Monday, 10 a.m.
'If she sees this, it won't just be a cup of ice cream that freezes this time…' Wearing a simple brown hooded tunic and bronze bracelets, Zombie Maric really didn't know what face to make at this moment.
Likewise, he had no idea whether he should even point out the elephant in the room that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
His boss was sitting across from him. In his real appearance, wearing a modified puff sleeve and pants with boots. As was usual with him, many buttons on his shirt were open, revealing quite delicate, pale pink skin...
The same skin that had a long trail of visible purple marks running up to his neck. They were blurred and somewhat smudged, but their original shape could still be guessed.
"You didn't have another shirt to put on?" Maric showed no emotion in his voice, but the raised eyebrow in judgment was all he needed.
Adryan smiled at the pale man in front of him, his nose and cheeks adorned with a slight blush. "When I summon my armor, whatever I'm wearing burns. My clothes don't share my body's immunity to fire. I don't want to ruin clothes that are not only high quality, but also expensive."
'Not to mention that I would need a tailor to adjust it to my chest... I save that for expensive clothes...' adding in his heart, he felt relieved.
Again, Adryan was genuinely grateful for the Reaper's regeneration. Because of that, the only mark on his body was lipstick. The same lipstick that his worm didn't mention was waterproof...
Hehe
If his partner wanted to play, then he would play too~
That was the other reason he hadn't chosen the clothes that did fit him.
Why would he be ashamed to show that he was already 'claimed'? On top of that, by someone clearly passionate about it?
The first time he was resurrected, every scar on his body was erased. The same thing happened the following times.
As a hunter, he at least wanted to show off a little the 'scars' he got from surviving a deadly predator~
Taking his glass of strawberry juice, he laughed a little at the joke she had played on him. "Besides, purple suits me. What do you say, Mr Zombie?"
Maric closed his eyes, sitting up straight in his seat. Distancing himself from the conversation, "I don't want to know anything about your nights, Mr. Kenway."
It was his Sharron who loved romance stories, not him. Any kind of detail that included that word was better discussed or shared with her.
A few hours ago, the duo with curious hair had joined them in watching over the young noblewoman. Now they were on the border between the Elysian District and Helikon, on the route between the young woman's home and her university.
Then, the zombie's gaze shifted.
The culprit of the redhead's current state was sitting next to him, drinking a glass of red juice with noble elegance. The serenity that dripped from her drowned out everything else in the room. The zombie felt infected with that calm the more he looked at her.
Flora Jacob wore a slight smile. Contrary to her usual white tunic or strapless dress, she now wore dark gray hunting pants and a high turtleneck coat with a purple jacket.
Since they were in charge of protection and there was no need to go out, the most appropriate attire for this occasion was one that would not hinder her movements. Although, of course, that did not mean it had to be in bad taste.
A Jacob should never be caught dressing poorly, after all.
Waving her now-empty glass, she pointed it at her companion, "Princess, another glass."
"A please never hurts," Adryan looked at the woman with a small smile as he poured the freshly made juice. His dear worm was practically glowing, and to his sharp eyes, the tips of her ears were a bit red.
Unable to help himself, he rested his cheek on his palm and commented with satisfaction:
"Someone looks relaxed."
Flora took a small sip of her strawberry juice, pleased. "A warm bed works wonders. I guess that's another good thing about you."
At those words, the redhead's eyes narrowed flirtatiously—a curious gleam in them.
"You really were hard on me. Was it necessary to bite so hard?" Chuckling mischievously, he whispered flirtatiously, "For a moment there, I thought you really wanted to devour me~ Maybe there is still some rat left in you~"
"Please, princess. If it bothered you, you would have asked me to stop at this point." Rolling her eyes, unimpressed, the white-haired woman lowered her glass.
"We both know how much you like it when I bite you."
Caught, the redhead took a sip from his glass with a smile, "Touche."
"I repeat. Save those comments for another audience," Maric reminded the duo of his presence with a flat, even straighter face.
"Hehe. Sorry." Not in the least bit remorseful, Adryan took another bite of his food.
It was a simple, light snack. Strawberry juice with some cream, chicken sandwiches, courtesy of his cooking from his past life. When he was too lazy to cook anything more elaborate at late hours of the night.
There was a chance they might have to dart at any moment, so they couldn't eat heavy meals lest they end up hurting themselves later.
"Nothing for now, sir."
A voice spoke in the redhead's mind, who nodded and closed his eyes.
As always, it was never easy.
Sighing, Adryan put down his drink and plunged his hand into the shadow under the table, making it his own and checking his shadow trunk.
This movement was observed with some interest by the other occupants of the room, who wondered what he would pull out this time.
After rummaging around a bit, red eyes glowed, and he pulled his hand out of the shadows.
"Finally. Were you hiding, little one?" Laughing a little, he showed them what he had pulled out. "Miss Worm, Mr. Zombie, meet a good friend."
In his palm, a slightly crumpled but still well-kept bird rested.
Maric raised an eyebrow. "A paper bird?"
"Origami, actually." Winking, Adryan reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple pencil.
Understanding what the man wanted to do, Flora raised an eyebrow, intrigued and interested.
'This must be the method of communication with the angel snake... Can origami be used as a form of messaging?
'What a curious method...'
Without a doubt, the angels the princess knew had Their peculiarities. Chicho, with Her obsession with chocolate, and this Angel Snake, with His love of ice cream and origami.
Shaking those dangerous thoughts from her mind, Flora asked carefully.
"Are you sure now is a good time for this? Won't it attract attention?"
The smile on the Reaper's face became mysterious. "It's the perfect time to do it."
The Church had already been notified. Demigods and most likely angels were already being mobilized, just as the Wise Owls had already taken flight. The owners of the house had their cards ready or were in the process of finishing them.
And with that, the time had come to use the second most dangerous card he had.
Without further ado, he unfolded the paper bird to its original form. And on it, he wrote.
"We need to talk. Come."
Remaking the origami, Adryan looked at Maric simply.
"We'll be out for a while. If anything happens or Ignir returns, don't hesitate to wake us up by any means necessary."
"Understood." The zombie nodded slightly, raising a fist.
'...'
Without commenting on the matter, the Reaper turned his attention to his companion. His smile returned with force.
"Don't fall behind."
Flora snorted with a sideways smile, "You wish."
Laughing at the response, the redhead stopped playing around and closed his eyes, using cogitation to speed up the process.
Soon, he fell asleep while still sitting. Flora followed him a second later.
Maric watched this and sighed, rising from his seat with a sandwich still in his hand. He looked out the window at the cloudy sky over Azshara. A light drizzle fell, bathing the streets and buildings.
Kraboom!
Opening his eyes again, the redhead found himself in the middle of a dark room.
It was a child's room. With blue walls, a bed with sheets of the same color, and a few toys scattered on the floor, along with some cards.
"I assume this is the place?"
Turning around, he smiled at the visitor, who was looking at the toys with a slightly furrowed brow.
"Did you have any problems?"
"There was a little resistance, but it disappeared as soon as I found it. The owner of this dream gave me permission to enter." Flora looked up, confusion dancing in her gray eyes.
From what she expected to be an angel's dream, a child's room was not on the list.
She clearly did not express this thought, keeping it deep within herself.
While she no longer had a problem bothering demigods, bothering angels was far outside her comfort zone!
Sighing internally, the woman returned her attention to the toys on the floor when her heart skipped a beat.
On the blue-sheeted bed that had been empty a moment ago, a blond-haired, black-eyed boy was looking at her with a frown.
No, he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at her companion behind her.
Snorting indignantly, the boy pouted in a way that only someone his age could.
"You really have no shame, Mr. Kenway!
"Do you know what time it is? If I want to grow strong, I have to sleep my daily hours!"
"I missed you, too, little snake." With a chuckle, Adryan took a few steps and ruffled the boy's hair. "How was the ice cream last time? Did you like it?"
The boy's bitterness visibly faded, and a small smile formed. "Oh yes! Your vanilla ice cream is one of the best I've ever tasted, and the chocolate wasn't bad either."
"I'm glad to hear that. Anything interesting happen?"
"Ah. My family took me to see your movie! My applause, I haven't seen anything so funny in a long time.
"Please tell me you're planning another one!"
"Hehe. Of course. This one has a slightly different style, but I think it will be just as good. Tell me, do you like deers?"
The boy's excitement stopped abruptly, extinguished as if it were a candle in the rain.
With enormous suspicion in his black eyes, the boy raised an eyebrow, "Why do I feel like I shouldn't answer?"
"Hehe."
"..." Flora pressed her lips together at what she was seeing, frowning slightly.
This... This kind of familiarity was something else she hadn't expected.
"Oh, right. Will, I want to introduce you to someone." Adryan patted the back of the boy she now knew was named Will and motioned for him to look at her.
"I was wondering when you would mention her. I thought about stopping her, but since she was with you, I let it pass," the boy said in a childish voice.
Tenderly, Will tilted his head to one side. Curiosity was clear on his face.
Those deep black eyes focused on her. And Flora unconsciously straightened up.
She had already expected it with His sudden presence, but those words confirmed it.
Since she wasn't wearing a dress, she followed her upbringing and curtsied as appropriate, her right hand over her heart and her left arm behind her back.
"Thank you for accepting my participation, Your Highness. I am Flora Jacob. It is an honor."
Smiling, Adryan laughed a little, "She is important to me, so treat her well."
Now, he turned the boy's head again. "Miss Worm, meet Will Auceptin. Leader of the Life School of Thought and the Snake of Mercury of Sequence 1."
"Hello." Will raised his hand, waving casually.
The boy frowned slightly, tilting His head.
"You look a lot like your ancestor"
'He knew Jacob?' Holding back her racing heart, Flora nodded and straightened up calmly.
"Only in appearance. I've been told that our personalities are very different."
The boy's head tilted to the opposite side, humming with slight interest.
"Hmm. Maybe, but it seems that some tastes are the same."
The white-haired woman blinked, somewhat confused. What was He talking about?
At that moment, Will turned His attention back to the redhead. His face becoming flat.
"Well? What is it this time? I have a nap to take, so be quick."
"That's no way to talk to your elders, brat," shaking the boy's hair a little harder, eliciting a giggle, the redhead finally let go of the boy's head.
"It's likely that one of my team members has entered an Author's story.
"I want to know if there's any way to get her out of there without attracting attention," Adryan briefly explained his current situation, without going into detail or elaborating, keeping it as simple as possible.
The stories created by Authors followed a script created by coincidences in destiny. If anyone knew how to deal with that, it was the snake boy.
"..." A smile slowly broke out on Will's face. Placing his hands behind his back, he sang cheerfully.
"Someone got into trouble~"
A sigh of relief escaped the man, "Ah, so it can be done."
The boy's smile faltered and fell, replaced by a pout, "You're no fun."
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for jokes right now." Shaking his head, Adryan raised an eyebrow.
"Although I'm surprised you're so calm. Aren't you afraid of the Author?"
"If you noticed it, then there's no way it could be that guy. I'm actually relaxed." Will rolled His shoulders exaggeratedly, carefree. "Besides, with your strangeness in destiny, I have some freedom to move around, so there's no problem with that."
'So I'm your VPN, huh?' Seeing the meaning in what He said, the Reaper continued. "Well? What do you say?"
"What's in it for me?" The black-eyed boy asked innocently.
The dance was cut short before the first step could be taken.
"How many pounds of vanilla ice cream do you want?"
"Hihihihi. That's why I love working with you, Mr Kenway!" Giggling, Will jumped out of bed and ran to a corner of the room.
Moving as He pushed aside various toys and cards, the boy didn't look at them for more than a few seconds before throwing them behind Him.
"No, no, this isn't it... Aha!"
Having found what He was looking for, Will straightened and ran to stand before the duo. With a bright smile, He held out both hands and showed them to them.
In the child's palm, a simple silver coin rested.
"Give this to your protégé and smear her blood on the tail. Then give the coin to whoever you want to replace her, and they will take her place in the story for a while."
'Oh? It's similar to the theft of the Trojan Horse of Fate. Can the Wheel of Fortune Pathway do something similar? Well, it's the path that represents fate, I guess it was to be expected..." Taking the coin, Adryan turned it over and looked at it more closely.
A simple silver coin, with a snake about to bite its own tail on one side and an egg on the other.
For a moment, Adryan didn't understand what that could represent. But after two seconds, an idea struck him.
When faced with unavoidable danger, Snakes of Mercury could restart Their lives as embryos to escape it. Was that the function of this coin? To act as an 'extra life'?
'I didn't think they could apply it to others...' Extremely interested, Adryan asked.
"The Reset of the Snake of Mercury?"
"Hihi. Exactly."
Now Will's smile was so big that it forced Him to close His eyes: white baby teeth and small dimples on His cheeks.
The boy didn't mention it, but from that expression, it was clear that He was highly pleased with what He heard.
"It works similarly, but not the same. This will only allow your peer's role as an 'actor' in the written script to be passed on to someone else as if it were them. Of course, once the director realizes the change, they can force the original actor to return. It only works in the eyes of fate, so if you want to use it as a shield, forget it."
The Reaper's red eyes flashed at the last statement.
"So if I receive an attack related to destiny, it can work as a shield?"
Will looked at him for several seconds, raising an eyebrow, "It can, but it has to be aimed specifically at the person's destiny. Not the body."
"Would parasitism fall under that?" Flora joined the conversation, a gleam in her gray eyes that looked like pearls.
"... Yes." The boy blinked, understanding what the woman in the purple jacket meant, then turned his attention back to a smiling Adryan.
"You two are made for each other."
"I know." Laughing happily, the redhead looked at the suddenly shiny and beautiful coin in his hand. "Is there no way to make the actor change permanent?"
"No, unless you're willing to be a dad." Amused, the boy turned to look at the white-haired woman. "You're together, right? Don't you think it's time to start a family?"
"Mr Will is quite a personality," Flora sighed, her ears slightly red. Although the idea had crossed her mind once or twice, it was still too early to talk about children.
"Hihi. I'm a child now, so treat me like one. Will is fine."
For his part, the redhead looked straight at the snake boy. A blush spread across his cheeks.
"While I want to have children of my own, I'd prefer them not to be conscious at the moment of conception." Admitting honestly, the man sighed at the angel's childishness while ignoring the sudden stop of his heart.
Wanting a family and breaking out in a cold sweat at the word pregnancy... What a combination.
'I blame the Divine Whore for her obsession with impregnating men...'
"Hihi. Okay." Nodding mischievously, Will began to sway from side to side, "Anything else to mention? Or can I go back to sleep?"
"One more thing."
"You know Lenburg has laws against child exploitation, right? I'll put you in jail if you keep this up!"
"Do you know anything about the Armonos?"
"Oh, those pranksters?" Will stopped His short swaying, looking curiously at the redhead, "They're pretty quiet and nice to talk to, not to mention their talent for music. Although their pranks can be a bit strong for normal people, they are good. I even have some working with me.
"Did you run into one?"
"You could say that," scratching his cheek, Adryan chuckled a little.
There's a reason it's a good idea to have a code. If he went around killing anyone who messed with his friends or the people he cared about, he'd just be giving himself an all-expenses-paid flight to his grave.
Sometimes, violence wasn't the solution... Sometimes.
Putting that aside, he continued, "Does it have to be a living person who takes on the role of the original?"
"Preferably. The harder it is to notice that the replacement is different from the original, the better," Will yawned, covering His mouth with one hand.
Smacking His lips a couple of times, the boy rubbed His tired eye, "If you have nothing else to say, good night."
Snap!
Opening his eyes back in his body, Adryan cracked his neck with a small grunt. His hand went into his pocket and, feeling something that wasn't there before, he took it out.
Noticing that the coin with the snake and the egg was now between his fingers, a chuckle escaped him.
'I had several plans in case his assistance wasn't very great, but luckily I won't have to use them~'
The best-case scenario had happened. The Snake did have a way of dealing with Hazel's participation and could lend a hand in his own way.
Now what comes next will be very simple!
As he was already thinking about how to exchange his student for a substitute, the coin in his hand disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"After this is over, I'm keeping this little one," Flora sang, the corners of her mouth twisted in satisfaction.
"Your path can get more out of it than mine." Shrugging his shoulders, he saw no problem with that.
There was a chance that the coin might even bring luck, but considering that he carried the City of Calamities, which prevented him from receiving that bonus, it was better for his dear worm to carry it so as not to waste those benefits.
Getting up from the chair and finishing what was left of his sandwich, his free hand began buttoning his shirt while his threads brought him a bag from the corner of the room.
"I'll be out in a moment, get ready for a change," Adryan said to Maric without looking back, his hair already changing color and shortening.
The Zombie simply nodded, taking gloves out of his pockets and putting them on expressionlessly.
Time to work.