We walk out.
One hyper child.
One mysterious goddess woman.
One dying man.
All with slushies in hand.
And for some reason, even with the cold drink in my hand and the lights of the parking lot flickering softly above us, I feel like I'd forgotten something. Something important. Something vital. Like a hole in my memory I couldn't quite see but could feel itching at the back of my skull.
Like… SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOMETHINGSOM THINGSOMETHING
I took another sip of my slushie like a fool.
Instant migraine.
Wait no, I have always had this headache since earlier this morning.
Let's change it. Instant regret.
Not from the cold this time. Just the overwhelming realization that my life choices were actively attacking me.
Ivy skipped beside me, her tongue already dyed an unnatural blue as she stuck it out proudly, like she'd just evolved into a new and dangerous species. Vesper walked on my other side, no floating. She was technically walking, but her feet barely seemed to touch the ground, movements smooth and unreal. She sipped her red slush with the solemn grace of a priest like accepting sacred wine.
Everything feels… normal.
Too nornal.
I stopped. Mid step.
The feeling of danger crept up my spine slowly, like icy fingers dragging themselves upward.
Ivy bumped into my back. "Ahjussi? Why'd you stop?"
Vesper halt as well. "Did you sense danger?"
Yes. Yes, I do sense danger.
I turned around.
The automatic doors of the store slid shut behind us with a soft hiss.
Inside, sitting calmly on the counter like an offering…
Completely abandoned…
The one thing I bought that actually mattered.
The eggs.
My fragile, helpless, soft-boiled sanity.
"...ah. crap."
Ivy gasps dramatically. "THE BABIES—"
They're not babies.
"BUT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN."
Vesper folded her hands together, eyes solemn. "We have left behind the fragile orbs of nourishment."
I stared up at the sky. "Why? Why is my life like this?"
I chugged my slushie out of spite.
Brain freeze hit me instantly.
"AGH— AH! WHY."
Vesper placed a gentle hand on my back. "A mortal mistake. It happens."
Ivy patted my leg.
"It's okay Da— I MEAN— AHJUSSI— we can save them!"
I groaned. "…Fine. Let's go back."
We marched toward the automatic doors like heroes returning for a sacred relic. Ivy bouncing with determination. Vesper is calm and dignified. Me actively dying inside.
The doors slid open.
Behind the counter stood the cashier.
She was holding the egg carton like a newborn child.
"You forgot this, sir." She said, as she slowly, gently HUM like putting a baby to sleep.
The other cashier gasped and held her hand in front of her mouth. like she had witnessed a destiny itself. "HE RETURNED FOR HIS EGGS— THE CYCLE CONTINUES…"
The cashier holding the Bab— eggs, offered it slowly unto me.
I grabbed the carton. "Thanks."
"We saved them!" Ivy cheered.
"A miracle," Vesper nodded.
"I want to go home," I whispered.
We stepped back into the parking lot again.
This time with the eggs.
And that's when the lights above the parking lot flicker.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
A neon blue ripple shimmers across the sky.
A thin neon-blue distortion sliced across the clouds like glowing glass bending out of shape. I froze…
Vesper's eyes widened. "That is not natural."
Ivy stopped licking her cup and stared upward. "Ahjussi… the sky is moving."
Before I could answer, Ivy looked down at the eggs in my arms.
"Didn't we buy chips, chocolates, sausages and hotdogs too?"
Realization hit me. Hard. Like a slap from the universe telling me I am, indeed, an idiot.
I looked down.
Only eggs...
"…We didn't bring any of the other groceries."
Ivy tilted her head slowly, like a confused baby duck.
"Ahjussi… did you just save one item?"
Vesper closed her eyes in disappointment. "…All the others have been abandoned to fate."
"THE CHIPS…" Ivy whispered in horror. "THE HOTDOGS. T-THE CHOCOLATES…"
Everything.
Left behind.
Inside that store.
Like abandoned children.
Like ivy. Oh wait I forgot she ran away.
I inhaled slowly. Then exhaled.
"…I hate my life."
Before I could even turn back—
The sky cracked.
Not with thunder.
But with distortion.
Reality itself vibrated, like it was buffering. A deep humming noise rolled through the air as a neon blue arc tore across the clouds, bending at impossible angles. Wind surged through the parking lot. Even the hairs on my arms stood up
Vesper steps forward, reverent.
"This is not mortal phenomena."
Of course it's not.
The neon line thickens. Expands.
Then explodes outward in a silent, shimmering shockwave that ripples across the entire sky.
Whoooshhhh
My vision distorts.
Then the system appeared.
[ SYSTEM NOTICE ]
──────────────────
QUEST: Have a Nice Day
Objective: Spend a peaceful day outside with ivy.
Status: completed
Reward: ???.
Tap for more details.
──────────────────
I tap.
───────────────────
[details]
For completing the quest, you receive a ??????
Accept now?
[Accept/decline]
───────────────────
I reach out—
Ivy suddenly squeezes my arm.
My finger slips.
✓✓✓[Decline.]✓✓✓
"...WHAT THE F—"
"…Ahjussi." Ivy whispered. "I'm scared."
I place a hand on her head.
I sigh. "It's okay. I'm here."
Then—
Cracking glass echoes behind us..
From the direction of the CU store.
I slowly turned around.
Above the CU store, a massive glowing blue magic circle was forming in the air. It rotated slowly, humming with unstable energy. Wind spiraled inward as if being sucked toward IT!
Vesper whispers, trembling.
"…Mortal. Someone— nay… Something is coming."
The portal widens.
The air vibrates.
My slushie cup shook so hard it burst in my hand.
"Okay," I muttered. "Nobody panic."
Ivy immediately panics. She grabs my shirt with both hands. "AHJUSSI!!! IT'S A BOSS MONSTER, FROM A GAME!!!"
Vesper steps closer, her voice dropping into that ancient, dramatic tone. "…A rift of unstable mana. A breach between realms. Carved open by a great power."
"Or maybe it's just CGI?—"
BOOM.
NEVERMIND.
The shockwave blasted across the lot. Wind roared. Lights shattered. Glass exploded outward. The remaining slushie drenched my shirt.
And all three of us screamed for different reasons.
"MY DRINK…" I nutted.
"MY LIFE!!!" Ivy screamed dramatically.
"MY HAIR!
The portal stabilized into a perfect ring of crackling blue fire.
And then—
A second one opened at the store entrance.
And a figure stepped out.
Slow. Calm. Silhouetted by light.
Even Vesper went silent.
And It was…
A CU STORE EMPLOYE!!!
Holding my forgotten groceries bags.
Holding my grocery bags!!!
"Sir!" She shouts, waving it dramatically.
"You forgot your chips and more!"
The cashier marches forward heroically, portal blazing behind her like a divine halo.
Wind blasted her apron like a divine hero's cape. Light shining behind her head.
My party-sized chips and groceries cradled in her arms like a sacred artifact.
"Sir, our store protocol strictly forbids leaving perishables or valuables behind," she declares. "I therefore returned them to you… through the portal."
"Through the WHAT—"
Vesper gasps softly. "She's… a gatekeeper… of another realm?"
"No… I think she just passed through the portal."
But before I could say anything, the portal behind her merged with the one hovering above the CU store.
The air rippled. Harder. Stronger. Like it's reacting.
A massive shadow pressed against the glowing membrane of the portal.
A claw emerged.
One massive claw.
Then another.
A low, guttural growl rolled through the parking lot, vibrating through my bones. Inside the store, the slushie machine rattled violently, like even it was afraid.
Ivy squeezed my arm so hard my bones nearly popped.
Yea no… Exaggerate.
"AHJUSSI— I DON'T THINK ITS HERE FOR THE CHIPS!"
Vesper stepped forward, her voice dropping into a hushed, ancient whisper.
"…This presence… it is hostile."
Of course it is. Just Look at that Big ass claw!
The store employee slowly turned around.
She stared at the monstrous silhouette pressing against the portal.
And in the quietest voice imaginable, she whispers. "…Sir. Even though this is just a dream, I would like to go home now."
No time.
The portal surges.
A wave of neon blue energy explodes outward.The wind roars. Streetlights shattered. The sky trembled like it was about to tear itself apart.
The creature forces its way through—
And I did the most heroic, brave, noble thing possible
I shove the eggs into Ivy's arms and screamed.
"RUN!"