Sneak

Gara stared at his mom, stunned. Out of all the reactions he imagined, this was not one of them. He didn't expect her to reject him that fast.

"Why not, Mom? I'm not a kid anymore. I want to be a Liner," he protested.

"You don't have to be a Liner to live a good life. Just stay here and help me farm herbs," Wina replied flatly, her face unreadable.

Gara shrank a little. His mom always looked at original owner with warmth, gentle smiles, and soft eyes. But right now, her expression was ice cold.

Still, Gara wasn't about to give up.

"Mom, I want to be like Dad. I want to awaken Elemental Bloodline and discover my Talent." His voice got smaller and smaller as Wina's face grew darker and darker.

Yeah. He probably shouldn't have brought up his father.

It made sense though. The original owner's dad had died in the war because he was a Liner. Since then, his mom had to raise him all alone, work the land, and keep their tiny world afloat.

To her, being a Liner didn't mean glory. It meant tragedy.

"Don't bring this up again," she said sharply. "Go to your room."

And with that, Wina turned and disappeared into her bedroom.

Gara was left standing there, alone. He let out a long sigh before dragging himself into his room. He wasn't done.

His mom was stubborn. He couldn't talk her into this. And the Awakening Ceremony was only three days away.

Madha said he'd come pick him up the day after tomorrow. That gave them one day to prepare, since the ceremony started at dawn.

Gara checked how much money he had or more accurately, how much the original owner of this body had left behind.

He grabbed a worn, brown cloth pouch from his wooden cabinet and peeked inside.

Only 5 white coins.

There were three types of coins in this world: white coins, yellow coins, and blue coins. 1 yellow coin was worth 100 white coins. 1 blue coin was worth 100 yellow coins.

And above coins were crystals, but only Liners had access to those. The original owner had never even saw that crystal currency.

Gara took out a white coin. Despite the name, it wasn't really white. More like clear glass with little flickers line of energy dancing inside. There were no emblems or faces like Earth coins, just pure energy.

He sighed heavily. Five white coins. That wasn't going to get him very far.

The trip to town alone would cost about four coins. A basic meal? Probably one coin. And lodging? Way more than that.

If he left without his mom's permission, that meant no financial support at all.

Gara suddenly remembered the system's evaluation of Madha. He hated to admit it, but right now, he had no other choice.

He'd borrow money from Madha. Just enough to get through. He'd pay him back later, somehow.

Two days flew by.

In that time, Gara tried to bring up the Bloodline Awakening Ceremony a few more times. Each time, his mom shut him down harder than before.

So he quietly made his own preparations behind her back.

Madha had said he'd come around noon. The journey to town would take about four hours, which meant they'd arrive late afternoon.

After lunch, Wina headed back to the herb field in the mountain. She never asked Gara to come along. He usually only tagged along when he was bored.

All he had to do was pretend to nap. That was enough to keep her from getting suspicious.

Once she was gone, Gara placed a piece of rough yellowish paper on the front table, the note he had prepared earlier. He weighed it down with a stone so it wouldn't get blown away.

Then he grabbed his cloth pouch, stuffed with clothes, money, and the few important things he might need.

Even though no one else was home, he tiptoed out like a thief.

He made his way to the fork in the road that connected Suruta Village to Galiga Village, Madha's home. That fork was also the usual meeting point for anyone heading to town via carriage.

When he got there, the road was empty. Most villagers were still out working the fields at this hour.

He had arrived a bit earlier than the time he and Madha agreed on. Just in case Madha decided to come to his house instead and got caught by his mom.

Gara had no idea how long he waited, but eventually, a carriage drawn by a horse appeared from the far end of the road.

He had never seen a horse before, so he blinked in surprise at how massive it was.

The carriage stopped right in front of him, and Madha jumped down with ease.

"Hop on, Gara."

Madha casually grabbed Gara's pouch like it was his duty. Gara opened his mouth, half-ready to snatch it back but Madha had already climbed up.

Now he was reaching out a hand to help Gara up. Even though, honestly, Gara could've just stepped up without help.

Still, not wanting to seem rude, Gara took his hand.

Madha's rough palm felt strangely fitting around Gara's thin, smaller fingers.

Gara glanced around, surprised. There was no one else on the carriage.

"Carriages usually only run in the morning and evening," Madha explained. "Since we're leaving midday, I asked my uncle to make a special trip just for us."

Gara's eyes widened.

"If it's a special trip, does that mean it costs more?" he asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry about it," Madha said casually. "Since I booked it, I'll handle the cost."

Gara hadn't even borrowed any money yet, and Madha was already paying for everything.

In the end, Gara held his tongue. He'd ask to borrow money once they got to town.

The ride from Suruta Village to Falopo Town wasn't as smooth as Gara had hoped. The carriage rocked and bounced a lot. His weak body couldn't handle it. He started feeling nauseous fast.

Madha noticed and gave him a remedy made from cajuputi leaves, known for its calming, refreshing scent.

Gara took a deep breath, letting the herbal aroma soothe his stomach. Slowly, the nausea eased.

After what felt like forever, they finally reached Falopo Town. And what Gara saw blew him away.

The hustle-bustle of people, the much smoother pathways, and the houses made from solid wooden structures -some even of stone- looked nothing like the simple bamboo huts back in his village.

But what caught his attention the most were the heart icons floating above people's heads.

My child's future mothers!

...