Chp. 5:A Man With A Plan

As I lay in bed with the hotel window open blowing the cool midnight air onto my skin, I'm wrapped up in thoughts that I cannot shake. The image of the mysterious crimson-haired girl that's been stalking me.

Am I slightly intrigued by this? I muse. Hahaha, no, that's just plain ludicrous! This was my first encounter as a human with the opposite gender. This is likely the reason my body is responding in this manner. Additionally, this is my first personal experience, distinct from the memories I have of Arnold, which makes it feel quite special to me. The encounter had been brief, but the intensity of her gaze had left an indelible mark on my thoughts. There was something about her that captivated me. I felt as if I knew her; however, I don't know her. How could I know anyone from this generation?

I replayed the encounter in my head, searching for any hidden meaning or clue that might explain the strange connection I felt with her and why she smiled at me like that, then just took off. The more I thought about it, the more questions I had. Who was she, really? What was she hiding behind those piercing golden eyes? Why did it look like she had some robot-like upgrades, even though she was totally real? I could hear her heartbeat when she got close to whisper in my ear. Most importantly, what did she mean by her enigmatic words: "The shadows are moving, Terrchel. Be prepared."

I suddenly recall the swatch notification and pull it up. It's an update on my ability status. Looks like I've leveled up.

Your Ability Progress is as follows

Compound eye sight level 1 unlocked : Enhanced vision in bright environments.

Acute smese of smell level 1 unlocked: Enhanced sense of smell in close proximity.

Flys intict level 1 unlocked :Anticipation and reaction to danger.

Environmental adaptation level 1 unlocked : Adaptation to human desires and needs.

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Sweet, finally I leveled up. Must be from all the fuss in the corridors of the hotel. I wonder how much longer until I reach my full potential.

The darkness outside the hotel window in my room seemed to press in around me, as if the very shadows themselves were listening, waiting for me to uncover the truth.

I experienced a sense of frustration as I lay on my back, gazing at the ceiling, with my eyes narrowed and jaw clenched, while the white curtains billowed towards me.

I'm filled with a strong sense of yearning, a deep ache within me that I can't quite explain. It feels as if I had been on the cusp of something incredible, something that could change everything, but I was missing out on something vital. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm brewing within me, but the yearning remained, a constant ache that echoed through my very being.

I'm afraid of the unknown. I'm facing a lot of uncertainty right now and new feelings that I can't yet place. If this crimson-haired girl came all the way just to tell me those specific words, then I'm way deeper in the midst of something dangerous or important then I've comprehended and the worst part is I have no idea what I've gotten myself into.

I guess reincarnation doesn't come with a clean slate to just do your own thing, but it comes with a destiny to fulfill. I wonder, if I'd known being human wasn't easy, would I have still called out to the heavens for another chance at life? I got up off the bed and closed the window; the moon was full and brighter than ever. I looked into Leghorn's room. He was sound asleep, and I turned down all the lights and made my way back to my room to get some sleep, knowing tomorrow would be yet another long day filled with whatever adventures awaited Leghorn and me.

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The next morning

Leghorn, of course, woke me with his morning ritual of screaming, I'd say. Knowing now that he's not an actual chicken, I low-key think he just clucks on purpose to irritate me, knowing that I'm not a morning person. I walked out to the balcony area and found him reading the morning tabloid on his swatch. I saw room service already stopped by with breakfast. Leghorn saw me standing in the balcony doorway, and gestured for me to have a seat.

Leghorn: "I have asked the room service to prepare the eggs and sausage specialty accompanied by orange juice and a side bowl of green salad for you. I believe we have consumed a sufficient amount of pizza over the last few days, wouldn't you agree?"

Terrchel: "Thanks! This looks fantastic. So, what's the master plan for today?"

Leghorn: "Well let's recap".

Thus far we know that:

New Arcadia City has a unique atmosphere and is populated by unconventional individuals.

We are yet to ensure the acquisition of a stable property of some kind.

We are aware that your vessel's spouse has passed away, but I believe you may have further inquiries about the entire connection.

You've got a mysterious lady in your life.

We are aware of a vault that may hold significance for us.

We have knowledge of a missing kid named Emerson, though I am not entirely convinced it matters to us.

Additionally, I recognize that you have memories and emotions that you would like to move past.

With all this being said, I suggest we go straight to the source and get you some answers. There's a teleport station in the center of New Arcadia City, where people go to teleport anywhere in this realm. I believe it will come in handy one of these days. If we knew the code for the vault we could access its location on Arcadia Space and teleport there to retrieve the possible solution to at least one of your problems if it holds what I think it does but first we need to hunt down that code and in order to do that we need to get our hands on the person I thought we might not need a few minutes ago, Emerson.

Terrchel : "Sounds good! Hey Leghorn, do you think I could know someone from this generation? I know it sounds weird, but being reincarnated isn't exactly normal either!"

Leghorn: "Well, who are you suspecting you know?"

Terrchel: "Last night that girl from the amusement park, she tracked me down again and she knew my name".

Leghorn: "She sounds like she could possibly be working for the Arcadia President's elite patrols. Perhaps when you let that Maximus resident bot scan you at Z3 Addison's bachelor cube, he submitted your results and they picked up your stats in the system and figured out there's some Celestial powers at work because of the 50% match to Arnold and resemblance, especially knowing he couldn't have had another son given his time of death and your current age. This is bad. Something like this happened years ago".

Terrchel: "Now that you mentioned it, she did have weird tech gear that I've never seen since we entered Arcadia. I mean, if she was in an elite squad, that probably makes sense, working for the president of Arcadia and all that. [grin] However, I felt like she was trying to warn me of something; she doesn't seem like she wants to hand me over or harm me".

Leghorn: "What's with the goofy grin, Terrchel? You're not actually swooning over some mystery girl, are you? Don't tell me you've fallen for one of those Arcadia patrol Investigators? They're about as charming as a rusty nail."

Terrchel: [smirking] "Love at first sight, Master Leghorn. I'm willing to take the risk... of electrocution prisons and all."

Leghorn: [roaring with laughter] "Ahahahaha! Oh, loverboy, slow down! This isn't the fly mating season, you know. Although, I must admit, you're being hilariously sarcastic. You're just pretending to be delusional right?"

Terrchel: [deadpan] "You should've seen her, Master Leghorn. Golden eyes like sunrise in the night, shining bright with secrets. And that Crimson red hair? Blazing wildfire, I tell you."

Leghorn: [chuckling] "Well, well, well. If she's the reason you're finally acknowledging my mastery, then she must be something special indeed. This is priceless! You've got it bad, Terrchel. Real bad."

Terrchel: "On a more serious note, I've come up with a plan for the day, care to hear it?"

Leghorn: "YOU, you came up with a plan? Wow I'm surprised. So you're leading now straight after finally acknowledging me as Master".

Terrchel: "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I've been the leader all this time. I just needed time to study my surroundings and this new tech stuff. You were so busy laughing at my humorous entertainment that you didn't notice I've been putting a little something together for us on the swatch. Check it out; I sent it to your Arcadia Space".

Leghorn logged into his online Arcadia space using voice command and the swatch assistant read the schedule out loud.

I would like to present a proposed agenda for the day:

Morning (9:00 am - 12:00 pm)

1. Secure a stable property: Go back to the Z3 and ask Maximus Bot for those details he mentioned when it said we should contact Master Maximus.

2. Gather information on the vault: Research the vault's location, security, and potential contents to determine its value.

Afternoon (12:00 pm - 3:00 pm)

1. Investigate the mystery woman: Try to gather more information, as to the warning she gave.

2. Learn more about Emerson Max: By exploiting his property

Evening (3:00 pm - 6:00 pm)

1. Address these memories and feelings: Explore ways to help ease the reincarnation transition. There must be some book or records that can be proven useful. Once I can center myself I'll be able to function better.

2. Debrief and plan for tomorrow: Review the day's findings, discuss any new leads, and plan the next steps for the investigation.

Will that be all Master Leghorn? The swatch AI assistant asked. To which he responded yes and closed the hologram.

Leghorn: "Wow, not bad Boss. This sudden shift into your destiny suits you well".

Terrchel: "Destiny? Is there something you're not telling me..."

Leghorn: "I assume doing research on the girl will be your favorite part of the day".

Terrchel: "ahhh I see we avoiding the question. Yes, most definitely I will handle that solo"

Leghorn: "Yeah, we have a lot to do. Splitting the load might get us through it all faster. Let's freshen up and start the day. I've already gotten the Arcadian space delivery bots to drop some of our new clothing and accessories we've bought at the mall. Yours is in a box on the dining room table. Finish your meal and go take a shower; I recommend the outdoor bamboo section. It's a treat amongst all this high tech nonsense".

Terrchel: "Sounds good, meet you in the hotel lobby in 30 minutes. It's nearly 9am. Don't be late. I hate people that waste time".

Leghorn: "Certainly".

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