THIEVES ARE EVERYWHERE

     Maybe we took four or five steps when that idiot – the big brother of the girl whose chest I had unintentionally glanced at – stood in front of me. Everyone had already left the school grounds, and seeing him still there was a tad concerning. I had enough weird arena fights for a whole year; I didn't want any unnecessary complications.

He crossed his arms and looked directly into my eyes. I sighed, ruffled my hair in exhaustion, and tried to pass him without any trouble.

"My sister told me a friend of hers was staying with us," he said, stepping into my path again. "Imagine my surprise when I learned her name was Sura. Your sister."

I stopped in my tracks, staring straight ahead. My fists clenched, and my dull eyes remained half-open and unflinching. I felt a rush – a rush to end his life right then and there.

I turned toward him, meeting his gaze, and waited for him to continue.

"She is so cute. Only two years younger than us." He said, then whispered with a smile. "Her tits? Out of this world."

I kept my quiet, my face still neutral.

"I can still hear her screams. 'Axel, help me, where are you?'" His smile got even wider. "Singing to my ears."

Again, I stayed silent. I didn't believe him, of course. Sura was a strong girl. Her mana wasn't anything special, but her skills with blades were good.

"I still have the bloodied sheet. I think I'm going to frame it. It was her first time after all –"

'That's enough.'

One, two, three… over twenty rifts opened, and tentacles lashed out from each one. Each tentacle wrapped itself around that idiot's body, then tightened. Tightened, tightened, then tightened more. His eyes were almost out of their sockets.

I walked toward him, my eyes only seeing him, not Hana or Ela standing behind him.

"Fucking dog," I sneered, anger seeping out of my voice. "You deserve what's coming to you."

Hana tried to stop me by dashing forward, but was instantly halted by a tentacle. It sliced her dagger like it was cutting through butter. Ela managed to pull her friend back, preventing further harm. If she hadn't, the tentacle might have decapitated Ela.

My focus was still on that idiot. I felt like I was controlling each tentacle as if they were part of my body. It was… weird.

I tightened one tentacle, and his left leg bone stuck out from his knee, eliciting a blood-curdling scream. I managed to silence him with another tentacle, covering his mouth and nose, cutting off his breath. I was afraid of myself at that moment; I wanted to end him so badly. But I knew that wasn't the answer to his actions.

I opened a portal underneath him and retreated the tentacles. That idiot fell through the rift, sending him to the weird shadowy place.

"So bothersome," I said, my voice cold and emotionless. "Now I have to deal with you two."

"I knew it!" Ela yelled, pointing at me. "I knew something was up with you!"

I closed all the rifts, then began to walk slowly toward them, my hands in my coat pockets. I didn't know what to do with them – if I was a monster with no heart, I'd just kill them and be done with it.

[New Quest: Make Sure Sura is Okay.

Upon Completion: 1AP.]

"Students!" Mr. Vlad came rushing over. "What was that noise? I heard someone screaming!"

"It was nothing, professor," I lied, faking a warm smile. "Hana and Ela pranked me. I guess I screamed a bit too loudly. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure? It looked like you were in pain." Mr. Vlad furrowed his brows, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, sir. Everything is okay."

"Stop bullying Axel! Hana! Ela! Go back to the school; you are grounded!"

"But, sir, he was –"

"Yes, sir," Ela interrupted, putting her hand on Hana's shoulder. "You are right. We went a little too far with this mindless prank. We are truly sorry."

"Are you sure you're okay, Axel?" the teacher asked, his worry evident.

"I'm okay," I replied without faltering my warm smile. "Thank you for stepping in, sir."

"Anytime," he said, relaxing a bit. "I'm trying to show everyone that good students can come from this school… this district. I won't allow bullying here as long as I breathe. So if you feel like you have nowhere to go, you can always come to me."

"Thank you, sir." I bowed my head. "I'll be sure to remember that in the future. I'm glad we have someone like you as our teacher."

'Shit… I lost my second shot at 3500 gold. Where did that weirdo even come from? Ugh… just my luck.'

[New Quest: Take a Quest From Rusty Chalice.

Upon Completion: 1AP, 10g.]

'That's for later,' I thought, glancing at the translucent box that appeared near my face. 'First, Sura. I hope she's okay…'

     I knocked on the door and waited for a response. The necklace my sister wore had a small enchantment attached to it. It let me know where she was at all times by emitting a faint glow in my direction when I focused on it.

Sura opened the door, with the girl whose chest I had unintentionally looked at standing behind her. They were in their pajamas, eating heart-shaped chocolates. Sura's hair was a big mess, and the corner of her mouth had little chocolate crumbs on it. She was smiling like she had just finished laughing her lungs out ten minutes ago.

"Why are you here brothe…"

I hugged her tightly without saying anything. I didn't know why, but my eyes were kind of watery. I wasn't crying, of course… maybe I was? I don't know. It was a weird moment for me, to be honest.

"You big ol' baby," she said, patting my back. "You came all the way here just to hug me?"

"Nah…" I said, wiping my eyes and letting her go. "I just wanted to check on you. See if you were okay."

"Well… I'm okay. Are you okay?" she asked, searching my face for any signs of distress.

"Hmm." I nodded. "I'm okay."

"Soo… yeah, that's good," she said, stepping back. "I'd invite you in, but this isn't my hom…"

"He can come in," the girl behind her cut in, stepping forward. "So this is Axel? Your brother you keep talking about?"

"Yup," Sura replied, grinning. "Brother, this is Aera. Aera, this is Axel, my brother."

"N-nice to meet you," I said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for taking care of my sister."

"Likewise," Aera replied with a small smile. "Come on in. It's cold outside, and we're keeping the door open for no reason."

"I wouldn't want to cause trouble, especially since your brother isn't home. People might get the wrong idea," I said, hesitating at the doorway.

"How did you know my brother was out?" Aera asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I… guessed it," I replied, trying to sound casual.

"Huh…" She shrugged. "Don't worry, people won't get any wrong ideas. Come on in."

"Okay… um – thanks for inviting me in," I said, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

    I walked down the short corridor and entered the living room, taking in the rustic ambiance. The room was spacious, with soft candlelight casting a warm glow on the stone walls. A large, wooden table sat in the center, surrounded by sturdy chairs. A fireplace crackled at one end, a kettle hanging above the flames. 

"It's… quite the home," I said, scanning my surroundings. "Definitely bigger than our house."

"You can sit wherever you like," Aera said, heading toward the kitchen. "I'll make us some tea."

"Want me to help you?" my sister asked, stepping forward.

"No, I'm good. You guys catch up," Aera replied with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the painting hanging above the fireplace. It depicted a man on a horse, raising his sword with a war cry. The background was a battlefield, with dead soldiers strewn across the ground, blood seeping into the dirt.

My sister nudged me with her elbow, snapping me out of my trance. She looked annoyed.

"I know that look," she whispered, narrowing her eyes. "You will not steal anything, you hear?"

"I'm not some kleptomaniac idiot, Sura," I replied, equally annoyed. "Calm down!"

"Good," she said, leaning back into the couch. "So, tell me why you came here? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," I lied effortlessly. "Just thought I'd check on you. Make sure you were okay. James is dead, but his goons still linger about the streets."

"That's why you cried?" she said, not believing me. "Tell me the truth, brother. Don't take me for a fool, please."

"This girl's brother – did he do something to you?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see if Aera was listening. "I heard he wasn't a good man."

"Her brother? He doesn't live with us; he's like two streets away. He has his own house," she replied, crossing her arms. "Who told you that he was that kind of person?"

"I don't know… I just heard, I don't know where I heard," I answered, shaking my head. "Just forget it."

Aera opened the crimson-fringed door and entered the living room. "Tea'll be ready shortly."

"Mm, thank you," I replied with a smile.

    It was a calm thirty minutes. We talked while drinking black tea – well, mostly they talked. I just listened in silence and spoke only when absolutely necessary. I still felt bad for checking Aera out unintentionally. I needed to apologize to her personally.

"I gotta go," I said, rising to my feet. "The hour's getting late."

"Okay, sure," Aera replied. "Take care, Axel."

"Bye, brother."

"Hmm. Keep safe, you two. Keep the door locked, thieves are everywhere." I said walking toward the door.

"Oh yeah –" My sister gave me a sly smile. "Thieves are everywhere. I know that."

[Quest Completed: Make Sure Sura is Okay.

Rewards: 1AP.]