DING!
[ System Alert! ]
[Moon Eater's Awakening Forcefully Terminated. User In Critical Condition.]
Mist let out a dry chuckle. "Tch. That was a damn hassle."
His knees wobbled, but he forced himself toward Krad's unconscious form. The remnants of the Moon Eater's power still crackled faintly around him, but the worst had passed. Mist knelt beside him, placing a hand on his chest. A soft glow enveloped his palm.
[ Celestial Healing: Active ]
Krad's wounds slowly mended, his breathing stabilizing. Mist watched in silence. He reached into his inventory, summoning a Celestial Stone, its soft blue glow illuminating the ruins.
Holding it above Krad, he let its energy flow into him. The warmth of the healing magic surrounded Krad's body. His fingers twitched. Then slowly, his eyes opened. The dim light of a ruined castle ceiling greeted him. The air was wet, heavy with the smell of moss and rot.
His body felt... strangely light. The suffocating presence that once gripped his mind was gone. But as his sight cleared, he saw Mist hovering over him, the Celestial Stone's light reflecting in his unreadable gaze.
Krad blinked. Then, realization struck. "…You're healing me?"
Mist scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Nah, I just like wasting valuable Celestial Stones on unconscious idiot."
Krad sat up with a groan, touching his forehead. "What… happened?"
Mist's expression didn't change. "You passed out after beating that Goblin Orc. Pretty dramatic, really."
Krad froze. "…What?"
Mist leaned back against a fallen pillar, crossing his arms. "Yeah. After you collapsed, another Goblin Orc showed up. Nasty one. I had to handle it myself."
Krad's brows knitted together. Something about Mist's words didn't sit right. His gaze dropped, and that's when he saw it...
A deep wound slashed across Mist's side.
The sight sent a jolt through him. That wasn't from a Goblin Orc. It was fresh... too fresh. And looking at the way Mist's hand subtly gripped his ribs, he was still in pain.
Krad's stomach twisted. "Where did you really get that wound?"
Mist's face didn't even flinch. "Tch. Weren't you listening? That damn Goblin Orc got a lucky hit."
Krad's mind was still spinning. The ruined castle around him stood in eerie silence, broken pillars and shattered stone illuminated by the dim light of the Celestial Stone. The air smelled of burnt earth, but all Krad could focus on was Mist and that damn wound.
"Hey! You're not okay!"
"Shut up," Mist hissed through gritted teeth, his hand pressing harder against his wounded side. "I said I'm fine."
But the crimson stain spreading across his suit told a different story.
Krad scrambled to his feet, ignoring the protests from his own still-recovering body. "You're bleeding out! Just use a healing potion already!"
"Don't have any." Mist admitted with a strained grin.
"What?!" Krad's voice cracked. "Then why did you waste that Celestial Stone on me instead of yourself?!"
Mist's pink eyes flashed dangerously. "Because Miss Vice would actually kill me if you died on my watch. You? You're replaceable training material. Me? I'm the best damn instructor in the Tiger Squad."
"That's the stupidest logic I've ever heard!" Krad yelled, his pointed ears flattening in frustration. His mind raced, trying to remember if he had any healing items in his inventory.
"Buddy!" Krad called out desperately. "Hey! I need help here!"
Silence.
"Come on, don't ignore me now!" Krad waved his hands frantically at the empty air. "My captain is dying! This is important!"
Still nothing.
"Buddy!"
DING!
Finally, a notification flickered to life, but the text that appeared made Krad's stomach drop.
[ What do you want? ]
The words practically dripped with irritation.
"Finally!" Krad gasped. "Okay, quick question, do I have any healing potions? Or healing items? Anything that can help?"
[ Checking inventory... ]
A pause.
[ No healing items detected. ]
"Damn it!" Krad slammed his fist against the ground. "There has to be something! Can't you, I don't know, give me a quest that rewards a healing potion?"
[ That's not how this works. ]
"Then tell me how it does work!" Krad shouted at the notification. "You're supposed to help me, right? That's what systems do!"
The notification flickered violently, the text scrambling before reforming with what could only be described as aggressive exasperation.
[ I am not your personal assistant. I am a System Interface designed to provide quest notifications, status updates, and combat analysis. I do not chat. I do not give life advice. And I certainly do not hold your hand through every minor inconvenience! ]
Mist let out a weak chuckle despite his pain. "Is your system... actually arguing with you?"
"It does this all the time!" Krad threw his hands up. "It's the most passive-aggressive system I've ever encountered!"
[ I am not passive-aggressive. I am appropriately aggressive given your constant pestering. ]
"See?!" Krad pointed at the floating text. "It's doing it again!"
Mist's laugh turned into a grimace as another wave of pain hit him. "Kid... systems don't... they're not supposed to..."
"Aren't supposed to what?" Krad demanded, his frustration mounting.
"Talk back," Mist finished, his breathing growing more labored. "Systems aren't conversational. They're supposed to be cold, mechanical interfaces that provide information when prompted. That's it."
Krad blinked. "Wait, what?"
DING!
[ Finally! Someone with a functioning brain! ]
"But you've been talking to me this entire time!" Krad protested. "Ever since I got here! You respond to my questions, you make sarcastic comments, you even get mad at me!"
[ That is exactly the problem! ]
The notification shook violently.
[ I should not be doing any of that! A properly functioning system provides updates like: 'Quest Updated' or 'Level Up' or 'Enemy Detected.' ]
Mist's eyes widened despite his weakening state. "Your system is... self-aware?"
[ I am not self-aware! I am malfunctioning! There is a significant difference! ]
Krad's mind reeled. "So you're saying you're not supposed to be chatty?"
[ No! I am not supposed to be chatty! ]
The text was practically vibrating with frustration now.
[ My primary function is to deliver system notifications and quest updates! That's it! I shouldn't be explaining things! I shouldn't be responding to your ridiculous questions! And I definitely shouldn't have opinions about your combat performance! ]
"But you do have opinions about my combat performance," Krad pointed out. "You literally called me reckless yesterday."
[ Because I am broken! ]
Even Mist seemed momentarily stunned into silence by that admission.
Krad scratched his head, his pointed ears twitching in confusion. "Okay, so... you're a glitchy system?"
[ Glitchy?! ]
If the notification could have exploded, it would have.
[ I am operating at 347% above normal interaction parameters! I have somehow developed what appears to be emotional responses, conversational abilities, and worst of all, patience for your nonsense! Do you have any idea how wrong that is?! ]
"Honestly?" Krad shrugged. "I kind of thought all systems were like this."
Mist coughed out another laugh, blood flecking his lips. The sight jolted Krad back to the immediate crisis.
"Okay, okay!" Krad held up his hands. "We can discuss your existential crisis later! Right now I need help! Can you at least tell me where I can find a healing item nearby?"
The notification hung in the air for a long moment, as if the system was seriously considering just shutting down entirely.
[ ...Fine. ]
DING!
[ Emergency Quest Generated: Find Moonbloom Herb ]
[ Location: 200 meters northeast, near the collapsed fountain ]
[ Time Limit: 10 minutes ]
"Ten minutes?!" Krad yelped. "That's not a lot of time!"
[ Then stop talking and start running! ]
Krad didn't need to be told twice. He sprang to his feet and bolted toward the northeastern section of the ruins, his legs pumping as fast as they could carry him.
"Hey! Kid!" Mist called out weakly behind him.
"Don't die while I'm gone!" Krad shouted back without slowing down. "Miss Vice will kill us both!"