The flower shrieked, its razor-blade teeth gnashing against the dome's blue grid.
The sound drilled into everyone's skull, sharp enough to make a few flinch and cover their ears. Then, it stopped, freezing mid-lunge. Its petals curled inward, shivering like something caught in an invisible draft before slinking back into the dark, away from Elian's territory.
The air held still for a moment. They all sighed, shoulders slumping, knees buckling. A couple of them just collapsed outright, too wrung-out to care about dignity.
Elian didn't join the sigh-fest. The system kept pinging him like an overzealous debt collector. He winced every time the ding went off.
[Your Infamy stat has increased.]
[Infamy: 8]
[Aven finds your presence unnerving. +1]
[Tina and Hart honestly hate you. +3]
[Charles thinks you really shouldn't have brought the twins in. +1]
[Tip: I really don't care what you do with that, but for Goodness sake! Change your stick! Change it!]
[You have 53,000 coins at disposal. USE that.]
Elian tapped his stick against his palm. "Still useful."
[… You are just being stingy to yourself at this point.]
Meh.
Around him, the world had clearly shifted into apocalypse mode the moment he agreed to start the game — the sky tinted red, air thick with metallic rot, distant shapes crawling where buildings used to be.
He glanced back at the troupe he'd 'saved'. Eight of them in total, including himself.
From Aven's scattered introductions, he'd pieced together their names. Kent, the knight. Charles, the rook. Female bishop Jupiter—
Wait. Was Crix… flirting with her? Never mind. Not his circus.
His eyes drifted to Tina, who sat on a log. Her gaze flicked up, caught his, and then snapped away like she'd been burned.
Aven dropped Moon off his back. Her breathing was steadier now, no longer the shallow gasps she'd been making earlier.
Moon swayed once on her feet before making a beeline for Elian. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him, cheek pressed against his chest.
Aven blankly stared at her, his fingers burned and his back clearly hurts from carrying her on his back but she didn't even say a 'thank you?' instead she was there hugging Elian for whatever odd reason.
He shrugged, disregarding her but his eyes lingered longer on Elian. It was strange. Right after Elian died, he'd swore his heart stopped. No one really survives Jun's strings.
I'm pretty sure I checked his for his pulse and knew he was dead for sure. Was I mistaken?
But Kent's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Aven shook his head, his long hair was a bit scattered. He guestured towards him, walking towards his team to help them.
Moon's hug tightened. "You smell like blood," she mumbled, face buried into his chest. Elian tried pushing her off, but she won't budge.
"...Thanks?"
Sun appeared right on cue, yanking Elian's collar to drag him back a step. "Why did you save me, pawn?"
Elian studied him. Sun looked young, possibly still in his teen. 18 maybe? But should he say one of the reasons was intel on the white pieces? Or that he'd been curious why Sun had saved him first?
He shrugged. "Because you did. I couldn't leave my hero hanging."
Sun's wide grin lit up like a child told he could eat the whole cake. "Moon! Did you hear that? He called me his hero! I'm his hero."
Moon scoffed, she walked closer, holding Elian's face in place.
Elian's breath hitched. Why were the twins looking at him as if they just found a new playtoy. And why are they so taller than him?
[I don't know… I find it kinda hot. They're hot. But you are quite ugly. Did you spike their drinks?]
Oh come on! Didn't you just call them gross before?
"Hey—" Sun leaned in, stage-whispering as he locked his hands around Elian's throat. "How'd you reject our claim? No lower class has the ability to do that."
Before Elian could answer, Aven's voice snapped from behind, "If you don't keep it down with your threesome, I'm pulling blades on you."
Elian angrily shot his gaze at Aven. Do you think I want this? But there was a reason why he hasn't tried resisting them.
Information.
Again, his system notified him.
[Sun, The White Knight of the Heavenly Guild wants to claim you.]
Huh? Elian panicked. He felt Sun's grip tighten around his throat. He gulped slowly.
[Usually, you're of a trash class. You shouldn't be able to reject.]
[Do you wish to reject?]
Of course, reject!
[But why? They're hot and rich. Just look at their gears. You can get all the nice sticks you want.]
Shut up. Reject it! Now you're switching sides?
[Urgh. Claim rejected.]
Sun stiffened again. Then he laughed, releasing Elian out of his grasp. "Hm. So it's not a glitch. You actually rejected it."
Elian staggered back, taking a lot of steps away from the twins. His hands unconsciously flung to his neck, it burned hot beneath his fingers. His eyes searched for Aven, but the pretty man had his back turned against him, scanning the dome.
That… idiot.
He looked up, now staring at the twins' mismatched eyes.
They studied him like he was their prey, ready to pounce.
But instead of his presumed reaction, the twins just locked their hands together, squealing so hard it caught the other silent members in the dome.
"Kyaaaa~ he's even more cooler."
"I know, right? It makes me want him more."
What… the fuck? Are they supposed to be the people who wanted to kill him just because he's a pawn? And… aren't they supposed to hate the black pieces?
Even others found it weird.
"Aren't you meant to hate us? The recent broadcast did made it obvious about it."
Sun blinked like that was some divine wisdom. Moon snorted against his shoulder.
"Why should we care. I mean—"
Moon continued, "—We were born a year after the whole dimensional rift thingy—"
"... and the whole our world corrupting yours and the segregation, slur words doesn't matter to us." Sun finished the sentence.
Huh?
So why did they do all that?
"Oh. Umm… we just wanted to join the fun."
"Yeah. Killing is fun!"
"Yes. Sitting for history lesson is not fun."
Elain recoiled back? What? This wasn't…
He sighed, scratching his head and thinking. If that was how bad the world turned into because of hate, and mostly because he was the one who started the whole cosmic game, he couldn't help but worry about Rin.
I promised her I'd come back. I'm sure she must have been worried sick.
"I need to find my sister. She's somewhere out there. I'm going out."
Sun and Moon glanced at each other and then shrugged.
From behind, Hart scoffed loud enough to earn a few side-eyes. "Ha! Outrageous. How do we know you won't just hand us over to the white pieces?"
"What? Why would I do that?"
"Maybe they paid you. Or bribed you. Or… whatever. Just look at how those two dustwalkers are sucking up to him?!"
What? That's stupid.
Hart continued, "you can prove you're not a traitor by bringing back help. Leave your stick here too."
Hart looked around, seeking validation, Tina slowly nodded, Charles too pitched in. He was also uncomfortable with a supposed 'threat' they were meant to eradicate.
Ah. Right. Prove myself by ditching my only weapon and my territory. Genius.
And since I said I'm going outside to find my sister, that's basically volunteering to be eaten alive.
[You know you can just resurrect back right?]
Elian scoffed. Yeah, but every death hurts like hell. And for what it is... No one wants to be chomped alive.
[... Yeah.]
Elian cleared his throat. "Why don't you come with me too. In that case, you can keep an eye on this pawn so I don't act out."
Hart twitched, staggering backwards. His fists clenched. "A-and why on earth would I do th-that? You're a pawn. Of course you would be thrown out first."
Illogical reasoning, considering this pawn saved your ass from becoming plant food.
Still smiling, Elian reached out like he meant to pull Hart into a comradely hug. Hart shoved him back instantly.
"Aven's busy exploring the woods, the twins can't be trusted, the others are half-dead. Come on. We'll take turns. You follow me now, we can even grab some amenities, we come back later, too and the rest of the members will take their turns."
Jupiter rose, she hasn't spoke for a while, busy restoring her mana. She raised her hand, her staff right behind her. "Well, we can't let two weak classes walk into their grave. I will come with."
Hart's jaw dropped. "Weak? I'm an A-rank hunter."
Jupiter bit back a laugh. Badly. Her hand flew to her mouth, shoulders shaking, before she just gave up and doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"Oh sure. That fake profile could fool anyone. But not me. Do tell, where'd you buy it?"
She swiped a tear from her eye, grinning. "Hart Flounder. A-rank, sure. But you're no knight. Funny how a pawn can harass another pawn."