In the restaurant, warm lights flickered as voices murmured nearby.
Anton leaned back in his chair, smiling with genuine gratitude.
"Eat as much as you can," he said warmly. "This one's on me, for saving me not once, but twice."
James smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief. Before he could even thank him, a spark of an idea flashed across his face.
"Let me repay your kindness through my food vlog content!" he said eagerly. "For every free meal, I'll give it a positive review. How's that?"
He chuckled and was completely unaware that the live broadcast was still running.
--- Dawners Chat Board ---
Bentog: That's so fake AF. Doesn't he know he's still LIVE?
Lala: Haha, this guy's an id*ot.
Upo: So this is what food vloggers actually do?
Malaya's eyes widened when she noticed the glowing red icon on the Mana Board.
She began signing rapidly, her fingers moving with urgency, as she tried to warn James.
But Jabbari smirked, leaning back as he raised a hand to silence her, clearly entertained.
James caught the tension and followed Malaya's gestures. When he turned, his stomach dropped…
the LIVE symbol blinked mockingly on the screen.
He scrambled to end the stream, but it was too late. His first three subscribers had already seen everything.
Their icons vanished one by one, leaving behind a single comment: "Fraudster."
James' heart sank. "Wait… no, that's not what I meant!" he pleaded, but the chat had already gone silent.
He sighed and ended the live stream, the air around him heavy with embarrassment.
Anton watched quietly, thoughts swirling in disbelief.
This… is the Hero of Cebu City? The one who'll represent the Philippines?
He quickly tried to shift the tension. "So, where do you live?" he asked, forcing a lighter tone.
Jabbari leaned forward, his eyes sharp.
"Do us a favor," he said flatly, "Don't ask questions that could potentially expose our identities. The last thing we need is another country scouting our abilities and using that information against us… How's that for a favor?"
Malaya rolled her eyes, facepalming in quiet frustration and signed a quick motion meaning 'rude'.
James lets out a nervous laugh, glaring at Jabbari and said apologetically, "Please excuse this thing. His species is all naturally like this," he said jokingly.
Jabbari gave him a blank stare indicating not to share too much information about the dungeon;
James quickly caught on to Jabbari's subtle cue and added more carefully,
"We can't reveal our identities. You know, Dani worked hard covering for us, all these years."
Anton blinked, stunned, in his thought, "Dani?! He'd only been promoted to Three Region Island King seven months ago. Yet he kept James a secret for years and even trained him?"
That realization hit Anton hard. So this was all part of Dani's plan…
He didn't realize James was still masking his true self… hiding behind calm words and practiced lies.
However, Anton remained suspicious.
After everything that had happened last night, Dani showed fear for the first time and Anton couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. What he saw in Dani's eyes wasn't acting; it was real.
James' words weren't adding up to Dani's reaction. So Anton decided to test him, careful not to sound too direct.
"Are you… disciplined as well?" he asked, watching closely for a reaction.
To Anton, the word disciplined carried a darker weight, torture, deliberate and cold. He wanted to see if James would understand that hidden meaning.
But James only blinked, confused. To him, Anton's question sounded personal, almost intrusive, like asking if his parents punished him at home. A complete misunderstanding of what Anton was really trying to find out.
James didn't want to give the wrong impression that he was unfriendly, so he just went along with it and said casually,
"Yeah, almost every day… what a childhood trauma."
In that instant, Anton felt a sting of guilt. Every day? The thought that James had been tortured since childhood sank deep. His hatred toward Dani grew stronger, though he couldn't help but commend Dani for acting good last night.
Trying to change the subject, Anton said, "Hey, your ID isn't working. I was planning to donate, but it says a dead man can't receive Melon Bread (MB) donations."
James gave a faint smirk. "Yeah, I thought so."
But then Anton noticed something odd. James was holding a camera.
"Wait," Anton said, frowning. "You were asking for donations last night because you didn't have a camera, but now you do?"
James froze. Sweat trickled down his neck, and he couldn't find the words to explain.
Before the silence turned heavy, Jabbari slammed his hand on the table and snapped,
"Why do you keep asking questions and where's the food?!"
Anton raised his hands slightly in apology. "Sorry… my bad."
Inside, he reasoned with himself. "Oh right, he probably did what he had to do. Because of Dani."
Anton wanted to ask why James had been standing outside the building this morning, but something caught his attention. A chill crawled down his spine. Someone was watching them.
He turned his head slightly and spotted Miguel and Joshua at another table. Sweat began to form on his forehead.
Dani must've sent them, he thought. "If they're here for James… then I owe him this much."
The thought came naturally. "He saved my life. Now it's my turn to save him."
Anton stood up, his chair scraping lightly against the floor. He walked over to their table with authority and said firmly,
"Tell Dani he'll meet with James later."
In Anton's mind, it was a gesture of protection, his way of saying James could meet Dani on his own terms.
But Miguel and Joshua misunderstood. They exchanged startled glances, shocked that the Hero of Cebu City would suddenly want to meet Dani himself.
Still, they nodded in acknowledgment. Yet before reaching Dani, Miguel messaged Candice first.
---
That Evening: At Candice's Home
The hum of the ceiling fan filled the quiet room. Candice sat in her chair, eyes locked on the framed photo of her ex-fiancé.
A single tear fell, but her voice was steady when she whispered, "You always hated silence, didn't you?"
Then her Mana Board buzzed. The screen lit up with Miguel's name.
Miguel: Let's meet tomorrow morning.
Her jaw tightened. The air in the room seemed to shift, the faint flicker of mana sparking at her fingertips.
"Of course," she muttered, her tone sharp. "The world can't even let me mourn in peace."
She wiped her eyes, cold again. The sadness faded and was replaced by quiet fury.
---
PhilNation Media Live - Flash News
"Hi! This is Anna, your ultimate reporter, bringing you the latest chikas!"
In the background, loud dogs started barking nonstop.
Anna froze, clearly embarrassed, then forced a nervous laugh.
Uh, sorry, guys! I'm working from home," she said quickly, before trying to recover her energy.
"Anyways! We've just received breaking news: the hero is no hero! From hero to zero!"
She grinned, clearly amused by her own line. "That's right, you heard it first! The so-called Hero of Cebu City is a fake vlogger!"
Her tone turned mock-serious. "Reports say his videos are scripted, even his food reviews! And here's another flash update, a man has filed a report for a missing camera! So if anyone suddenly got themselves a new camera…"
---
Before she could finish, the TV cut off.
Anton sat frozen for a moment, staring at the blank screen.
Then, slowly, tears welled in his eyes.
"Oh, my Shaylaa…" he whispered, his voice trembling. "You really had to steal your camera, didn't you?"
He wiped his face with his hand and let out a weak laugh. "I knew it. Let me give you a new one tomorrow."