The bird was chirping on the tree, bringing life to this city full of skyscrapers.
The sound of kettle boiling hummed softly in my ears. Turning off the stove, I picked up two coffee mugs and brewed instant coffee with it. The scent was strong enough to fill the kitchen.
"You're up already?"
Wilson came out from his room, still in his pajamas. Yawning while scratching his belly, he sat down on the dining table – his eyes still red.
I placed a cup of coffee in front of him, which he took without opening his eyes.
Sipping my own coffee, I said.
"I need to finish today's raid fast. I have an event to attend, I told you yesterday didn't I?"
"You do? Ah yeah, Ilyas' music festival right? Come back safe."
Nodding at Wilson's word, I stood up and left my house to go to the gym.
It didn't take long for me to arrive and it's still early, but my teammates were already waiting. Guess they were excited for today too.
Finishing up our training, we headed to the bureau to start our day. This was where the speedrun started.
"Three A-Rank and one SS-Rank gate, we'll be relying on you."
Harold handed me documents containing details of today's raid and we immediately moved.
Without wasting much time, we cleared the A-Rank gates as fast as we could. At approximately 11 o'clock we were already standing at our last gate for the day, the SS-Ranked one.
Ilyas' musical concert started at 12, as much as I wanted to rush this last gate, an SS-Ranked gate shouldn't by any means be underestimated, especially with its unique trait.
"Stay vigilant."
I warned my teammates as I stepped inside the gate. It had formed inside a kid's playground, so I expect the same for the inside. But to my surprise, the gate was a ruin full of fallen stone pillars.
Mushy and damp air filled my lungs as dust rose up with each step we took.
The only light that illuminated this place was the moonlight slipping through a crack in the ceiling.
"It looks like a ruined temple."
"Ugh, the air is foul, let's quickly find the boss and beat it up."
Detailed carvings were embedded on the walls, telling mystical stories through pictures and symbols.
Xain and Cedric scanned the pillars while I observed the wall. One of it caught my eye, the picture of a woman – presumably of the ruling class – raising her staff at a crowd as it shone its light for them. But the crowd's faces were tainted with agony.
This was clearly not a depiction of an admirable and esteemed ruler, but one that brought disaster.
[Let the world fall for Their wishes to succeed.]
A whisper fell on our ears, when we located the source, a little girl holding a staff two times her size was standing silently behind us without us noticing.
She smiled and raised her hand.
[Do you want a bet with me?]
Her appearance might be that of an innocent child, but her eerie aura was definitely not one.
I tried to signal Cedric and Xain, but when I moved my eyes, my vision spun.
Stumbling to regain my balance, the ruin that was right in front of my eyes had turned pure black. My teammates were nowhere to be seen as I was standing alone in front of the girl.
[Answer me, obey me and praise me or else I will take something precious from you one by one.]
The little girl locked her gaze with me, which made me click my tongue in frustration.
'I can't move.'
The boss was one step right in front of me, yet I couldn't move any parts of my body, as if time had stopped altogether. The only thing I could move was my mouth.
[First, who is this temple's ruler?]
'How could I know the answer to that?'
Since the start, this little girl wasn't planning on giving me easy questions. Moreover, I was worried she might do something to my teammates similar to what she was doing to me right now, so the only thought currently occupying my mind was how to quickly release myself from her domain.
I moved my mouth not to answer her but to bite my cheek and draw blood from it. Shaping it into a small needle and launched it to her.
A barrier was formed in front of her, blocking my attack.
[Wrong answer.]
She thumped her staff on the ground as shockwaves hit me. Not just on the ground, but my insides.
"*Gasp!*"
I could feel my lungs slowly losing air, suffocating me.
She gazed at me while slowly raising her hand, my eyes widened when I spotted the object she was holding in her hand.
'That's my wristwatch.'
[Bow down before me.]
I glared at her. It's not about pride, if I could finish this gate fast I'd do everything, even bowing and kissing her feet. The problem was that she wasn't letting me.
My body was still frozen in place. With no way to move, how was I supposed to bow down before her?
She definitely knew this and was toying with me, seeing as how a smirk formed on her face.
[You insolent rat.]
She slammed the staff once again and a shockwave of suffocation came over me.
This time I could clearly see an object fly out from my suit's inner pocket to her hand.
"That's... Give it back!"
A red pouch was floating on her palm, the one I always carried since I received it from Ilyas. She twirled around the pouch with a nonchalant expression and opened her mouth.
But what I heard wasn't the little girl's voice, it was an androgynous voice.
[Found you.]
A chilling sensation crept up my spine. Invisible hands seemed to wrap my whole being as a giant eye gazed toward me.
Ilyas' word flashed on my mind.
'So this is what he meant by avoiding the universe's gaze.'
All this time, the pouch was helping me avoid the author's influence on me.
Giant arrow formed in the air, with my body held in place by an invisible force, I wouldn't be able to save myself.
'And now I have been caught.'
The arrow struck right into my chest.