False sky

After the bizarre events that occurred to Hyosung, he was taken to the place where the people mainly lived. The name of this society was Hadon, and its structure and landscape was somewhat rural. Yet, the electric poles that spanned from rods to homes, along with the few well-furnished and finely built structures resembling those of a city, spoke otherwise. It made sense why it wasn't referred to as a village.

This society was divided into districts for the poor, middle class, and wealthy members. The locations were developed based on the social classes that lived there, hence the district where the poor lived was referred to as a "village" or the "alley way of sapa" by the higher classes.

Urane lived in the poor district, in a small, shack-like building with worn-out walls and shaky windows. However, Hyosung was the first person who actually stayed in her house as a guest, though she fed and treated him like her own child.

As the day gave way to night, the light slowly faded, leaving silhouettes caused by darkness. Hyosung laid on a small mat he had placed outside her house's detached porch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the luminescent moon, but was struck with curiosity about the nature of the sky. The sky above had an unusually dark color, like a shadow was cast upon it, and there were no heavenly bodies or moon to be found, as if devoid of hope or rejected by light. "Maybe it takes longer for light to shine?" he wondered, his eyes wandering through the clouds.

"What are you up to?" Mintugakye said, appearing from nowhere behind Hyosung.

"Ahhh...!"

"Oops, did I scare you again? My bad," Mintugakye apologized.

Letting out a brief sigh, Hyosung calmed his nerves and tilted his body towards Mintugakye's direction. "Hey, Mitu...uh, Black! When does the moon come out?"

"Uh...the moon? What's a moon? Is it an insect?" Mintugakye answered, his response filled with curiosity.

Hyosung was at a loss for words at his reply. Could it be that a moon never existed in this world? Or was Mintugakye making a fool of him, as he had done before? Hyosung was still new to this world, and the possibilities that existed could be vast.

"Hey, Black, is that you?" The voice of a passerby echoed. "What's taking you so long? It's way too dark!" More voices joined in, turning to noise as people gathered in the vaguely pitch-black darkness of the night.

"I'm sorry for taking so long; I'll go switch on the stars now!" Mintugakye replied in an equally loud voice.

"...what?!" Hyosung exclaimed. "You can switch on stars? But how and where?"

"With a switch, which is in Urane's house. Do you want to see? Though I don't think you'll be able to, since you're resting right now."

Jumping to his feet like a spring, Hyosung replied, "I'm just fine. Now, show me how you switch on the stars." His eagerness filled Mintugakye with glee, and he agreed. Meanwhile, the crowd continued to yell and criticize in the background.

Looking forward to this, Hyosung's body swayed with joy and alacrity, as though he were fully recovered. His eyes focused on Mintugakye's every footstep, filled with intrigue, as they walked gently on the creaking floors. At long last, the footsteps ceased, and so did Hyosung's heart for a brief second, sidelining his weak condition.

"We're here. This is the switch," Mintugakye told Hyosung as he placed his hand on the lever and pushed it on. "Is that it?" Hyosung stuttered, uttering his words as he expected a slightly more dazzling spectacle.

"Yup," Mintugakye's optimistic reply felt like a slap towards Hyosung, as he felt the cold ache of disappointment stirring within him, his smile lessening. Mintugakye wasted no time grabbing him by the hand, pulling him outside to view "the stars."

In the end, what he viewed was not what he had imagined in the least! The "stars" that Mintugakye spoke of were nothing more than a collection of 6 to 8 poles placed in the distant landscape, wrapped around in thin material from bottom to top, capable of emitting light so bright.

Hyosung's stir of disappointment was mixed with disbelief at the sight. "There are still no signs of stars in the atmosphere, neither is there a moon, but the light radiating from it is so bright it's like staring at the sun," he muttered to himself.

"So, do you like it? It doesn't reach everywhere, so there's still a lot of shadows and slightly dark areas, especially near the forests," Mintugakye inquired.

Hyosung shook his head lightly in response.

"Now that we're here, do you mind telling me what that moon thing is?"

"Um...it's..."

"Hey, Black, where's Urane?" A voice whispered in the shadows, hiding its presence. Hyosung, as usual, was caught off guard by the eerie voice. "What's up with this place and voices?" he squeaked.

"Relax, Hyosung. It's just one of my good friends, White. She's a bit...well, off."

Her presence vanished just as Mintugakye's when he and Hyosung first crossed paths. The atmosphere she caused forced Hyosung's instincts to sharpen, with his eyes restless, as if he were being watched. He hadn't felt this way since meeting Sylzao, but what fueled his insecurity was seeing Mintugakye stance his body as though he were going to pounce any second.

Drowned in silence, the sounds of hooting owls and chirping insects set the eerie atmosphere even further, their songs setting tension in the air. "Tap!" The first footstep echoed, vaguely covered by the sounds of flowers rustling.

"Tap...Tap!" As the footsteps grew more intense, Hyosung's body slowly went numb, with the best movement being his shivering fingers. His restless eyes were fixated on Mintugakye, who positioned himself for a counter.

At that point, Hyosung could only wonder what kind of people lived there and if they were all mentally unstable, since his life was at risk twice in one day. Though if the majority of the people had the same attributes as White and Sylzao, a painful death awaited him swiftly.

"Siiiiuuuu..." The sound of an unsheathing sword cut through the air, silencing the chirping insects and hooting owls, frightening the creatures that watched in the dark as the owls flew off in flocks.

Before Hyosung could move a muscle, he was pinned to the ground within the blink of an eye! The last thing he heard was an unsheathing sword, but even then, he was clueless as to when he was pinned, and the slightest "thud!" wasn't perceived by him.

"Tell me now that you've recovered, where are you from, and how did you get here?" she whispered softly into his right ear, her words tender yet laced with malice.

Hyosung was placed too flat for him to tilt his head and get a glimpse of her appearance, but what he did get a glimpse of was the katana-like blade placed in the middle of his neck and the ground. The light from their proclaimed "stars" glistened on the blade's sharpened edge, its tip speaking loud and clear to Hyosung.

Releasing himself from his stance, "Alright, White, I'll admit you're faster than you were yesterday, but please be careful. He hasn't recovered yet," Mintugakye pleaded.

His plea put a slight smirk on her face as she removed her hair cover. Indeed, she had gorgeous features, from her jet-black long braid and slightly tan skin complexion, all tied together by her ocean-blue eyes. "Hm! I'm waiting for the day you'll reach even a quarter of my speed, even despite having such a high MS."

"I used to be faster than you because of that MS, but you made yourself so strong I can't keep up. Also, why the goggles?"

"The gap in power between us remains constant, it seems," she boasted. "Also, if the people of the sapa district see me, then I'll be in so much trouble. I didn't bring my cape-coat with me, so I'll disguise myself using goggles."

"That's actually pretty so..."

"Wheez!" Hyosung cut in. "I'm sorry for not minding my own business, but could you please get off me? The sword looks dangerous."

Shifting her sword slightly to the skin of his neck, "Who the hell do you think you are to make requests?! And may I ask what made you question this sword being dangerous? I've asked those questions now, and all are still pending," she replied in annoyance, her patience inclining like the balance of his life.

"Oh, yeah. She's letting off some serious tsundere vibes at this point," he muttered quietly.

"How'd you even meet this guy, Black?" she asked.

"I just happened to be passing by when..."

"Just passing by, huh? Or were you eavesdropping the entire time!" she interrupted.

"..." However, Hyosung was gripped by silence.

"Please, White, I..."

"STAND UP NOW, WHITE!" Urane's words demanded respect.

Startled by her voice, White leapt off Hyosung, landing beside Black at attention. She dared not disobey, and neither did Black.

Urane stretched her hand to Hyosung, aiding him to get back on his feet. He had quite an interesting amount of durability for someone in his condition, which made her even more intrigued in him. White, however, continued to study him, her eyes fixed on his behavior and pattern. Indeed, she and Sylzao were birds of the same feathers, but to what extent?

"Alright, everyone, it's getting late. Go back home!" Urane demanded, expecting a swift response.

"Yes, ma'am," Mintugakye responded.

"But...but I only just got here," White uttered in a strained tone.

Urane, however, didn't take her words lightly, immediately giving her an angry glare and a large "growl!"

White understood the message faster than her brain could process, immediately vanishing into the cold night's breeze. Meanwhile, Black gave his salutations and also disappeared into the...

"You too, let's go inside. You need to rest," Urane ordered Hyosung as she made her way through the squeaky doors, expecting him to follow. Of course, he too received the message in a flash, but could a good night's sleep truly be possible?

"I can't go through every day like this. What was the point in bringing me here? I might die before even figuring out my purpose in this world," he muttered with a heavy heart, clenching his chest tightly with his left hand.

"Ping! Ping! Ping!"

"Huh? What was that?"

[Dear Hyosung slay, you've met the criteria required to become an official author. You will receive exclusive benefits as well as rewards for every task you comp

lete. This offer is valid for 48 hours after which will null. Do you want to become an author?]

[YES]. [NO]