesh source. The flesh source affected the physical body, and by breaking its shackles, not only would it make him stronger and faster, it would also increase his resilience and recovery rate.


    Still, he couldn¡¯t just switch focus halfway through. At the very least, he first needed to break through to the second shackle of the mind source.


    Luckily, he was getting close. The second shackle had already cracked. He needed one more push in order to break it. In fact, one of the reasons why he decided to take a break today was so that he could relax and put himself in an optimal state for that last push.


    Thinking back on it now, although he was a bit unsatisfied with his current progress, there really was no reason to. In terms of speed, he was actually considerably faster than when he first attempted Severance back on Mistelhan.


    On Mistelhan, normal people took at least one month in order to break through the first shackle unassisted. The 2<sup>nd</sup> shackle usually took six months, the third a year, and so on and so on. The times between each interval only kept increasing with the number of shackles one breaks.


    Theo himself was not only a genius, but also the hero. It only took him a week to break his first shackle and a month to break his second. In total, it took him a little less than three years to break his ninth. By normal standards, he was incredibly fast. Now, on Plume, he was even faster.


    Less than a day¡¯s time to break the first shackle and less than a week to break the second. He estimated that with his current rate of improvement, it would only take about a year, maybe even less for him to reach nine shackles.


    He chalked up his speed to experience. Not many in both worlds could say that they experienced the process of severance more than once.


    Theo shook his head.


    Although he had vowed to not do anything today, before he even realized it, he found himself standing in front of the clubroom. By this point, it had already become a habit. After some thought, he decided to kill time in the clubroom. After all, he really had nothing better to do, and he sure as hell wasn¡¯t about to spend five hours attending class and studying like an actual productive student.


    He opened the door. The first thing he saw was Mary¡¯s lonely figure. She sat by the table, a plate full of butter cookies before her. There was a thin paperback book in her hands.


    ¡°Good morning, Mary.¡± Like he did every morning, Theo greeted her.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    And as always, she didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she closed her book shut and stuffed it into her bag, before she got up and headed for the door. Theo was unfazed by her reaction. He simply sauntered over towards the table and placed a cookie in his mouth.


    ¡°Bye, it was a nice conversation.¡± He spoke through a mouthful of food. ¡°See you this afternoon.¡±


    Mary¡¯s tightly shut lips slightly twitched. Just as she was about to walk out of the door, she suddenly stopped. She stared out at the hallway through a tiny crack in the glass window. Theo also noticed something with his accumulative perception.


    ¡°Oh? I wonder what¡¯s happening now¡­¡± He mumbled to himself as he walked over towards the doorway. He entered the room only a few seconds ago, but to think that someone else was already out there¡­ it felt as if he had missed a random event in a videogame. He shook his head. A commotion was happening in the normally abandoned halls of the old school building.

 Chapter 27: Another Incident

    Chapter 27: Another Incident


    Theo walked over and crouched beside Mary.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± He leaned forward and whispered to her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mary did not respond, but that was within his expectations. Truthfully, Theo did not mind. Instead, he focused his attention over towards the commotion outside, as he peered into the hallway through a crack in the glass window.


    There, he caught sight of four silhouettes. Judging by the group displacement, they were obviously divided into two parties. One group was pressed against the lockers, their quivering backs and trembling shoulders in full display. The second group was a lot more domineering. They towered over the other two, their silhouette¡¯s bulkier and their stances a lot more confident.


    Although they were quite a distance away from the clubroom, Theo could clearly make out those newcomers with the help of his enhanced vision.  From this angle, it was a clear case of bullying. Two people were being extorted by a group of unruly delinquents.


    Theo briefly wondered whether or not he should go help, when he heard shuffling from beside him. He turned around, only to see Mary walking away from the door. Looking at her face, he caught the brief glint of resentment that flashed through her eyes.


    Ah, that¡¯s right¡­ With the commotion going on outside, she¡¯ll probably find it impossible to go out now.


    With this, Mary¡¯s daily routine had been broken. Instead of normally ignoring Theo¡¯s presence, she was now forced to stay in the same room as him for who knows how long. What¡¯s more, she clearly did not have the mind to confront the delinquents herself, so all she could do was resign herself to this room.


    Mary was clearly dissatisfied, although Theo did have to wonder, how much of that dissatisfaction stemmed purely from being around him? He had a rather negative outlook on his relationship with this blue-haired mute. From his perspective, she probably found him disgusting or something. After all, many people interpret lewd jokes differently. Some find it amusing, while others abhor it entirely. In his mind, her first impression of him should be purely based on that one joke that he had said to Mao Lin a few chapters back.


    Still, since it¡¯s already come to this, he couldn¡¯t just stand back and watch his helpless fellow club member. He decided to help out. In the end, he had still been regarded as a hero back on Mistelhan. Although he constantly complained and although Theo did not really view himself as a very heroic individual, at the very least, he thought of himself as somewhat half-genuine. Somewhere deep within his cold (perverted) heart, there existed that one tiny spark of altruism.


    Although this is probably going to be a thankless job, a hero¡¯s got to do what a hero¡¯s got to do¡­ He inwardly thought to himself as he shot one last look at Mary¡¯s fuming silence.


    Theo looked around the room for a moment, before his eyes landed on an unused metal bucket. He quickly picked it up, and briefly inspected the object. The surface was a bit rusty, but luckily it didn¡¯t give off any sort of weird smell, nor was there any mold growing inside the thing.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not perfect, but it should work fine¡­¡± He muttered to himself as he lightly knocked on the bucket¡¯s surface with his knuckles. A crisp metallic echo reverberated through the air. ¡°I probably need something else too¡­¡±


    Off to the side, Mary shot Theo a discreet look. For a split second, her face showed a questioning expression.


    ****


    A somewhat chubby looking high schooler stood in the middle of the hallway. His pants sagged almost halfway down his butt, while a wrinkled dress shirt flapped loosely by his side. Underneath he wore a green tank top.


    The thuggish looking high schooler glowered at a skinny youth. The youth shivered with his hands held in front of him and his back pressed against the rusty lockers.


    BANG!


    The thug slammed his fists against the metal surface.


    ¡°You got the cash?¡± A very stereotypical line left his mouth.


    ¡°N-no, no I don¡¯t, b-b-bu, but it¡¯s not my fault.¡± The skinny youth stuttered out. He had pale skin and sickly eyes. He appeared frail, and his hair had started prematurely thinning. The youth had a frightened expression on his face. ¡°Y-you guys suddenly increased the amount. T-that¡¯s not fair. I, I can¡¯t possibly get that much money on such a short notice.¡±


    There was another kid standing beside him. He was furiously nodding his head in agreement.


    The thug frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not our problem now, is it? Go steal from your parents or something, I don¡¯t care. We all attend a private school. Your folks should be more or less loaded, right?¡±


    ¡°B-but if I take too much, they¡¯ll notice.¡±


    BANG!


    The thug¡¯s friend, a youth with beefy shoulders and a crewcut, suddenly grabbed the sickly student¡¯s collar and slammed him up against the wall. The student let out a frightened shriek as he furiously struggled to free himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Crew cut had a somewhat dumber face than his friend. It was definitely a whole lot uglier when contorted into a scowl. ¡°Get the money by the end of the day or I¡¯ll rip out your leg and shove it back down your own ass!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it!¡± He sputtered out a cough. ¡°Let me go, l-let me go first, and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    Just before he could finish, a creaking sound suddenly filled the hall.


    For a moment, silence. The Crewcut¡¯s shoulders tensed. He had a somewhat apprehensive expression on his face.


    That was definitely the sound of a door opening, why was there the sound of a door opening?


    The abandoned section of the building should be¡­ well, abandoned. It was one of the primary reasons why this place was their go-to spot for making ¡®transactions¡¯ like this. There wasn¡¯t supposed to be anyone around here. That¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be, but¡­ lately, there¡¯s been rumors.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    During the days, pain filled anguished moans echo through the abandoned halls of the building. The regular students all assumed that the gangs were behind the noises. Maybe they were fighting amongst themselves, or they were torturing another poor sod out of his money, who knows. The regular students did not pay it much attention, but the thugs thought differently.


    In a sense, the abandoned section was a strategic location for them. They wouldn¡¯t dare do anything that attracted too much attention. Heck, they don¡¯t even visit this place all that often. Maybe once a week or a few times a month. That was all to keep up the illusion that the abandoned section was truly abandoned.


    Thus, after the rumors of the noise started to spread, some theories began to pop up within the inner circle of thugs. Some thought it was a busybody trying to cause trouble for them, while more gullible delinquents concluded it to be ghosts. Idiot faced Crew-cut was the latter.


    Once he heard the noise, the first thing that popped into his mind was ghosts.


    His face turned a shade paler. The other three also showed surprised faces, albeit with noticeably less fear than Crew-cut. He cautiously turned around to the source of the noise. The sight before him shocked him into silence.


    Standing in the middle of an opened doorway was a silhouette of a student.


    The figure itself wasn¡¯t all that intimidating. The student was a bit on the thin side, just a little better than the kid he currently held by the throat. He held a broom in one hand. Nothing about him stood out, nothing except his head.


    What the¡­


    His head, or rather, the place where his head should be, in its place was a rusty metal bucket.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± He heard one of the nerds exclaim.


    Crew-cut nudged his friend. ¡°That, you think that¡¯s the ghost from the rumors?¡±


    His friend, while not as gullible as he was, was also plenty superstitious.


    The thug in the green tank top dazedly shook his head. ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. He looks kinda human, don¡¯t he?¡±


    Crew-cut stiffly nodded his head. Looking a bit more closely, he discovered that instead of the guy having a bucket for a head, it was just a simple case of a bucket over his head.


    Suddenly, the lone figure moved forward.


    The group of four tensed up. Confusion and hesitation with just a tiny dash of fear. Crew-cut exchanged glances with his friend.


    What should we do? was what his eyes were saying.


    Theo stopped just a couple of steps away from them. While he couldn¡¯t quite see with the bucket in his hand, he was plenty capable of identifying their general direction. Even fighting in this state wasn¡¯t much of a problem for him.


    ¡°Get out of here,¡± he said. His voice sounded muffled and metallic. ¡°and leave those guys alone.¡±


    After hearing the bucket-headed newcomer speak, the tenseness in the air suddenly dissipated. It was as if an illusion had suddenly been lifted. While they still didn¡¯t quite know who the newcomer was, or why he was here, at the very least, they were certain that he was not some ill-fated apparition that haunted the empty halls.


    Still, everyone was confused. One of them couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why the hell do you have a bucket on your head?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so that you won¡¯t come looking for me after I beat you all up.¡± Theo calmly answered, citing anonymity once more. As always, he was an advocate for a quiet and peaceful life.


    ¡°Okay, but why a bucket?¡± The thug pressed on.


    ¡°Yeah, like why a bucket? Can¡¯t you use a hood or a bandana or something?¡± At this point, even the ones being bullied started questioning him.


    ¡°Can you even see out of that?¡±


    Theo let out a sigh. Through the bucket, it sounded more like a low-rumbling growl. Their questions were pricking on his nerves. It was fine for the thugs to ask him these things, but why the hell were the people he was trying to save acting like this? Where was their gratitude? Why did it feel like they didn¡¯t actually know he was trying to save them?


    ¡°I can see perfectly fine. Never mind the bucket. You two,¡± he pointed at the thugs. ¡°Just get out of here. Quit picking on the weak. ¡°


    ¡°Hah?¡± Crew-cut furrowed his brow. He let go of the sickly youth and approached Theo. ¡°Quite butting in our business. You get lost, bucket boy?¡±


    Bucket boy?


    What sort of name was that? Why was everyone tacking on the word ¡®boy¡¯ whenever they addressed him?  He could take being called lover boy by Maddy and Nica primarily because they were beautiful women, but why the hell was this doofus calling him that? Even his Aunt Lynn had a habit of calling him ¡®boy¡¯.


    Did he really look that young? Even with his face covered and his voice distorted, was he really that young looking?


    As Theo was somewhat despairing, the thug in front of him reached out towards his face. Crew-cut was intent on pulling off that stupid bucket from his head.


    Just before he could reach it though, Theo suddenly leaned back and dodged. At the same time, he swung his broom, hitting the thug in his exposed armpit.


    ¡°Aargh!¡± A pained scream echoed through the air, before the thug¡¯s arm fell limply to his side. He hurriedly took a step back while caressing his shoulder. ¡°Ouch, what the fuck?!¡±


    At this point, Crew-cut was thoroughly angered. He forgot all about his previous fears and stared at Theo with unmasked rage.  At the same time, Theo was disinclined to wait any longer.


    He swung his broomstick once more. The thug tried in vain to dodge, but everywhere he went, a wooden stick would be there to intercept him. After a few seconds, a loud thud echoed through the room.


    He laid sprawled on the floor, unconscious.


    The other thug stood there in shock. The fight had ended so quickly that he hadn¡¯t had time to react. He stared at Theo and hesitated. Should he stay and fight or should he just run? Although he didn¡¯t have much confidence, in the end, he gritted his teeth and dashed towards him.


    Theo leisurely sidestepped, easily avoiding the thug¡¯s charge. The thug continued forward for a few feet, before he slammed into the lockers. His knees almost buckled from the impact. He shook his head and turned to glare at Theo.


    Theo casually walked towards him, swinging the broomstick by his side in the process.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, the thug once again dashed forward. He let out a vigorous roar and rushed towards him like a maddened bull. His head led the charge, much like a pro wrestler or maybe a linebacker.


    Before he could get any further though, Theo swung the broomstick horizontally. The bottom end of the broomstick accurately hit him in the small gap between his neck and his jaw. Even before he hit the ground, the thug was already unconscious.


    Theo breathed out a sigh of relief.


    He lightly stretched his shoulders and turned back around to face the ones that he had just rescued.


    To his surprise, instead of them cowering in fear or them profusely thanking him, the two sickly looking youths were huddled around the first thug that he had knocked out.


    Their hands frantically patted his body. At first, it looked like a case of sexual assault, but Theo quickly dismissed such a thought after he heard what they were saying.


    ¡°Quickly, quickly! Find it, find it!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m looking as fast as I can!¡±


    They were frantically searching for something. Although Theo couldn¡¯t see the crazed look in their eyes, he heard the feverishness in their voices.


    Theo thought for a moment, before he walked over towards them. He figured that maybe they were just trying to retrieve something that the thugs had stolen from them. His easy-going attitude abruptly stopped when he heard the sound of crinkling plastic.


    Just then, one of the students pulled something out from the thug¡¯s pocket. His eyes glimmered in delight. ¡°Ah, I found it! I got it, I finally got i¡ªAAARGH!¡± Before he could finish, he suddenly groaned out in pain.


    Theo loomed over him. His foot was pressed against the guy¡¯s hand. From the small opening underneath the bucket, Theo saw it. The sickly student¡¯s pale fingers were tightly clutching onto a small Ziploc baggy containing what looked to be crushed powder. The bag was about half the size of a child¡¯s palm. The contents appeared dirty yellow, like someone had taken the time to crystalize concentrated urine and smush it up into tiny particles.


    Despite the pressure he used to hold the sickly student¡¯s hand down, the youth stubbornly refused to let go. His hands were clenched tightly onto the bag, almost as if the contents of that bag far outweighed the value of life itself.


    Theo frowned.


    Drugs?


    ¡°H-hey, stop it, man! L-let go of him.¡± The other student attempted to approach Theo, but Theo was disinclined to respond. Without turning around, he swung his broomstick. It accurately hit the youth in the face, knocking him unconscious.


    The second student crumpled to the floor, while Theo dug his shoe even deeper into the first student¡¯s hand. This time, he was forced to let go.


    Theo kicked the baggy away, while he leaned down towards the youth¡¯s frightened face.


    The dull surface of the metal bucket loomed over him like the emissary of death. In a muffled voice filled with coldness, Theo gravely spoke, ¡°You, explain what¡¯s going on here.¡±

 Chapter 28: An Ominous Foreboding

    Chapter 28: An Ominous Foreboding


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll talk, I already said I¡¯ll talk, so j-just don¡¯t hurt me anymo-AARGH!¡±


    In the middle of his ramblings, Theo applied more pressure to his foot. The sound of something cracking echoed through the air, but Theo did not pay it any attention.


    He tilted his head and ¡®looked¡¯ down at the sickly youth pinned beneath the ball of his foot. In a cold muffled voice, he uttered one word, ¡°Speak.¡±


    The youth whimpered, furiously nodding his head. He tried to reach for his broken hand, but every time he so much as moved, Theo would press harder. In the end, the youth could only grit through the pain and explain his side of the story.


    In short, Theo misunderstood the original situation.


    These two sickly students weren¡¯t being bullied or extorted out of their money by the thugs. No, in fact, they were junkies. The sickly students were regular customers, and often came to this part of the building in order to buy drugs. The burly students currently sprawled on the floor were their dealers.


    The thugs were originally part of a gang called the Pit Cobras. Theo wasn¡¯t really familiar with that name, but judging by the way the junkie described it, there was a high possibility that some of the guys that he recently beat up were a part of the Pit Cobras, or at least associated with them.


    The Pit Cobras were an insidious bunch. They weren¡¯t just students playing mafia. No, the Pit Cobras were an honest-to-god gang with groups all across the city. A few months ago, they were limited to Central district, but as of late, they¡¯ve begun encroaching on the surrounding areas. In fact, most of the turmoil and chaos currently happening all around him were a result of the gang¡¯s ¡®invasion¡¯.


    One of the most detestable parts about this gang was the fact that they heavily targeted middle schools and high schools. They corrupted the youth and recruited young, impressionable students into their ranks. Recently, they even mustered up the nerve to openly sell drugs on campus. That sort of audacity was only possible because of how deeply they had the board in their pockets.


    It wasn¡¯t just the school board too. If what this junkie said was reliable, then a portion of the local district police was in on it too. Just the thought of that brought a frown to Theo¡¯s lips.


    As for the drugs, the yellow powder in the baggy was a substance known on the streets as Devil¡¯s Spice. Apparently, it was something that the Pit Cobras got from overseas. The junkie tried to downplay its affects, stating how it wasn¡¯t all that addictive, and it only gave its users a mild high, but Theo did not believe it. Just from the junkie¡¯s current state alone, he knew just how destructive this drug really was.


    At the very least, it was a highly addictive substance.


    The Pit Cobra¡¯s usual mode of operation was to get unsuspecting students hooked on the drug first by offering them at a low price. After a couple of ¡®freebies¡¯, they would then jack up the price. It wasn¡¯t really extortion, but it might as well have been. Those that could afford it had to pay exorbitant prices, while those that can¡¯t were given one alternative; join the gang. According to the junkie, even a few teachers were caught with this method.


    It was a seriously bad epidemic that was currently destroying Valery Heights from the inside out.


    The two gangsters from before were following protocol. After selling the drug at a cost, they suddenly jacked up the price, which resulted in the junkies resisting. After that, Theo misunderstood the situation and as a result, he needlessly butted in.


    After silently listening to the junkie¡¯s explanation, Theo¡¯s expression grew somber.


    He realized the severity of the situation. At first, he had assumed that Shirley¡¯s original worries were exaggerated. He thought that it was simply just a case of unruly delinquents running amok in the neighborhood. As someone with his level of experience, he didn¡¯t really put any of the recent events to mind, but after this incident, he was forced to rethink his mindset.


    Drug deals during class hours and corruption within the faculty¡­ the situation was already quite dire. Even back on Mistelhan, cases like this rarely happened. Bandits and the like were always limited in scope. The powers that may be able to pull this off were at the level of criminal syndicates. Of course, the circumstances between Mistelhan and Plume were vastly different. Theo did not think that the Pit Cobras were anything like the overseas criminal empires that he so often heard about on the news.


    Still, even if the scale of the Pit Cobras operations were miniscule in comparison, the damage that they could do on a small scale was already too much in Theo¡¯s opinion. It may have been fine if it was happening somewhere else, but this sort of thing was happening near his home and around his loved ones.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As he sank into thought, the anguished screams wrenched him back into reality. He looked down. The junkie was a slobbering mess. Tears and mucus ran down his face. Theo had not noticed, but the more he thought about the situation, the harder he pressed down with his foot.


    In the end, Theo was subconsciously grindings the ball of his foot even deeper into the junkie¡¯s broken hand. Seeing the dude¡¯s pained expression, Theo felt some remorse, but not much. In a sense, this guy was a victim, but he couldn¡¯t really bring himself to feel any sort of lasting sympathy for these types of people. After all, even if the thugs supplied the drugs, he was still the one responsible for taking them.


    ¡°I-I-I told¡ª ARGH¡ª I told you already, s-so, please let me g¡ªAAARGH!¡±


    After considering his words, Theo eventually lifted his foot.


    The junkie breathed out a quivering sigh, before he carefully caressed his broken hand. He looked fearfully at Theo, his eyes occasionally darting towards the hallway. Even without seeing it for himself, the junkie¡¯s intentions were obvious.


    Theo leisurely picked up the yellow baggy off the floor and carefully played with it. As he was doing so, the junkie suddenly bolted down the hall. Theo did not mind. In fact, he expected for such a thing to happen. Before the junkie could get any further, a broomstick suddenly came flying towards him.


    It hit him in the back of his neck. The sickly youth immediately lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor.


    Theo¡¯s actions were cold and swift. The metal broom clattered to the floor, just as he shook his head and turned around. Theo casually tossed the yellow baggy out of an open window. It landed somewhere in the bushes.


    He removed the helmet from his head and breathed out a sigh of relief. Sweat accumulated on his forehead. The interior of that metal bucket was surprisingly humid. He tossed the bucket aside and briefly scanned the surroundings.


    Four unconscious bodies, all spread out evenly across the hallway.


    Right now, his head was plagued by a myriad of thoughts. Things had already progressed to such an extent. Should he but in and take matters into his own hands or should he just continue doing what he¡¯s already been doing?


    It was the difference between preventative action and reactionary action.


    His current attitude was more aligned with the latter; Theo only acted when the bad and ugly reared its head in his direction. If he saw someone being harassed directly in front of him, then he would act, but he wasn¡¯t willing to go out of his way and help with disaster relief at a place nearly half a city away. On Mistelhan, he was different. As a hero, he had to act even before the bad guys knew what they were even plotting. It was the only way to save the maximum amount of lives.


    Was Theo really willing to once again take up the mantle of hero?


    He let out a sigh.


    Right now, he felt unimaginably tired. He left behind many things on the other world. He had thought that the baggage that comes with being the hero was one of those things. In actuality, it never left. Plume had simply repackaged it and disguised it as something different.


    After thinking for a while, he shook his head. In the end, he decided to postpone his decision. He wasn¡¯t the hero from Mistelhan anymore. Whether he was prepared to walk down that path again¡­ well, that was just a question better left for the future him to answer.


    He had more important things to worry about, like his date tomorrow with Shirley.


    Aside from that, he couldn¡¯t help but bitterly groan.


    Ah, why does it feel like everytime I go to school, I end up meeting up with a delinquent? He looked back on the unconscious bodies on the floor. And what the hell kind of private school is this? I just beat up a few kids in the middle of a hallway, yet no one is here to stop me. This place really has fallen pretty low.


    Theo shook his head. He briefly wondered whether he should just leave these guys here like that, but first, he decided to return to the clubroom and check up on Mary.


    Just as he was about to head back, he suddenly saw her. Mary walked out of the clubroom with the same unfocused gaze in her eyes.


    Theo stopped for a moment.


    ¡°So, you alright?¡± He eventually asked. ¡°hope I didn¡¯t scare you too much with all this.¡± He unenthusiastically waved towards his surroundings.


    Mary briefly looked at the surroundings. For a split second, he caught the slight twitch in her left eye.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Still, she did not respond, which was to be expected.


    Theo bitterly smiled. He stared at this blank-faced girl with a helpless expression on his face. How was he supposed to interact with this girl? Mao Lin stressed earlier this week that as fellow club members, they should all try to get along and befriend one another. Unfortunately, even after a week, he felt as if he still hasn¡¯t made any progress with this girl.


    He habitually scratched the back of his head. Just as he was wondering what to say next, Mary spoke to him for the very first time.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Her words were short, while her voice was flat. It was spoken in a soft, almost whisper-like tone, but with Theo¡¯s senses, he had heard it loud and clear. Before he could appreciate the moment any longer, her next words hit him like a bucket of cold water.


    ¡°¡­ but I don¡¯t need your help.¡±


    Without explaining any further, she pulled on the straps of her backpack, raised her head proudly in the air, and walked away. Theo blankly watched her go. Just as she was about to turn the corner, Mary looked back at him one last time. Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t do anything unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Ah, um¡­ right.¡± Theo dumbly responded, but his words were met with nothing but the sound of receding footsteps.


    After a few a while, he weekly chuckled. ¡°Ahh¡­ it really was a thankless job.¡± He breathed out a heavy sigh. Today, he learned a valuable lesson; helping a beauty wasn¡¯t the sure-fire way to pick up chicks that it had been originally advertised as.


    ¡°Still, that girl¡¯s a lot more perceptive than I first assumed.¡± He muttered to himself, a hint of a smile etched onto his lips. Even without him saying anything to her, she had figured out almost immediately that the reason why he confronted those guys was all because of her. The thank you was an acknowledgement of his efforts, even if she retroactively receded it a few seconds later.


    After she left, Theo directed his gaze to the ground. In the end, it was back to the same question; what should he do about these unconscious fellows?

 Chapter 29: Clean Up Crew

    Chapter 29: Clean Up Crew


    After Mary left, Theo once again found himself all alone.


    His eyes naturally wandered to the mess on the floor. Four bodies, two of them junkies and the other two delinquents.


    He felt conflicted.


    They were still unconscious and it didn¡¯t look like they would be waking up anytime soon. Should he just leave them here like this or should he do something about them? Normally, he wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to a matter like this, but the thought of leaving them in front of the clubroom left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. What if they were still here even after school ended? Although it was still relatively early in the morning, he did knock them out pretty hard.


    In cases like this, Theo¡¯s sense of time was rather skewed. Back on Mistelhan, he often fell into mini-comas that lasted upwards of two weeks. On the battlefield, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for soldiers to pass out for days at a time. Of course, many of those incidents, including his own, were accompanied by life-threatening injuries, most of them magic related.


    In summary, he lost track of what the norm was for normal people. What would he do if they really were still here come after school? Theo did not want Shirley to see such an ugly sight.


    So, in the end, what should he do?


    Go to a teacher? Honestly speaking, doing such a thing sounded like a hassle. Plus, he recalled back to the junkie¡¯s words: a significant portion of the staff was corrupt. If he really went to the faculty room to report on this matter, then such a thing would force him to reveal his face. Those corrupted teachers might rat on him or something. Even if he simply told them that he found the thugs here, they¡¯d still probably look for trouble.


    He shook his head. Theo immediately scratched out that option.


    Maybe I can move them myself? Stuff them into a locker or something¡­


    Just as Theo inwardly thought to himself, his ears suddenly perked up. He heard the sound of squeaking wheels. He turned around just in time to see an old man walking towards him.


    The man had balding white air. His face was wrinkled, raisin-like spots dotted his cheeks like a dalmatian. His most noticeable feature was the blue jumpsuit that he wore. He slowly hobbled towards Theo, a noticeable limp in his step. He wheeled around a yellow mop bucket.


    The old man looked up.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He spoke in a weathered voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Theo was surprised by the sudden visitor. For a moment, he hesitated. The old man¡¯s eyes were clearly locked onto the bodies on the floor. Strangely enough, he did not seem all that surprised. Instead, his voice betrayed a certain sense of helplessness.


    ¡°Um, who are you?¡± Theo unconsciously asked although he regretted it almost instantly. Going by his outfit, it was readily apparent that the man before him was some sort of janitor.


    The old man pointed to the laminated name tag pinned to his left breast. A single word; Jermain. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m a janitor.¡± The man explained. ¡°Although don¡¯t go callin¡¯ me a janitor now. I prefer the term, ¡®Sanitation Engineer¡¯. Rolls right of the tongue, don¡¯t it?¡±


    The man smiled a toothy smile. ¡°Name¡¯s Jermain. Most kids just call me Mr. J though.¡± Without giving Theo the chance to speak, he widened his eyes and exaggeratedly scanned the surroundings. After a few seconds, he let out a melodious whistle. ¡°usually, nobody comes ¡®round to this parts of the school, but I take some time off my day to go.¡± He explained noncommittally. ¡°You might not know this young man, but there¡¯re some clubs ¡®round here, as crazy as that sounds. Someone¡¯s gotta keep ¡®em clean for the kids.¡±


    He turned towards Theo. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Theo nodded his head. As a member of a club that just so happened to reside within the abandoned section of the school, he couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the effort that this Jermain had put in.


    Seeing him nod, the old man chuckled to himself. ¡°And what about you?¡± he asked. ¡°Yer a student. Class¡¯s already begun. You aren¡¯t skippin¡¯ class now, are ya?¡±


    ¡°Erm, well, it¡¯s kind of a long story.¡± Theo awkwardly scratched his head. Underneath the probing gaze of this old man, he felt as if all of his secrets were laid bare for the world to see. Theo shook his head and hastily changed the subject, ¡°Enough about that, you¡¯re an, um, a sanitation engineer, right? I wonder if this sort of ¡®trash¡¯ is included in your job description.¡± He gestured toward the ground.


    For a moment, the old man looked hesitant, before he eventually shook his head and let out a sigh. With a small groan, he slowly squatted to the ground. He gingerly poked one of the guys with the end of his mob.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s up with these fellas?¡± He asked. ¡°Judging by everything, they all look like they been smacked on the head or something. See this right here?¡± He further pointed towards a particular red mark on the body¡¯s jaw bone. ¡°Looks like a stick or maybe a pole, judgin¡¯ by the size and shape of the mark.¡±


    The old man looked back over to Theo. After a moment, his gaze shifted towards the broomstick on the floor.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Theo let out an awkward chuckle. ¡°You can tell?¡±


    Jermain faintly smiled. ¡°I used to do a bit a martial arting back when I was a lad. I can¡¯t say I know a whole lot, but I do know a thing or two about fightin¡¯. It¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t throw a punch as good as back in my early twenty¡¯s though¡­ well, enough ¡®bout that. So, you mind explaining what happened ¡®round here?¡±


    Theo hesitated, but in the end, he honestly explained his situation.


    After he finished, the old man solemnly nodded his head. He breathed out another sigh. ¡°Well, can¡¯t say I really blame you. If I had a bit more jump in my step, then I¡¯d a probably done the same thing. Still, I don¡¯t think you can trust most of the teacher¡¯s around here.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Many of em eat out of the same bowl as those street rats. Even the ones that don¡¯t are all weak-willed, easily bribed or threatened.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what should I do?¡± The questioned.


    ¡°Well, let me think fer a moment¡­ ah, although there ain¡¯t a lot a people you can trust, you can sure as hell trust me. Though, I doubt I can ¡®clean¡¯ this whole place up by my lonesome¡­ well, I do know someone else, that you can trust.¡±


    The old man smiled. His smile looked innocent and jovial, it had a way of disarming someone. Maybe that was why Theo felt inclined to trust him, even with the possibility that this ¡®kind¡¯ old man may have been a part of the corrupted faculty that he had been worrying about. Plus, there was also another trait that Theo noticed.


    He felt a certain sense of familiarity from this old man. The man¡¯s demeanor, the way he walked, even down to the way he held his mop, there was a certain sense of rigidness to it. He was seemingly full of openings, but blink, and you¡¯d find that those openings don¡¯t really exist. Weathered and battered, but glowing with experience; the old man was a soldier. Or at least, he had seen his own fair share of battlefields.


    Theo nodded.


    The old man nodded back and pulled out an old looking flip phone.


    He dialed a number, and after a few seconds of static, a voice resonated through the speakers. ¡°Ah, squad le¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, good mornin¡¯, little Miss.¡± Before the voice could finish, the old man suddenly interrupted. He inadvertently glanced back at Theo¡¯s figure. Theo, on the other hand, was distracted. His eyes were locked onto the fallen bodies. Although he had not seen the old man¡¯s strangeness, he did still hear it.


    Theo¡¯s ears perked up.


    After a few seconds of silence, the other person at the end of the line continued, ¡°yes, Mr. Jermain, was it? What did you want?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I got a bit of a thing that I¡¯ll be needin¡¯ your help in.¡± he explained. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you can stop by the abandoned parts of the school?¡± He sheepishly scratched the back of his balding head.


    A short pause. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡±


    A few minutes later, Theo suddenly heard the sound of clacking high heels. Turning his head, he caught sight of a familiar face.


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the little perv¡ª¡± She coughed, interrupting herself. ¡°¡ªthe little kid from the other day.¡± A lady with a curvy body and brilliant sunset blonde hair. She wore a white lab coat over a form-fitting black boat-neck dress.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Howlett.¡± Theo lightly greeted.


    In response, she inwardly scoffed. Look at this kid, acting like a polite and upright student. Who knows what sort of thoughts are running through this lecherous little demon¡¯s head. She had not forgotten what had happened earlier that week. In fact, it was still fresh in her memory.


    She briefly glanced down at the bodies on the floor. A full week hasn¡¯t even passed, and this guy¡¯s already gone ahead and beat up more people.


    Eliza shook her head. She stared at Jermain for a few seconds, before she turned back over to Theo. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not here asking me to help you hide a couple of corpses.¡±


    Theo rolled his eyes, before he gave her a brief rundown on the situation. He was a bit surprised to see Eliza here, but if it was her, then he had some modicum of trust. After all, the lady had watched mutely as he beat up another student. Even now, he still hadn¡¯t received any backlash from that incident.


    After he finished explaining, Eliza¡¯s expression had turned deathly serious. After a few seconds of tense silence, she eventually nodded. A soft sigh leaked out from her parted lips.


    ¡°So you can help?¡± The asked.


    She couldn¡¯t help but glare at his unassuming face.


    ¡°I get it now.¡± She chuckled to herself. ¡°You beat up a few more students, but you don¡¯t want to deal with all that responsibility, so you¡¯re planning on dumping all the hassle onto my hands.¡±


    He helplessly shook his head. ¡°That isn¡¯t it, really. I just thought that this sort of thing was better left for the adults to handle. It does involve things like drugs and stuff.¡±


    ¡°And? Where are those drugs now?¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­ well, I threw them out the window.¡± Theo awkwardly laughed.


    Eliza rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the use in claiming these kids are drug pushers when you don¡¯t even have the evidence to back it up? For all I know, you could have just used that as an excuse to beat whoever you wanted up without suffering from any repercussions.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ that really isn¡¯t it!¡± He was left without an alternative. This mature looking lady was seriously opposing him to no end.


    After a few seconds, Eliza shook her head. It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t believe in him. She just wanted to tease him a bit, that¡¯s all. Seeing this kid¡¯s distressed expressions had a weird way of improving her mood.


    ¡°Fine, just leave this to me.¡± She eventually said. ¡°I can probably contact the police or something similar. I¡¯ll make sure that these guys get the punishment that they deserve, and the ones that need help will get the help that they need. As for you,¡± she waved her hand towards him. ¡°You¡¯re still just a student. Head back to class, or go somewhere else were I won¡¯t catch you. Leave the adult stuff to the adults.¡±


    Hearing her words, Theo eventually breathed out a sigh. After that rather stressful conversation, a part of him wished that he had just left the scene of the crime without doing anything. With Eliza¡¯s following words, Theo felt a small weight lift off his shoulders.


    He said goodbye to the two people in front of him, before he quickly walked away. One last thought lingered in his mind.


    A beautiful doctor and an old janitor¡­ just what sort of relationship do those two share?


    ****


    After Theo left, Eliza turned to Jermain.


    Eliza¡¯s face stiffened. Despite the fact that she was taller than the man in front of her, she felt as if she was the one looking up and not vice versa.


    Jermain amicably smiled. ¡°Well, since you went ahead and made a promise with that young man, then there¡¯s nothing else we can do but fulfill that promise.¡± He spoke in a brighter, less weathered voice from before. ¡°Let¡¯s handle this to the best of our abilities, shall we?¡±


    Eliza nodded her head.


    Despite the things that he had said a few seconds earlier, the old man had already started walking away. He leisurely waved a hand towards her. ¡°You handle it yourself. I still have some cleaning that I need to do.¡± With those parting words, he wheeled the mop bucket away from the scene of the crime.


    Eliza watched his weathered silhouette disappear into the morning shadows of a classroom, before the door closed shut behind him.


    After Jermain left, she breathed out a sigh of relief. She stared at the cracked glass of the classroom door for a few seconds, before she turned back towards the bodies on the floor. A moment¡¯s pause, before she pulled out a smartphone.


    The start of her long day was just beginning.