Gala blinked repeatedly. He even woke up with very slow movements as if savoring the moment. In front of him, Cathleen stood with her sweet smile. The color of her face looked fresh. Her blue eyes were lively. Not to mention... oh my! Gala could hardly believe his own eyes."You... you... real?"Cathleen sighed loudly. She walked with a bit of lifting her somewhat bothersome dress. "Actually, I haven't finished my task. Why are you so careless!"The young man stood silent, motionless, with his eyes fixed only on Cathleen, who was now approaching."I've often said that this die can't be handed over. It has a special authentication code regarding its owner. When you intend to discard it, negative energy comes out just like that. And do you know what happens?"Gala is still confused. "Wait, wait! Don't say things I can't digest so quickly.""When are you going to respond to all my statements?" Cathleen grumbled to herself. She carefully took the die hanging around Gala's neck. Her lips s
"Okay. Forgive me. I don't know why you keep saying that I'm careless because I want to throw away the die. You owe me too much, Cathleen.""I know." Cathleen smiles thinly. Her eyes again stare at the link of their hands. "We will live long while holding hands like this, sir. Trust me. The time waiting for you won't be long. And when that day comes, I'm sure we'll all be happy together."Actually, Gala doesn't want to release the girl's grip, but once again, Cathleen's gaze is so convincing. "How long?""Be patient.""How long, Cathleen?" This time the question is so firm because Gala is not a person who likes to wait for a long time, it turns out. Especially when it comes to Cathleen. The question receives a wide smile from Cathleen. She closes it with a sweet kiss as a farewell before she really releases the link of their hands."Do many things with the people who love you, sir. I think the time waiting for you won't feel long."Gala blinked slowly."And never, ever intend to throw
"Maverick!" Alex yells, where his sword has been pulled perfectly. Repelling the sudden and quite brutal attack because these big cats are very different from the animals that have been showing the way to this strange forest. Where pine trees that used to look dense now begin to shift or not, who knows. In Alex's eyes, everything seems to be moving away as if bringing them to a fairly large but rocky place.The sky is still as dark as Alex knows. His sword swings several times, pressing the cat to retreat, but it seems their strength is immense. Alex fights against almost four animals, which have very long fangs. Their orange eyes and hisses are terrifying. Alex is sure that if he gets bitten by those fangs anywhere on his body, it will result in a deep wound. Moreover, if these creatures are mythical, it means the injuries they cause can be severe."Try not to get bitten," Alex says loudly. His sword swings again to hit one of the heads of the creature that suddenly jumps to attack h
Blood continued to flow from the wound he got, just pouring out. Wanted to ignore it like twenty minutes ago, but the pain kept building up. He paused for a moment. Took a breath and suddenly his body slumped down to touch the ground. The fight earlier really overwhelmed her."Damn," he cursed, seeing her hands covered in fresh blood.The sound was deafening, almost bursting he eardrums. Echoing. Making anyone who heard it shudder and choose to run as far away as possible. The man glanced up, slightly shifting his body to avoid being too visible from aerial surveillance. Above, there's this spinning object emitting bright light. He knew each side of it was surrounded by weapons.As soon as the object scanned movement, the weapons ruthlessly thrust with hot lead.There was no other choice but to move into the Sunken Forest. Where the risk was the same: death.But the man still had plenty of guts. No matter how precious his life was, getting out of this area was his goal.Taking a gambl
"Geez, late again?"Gala, just putting on his apron, goes quiet. "It's not even five minutes, Mr. Kim," he quips."You! Help wash all the cooking utensils. Don't leave any oil residue there. If there's any left, Gala, you're fired."Gala nods, his eyes darting around, watching the stocky man almost filling the gap between the kitchen table and the cooking area, looking pretty cramped. Mr. Kim's way of moving seems difficult to Gala, especially with his reddening face."Cheer up, Gala," he says quietly, striding towards the sink where, to Gala's surprise, there's already a pile of pots and other cooking utensils. Gala wonders what's happening.Yesterday evening, Gala cleaned this area, so why does it look like it's doubled now?"Gala," Luke calls loudly from the kitchen door. "Don't take too long washing up; the kitchen area stinks. Us cooks can't work if it smells rotten."If only... yeah, if only he didn't rely on Mr. Kim's pay for survival. Plus, trying to find a job in South Metro
Gala feels like he's cursed beyond belief. He's been very cautious riding his old bike. Occasionally, he gives way because other vehicles cut in abruptly, making the road a bit wobbly. His mind is solely focused on the paper bag and Marta's order: don't spill Mrs. Weird Old Lady's tomato soup.But unfortunately, when he was about to turn into Lot 5, where Mrs. Gennie lives, a car suddenly slammed on its brakes. It made Gala's bike behind it veer off. He had tried to be careful, but because of the sudden movement earlier, Gala lost his balance.Or was it because he was daydreaming all along?Gala deliberately passes through the main door of Mr. Kim's restaurant for the first time in the afternoon. This chance is rare, right? Besides, if he takes the main road, he can get there faster and the order will arrive on time.As he passed earlier, what Luke often says is true. The restaurant is never empty. There's Mr. Kim near Marta's station. Sitting near the cashier's table, Gala can see hi
"What are you doing, Gala?!"Gala doesn't dare to lift his face. Trembles run through his entire body, he can't contain it. It's the first time Mr. Kim has been this angry, using such a high tone. He knows he's returning with a messed-up bag and appearance. Gala is sure Mrs. Gennie has already contacted the restaurant, complaining about her lunch being a mess on the asphalt.The strange woman's cane hits Gala's back twice. It stings a bit, but he ignores it. Gala apologizes repeatedly, but Mrs. Gennie's anger cannot be contained. Whether out of fear or unwillingness to engage further with the strange woman, the girl who had helped Gala earlier is already gone. She didn't even say goodbye or tell her name. Good Lord, Gala meant himself, who hadn't said thank you for the help given.Gala returns, struggling, pushing his half-broken bike to his workplace. Apologizing to the angry woman feels pointless. Curses echo along the street, making Gala a free spectacle. His face is lowered betwee
Gala chooses to ignore her, grabbing the apron he had taken off before delivering that cursed order. He goes back to cleaning his area, now filled with dirty dishes.Today he's starving, while at the same time, people at Mr. Kim's restaurant waste food at their leisure. Some barely touch their food, some refuse to eat their toast. Gala, feeling the pain in his stomach, quickly grabs the toast and half a portion of the grilled chicken from the stack of dirty plates. He eats it hastily.Then... Gala chokes violently."Are you out of your mind, Gala?!"Hanry, hearing Gala's disturbing choking sound, quickly turns towards him. He holds a leftover piece of chicken, unsure whether Gala had bitten into it or if it's about to be thrown away. He thumps on Gala's chest firmly. Hastily, Hanry grabs some water for Gala, offering it with a puzzled furrow in his brow."What are you doing, you silly kid?"Gala, seeing the glass of water, immediately gulps it down, trying to catch his breath and rega
"Maverick!" Alex yells, where his sword has been pulled perfectly. Repelling the sudden and quite brutal attack because these big cats are very different from the animals that have been showing the way to this strange forest. Where pine trees that used to look dense now begin to shift or not, who knows. In Alex's eyes, everything seems to be moving away as if bringing them to a fairly large but rocky place.The sky is still as dark as Alex knows. His sword swings several times, pressing the cat to retreat, but it seems their strength is immense. Alex fights against almost four animals, which have very long fangs. Their orange eyes and hisses are terrifying. Alex is sure that if he gets bitten by those fangs anywhere on his body, it will result in a deep wound. Moreover, if these creatures are mythical, it means the injuries they cause can be severe."Try not to get bitten," Alex says loudly. His sword swings again to hit one of the heads of the creature that suddenly jumps to attack h
"Okay. Forgive me. I don't know why you keep saying that I'm careless because I want to throw away the die. You owe me too much, Cathleen.""I know." Cathleen smiles thinly. Her eyes again stare at the link of their hands. "We will live long while holding hands like this, sir. Trust me. The time waiting for you won't be long. And when that day comes, I'm sure we'll all be happy together."Actually, Gala doesn't want to release the girl's grip, but once again, Cathleen's gaze is so convincing. "How long?""Be patient.""How long, Cathleen?" This time the question is so firm because Gala is not a person who likes to wait for a long time, it turns out. Especially when it comes to Cathleen. The question receives a wide smile from Cathleen. She closes it with a sweet kiss as a farewell before she really releases the link of their hands."Do many things with the people who love you, sir. I think the time waiting for you won't feel long."Gala blinked slowly."And never, ever intend to throw
Gala blinked repeatedly. He even woke up with very slow movements as if savoring the moment. In front of him, Cathleen stood with her sweet smile. The color of her face looked fresh. Her blue eyes were lively. Not to mention... oh my! Gala could hardly believe his own eyes."You... you... real?"Cathleen sighed loudly. She walked with a bit of lifting her somewhat bothersome dress. "Actually, I haven't finished my task. Why are you so careless!"The young man stood silent, motionless, with his eyes fixed only on Cathleen, who was now approaching."I've often said that this die can't be handed over. It has a special authentication code regarding its owner. When you intend to discard it, negative energy comes out just like that. And do you know what happens?"Gala is still confused. "Wait, wait! Don't say things I can't digest so quickly.""When are you going to respond to all my statements?" Cathleen grumbled to herself. She carefully took the die hanging around Gala's neck. Her lips s
Gala coughs violently. The pain in his back makes him suddenly breathless. He falls to his knees with a grin that still doesn't want to diminish even a bit. How could it diminish when he repeatedly had to hit trees or large rocks around him. The die still can't be touched again and emits a stronger blue light. Gala still remembers the first time they met in that corridor. The blue light... bright but also makes his heart quite comfortable. But this time, the blue around the die is different.Which Gala eventually realizes, the blue light comes from the hologram girl's projection. The original color of the die itself is a not-too-bright orange, not dazzling, but always makes Gala excited. Somehow the die has a way of being near Gala, but that's what the young man feels."Return," Gala whispers softly while wiping the corner of his lips slowly. The intention to throw away the die as far as possible seems to have to be reconsidered. What he is experiencing now seems to be a protest from
Xavier's earlier remark makes Maverick chuckle. "If you're joking, you should pay attention to your surroundings. If you leave my body there," Maverick points quickly, "What will happen to South Metro without me?"Xavier remains silent. He starts thinking about how to cross this seemingly endless chasm, except for the dangerous fog and steep rocks. He never knew there was a black panther guarding East Metro. He should have asked who this big cat really was before deciding to follow it. Ah, it's all because of Maverick who casually requested the big black cat for this Gala search.For some reason, his heart is restless, and everything revolves around the dice. He feels that the dice did something to Gala, and that fear is proven. In front of him is no longer the forbidden forest where the end should be a twin hill, one of its slopes slightly sloping. Indicating the border with North Metro, but what he sees is no longer what he imagined. Everything looks very different.He has lived for
Moreover, until that moment, his whereabouts were unknown. And now, for some reason, what really happened and what he went through made him even more curious."What do you want to ask, Alex?"The sturdy man is quite surprised to hear a question from Xavier. When he turns, the man next to him just laughs."Your head is so noisy."Alex blinks slowly. "Don't tell me you know what I—""You guys are too noisy," Xavier quickly interrupts, then his eyes turn to Maverick, who is still enjoying his cigar. "Especially you, Mave.""You know, I do love talking. My mouth feels cramped just being silent like this all the time. Luckily, the cigars I brought have enough stock until tomorrow." Maverick only glances briefly. "I'm sure whatever's in my head Alex won't be easy for you to share, right? So don't bait us to pressure you to speak."This time, Xavier laughed. "I still can't find the right correlation about your relationship with Gala. Has my son often visited you guys?"Both Maverick and Alex
The last trace of Seth's troops deliberately following Gala ends near the Netland village border. One of the quite remote villages but is one of the most popular tourist destinations for residents of North and South Metro. Most tourists come from both Metro regions. The village is still surrounded by evidence where snow perfectly covers its peaks, but it gets the most sunlight. Strangely, the warm light cannot make the hilltops melt. Only pine forests that still grow lush and maintain their authenticity.For this search, Seth was asked not to join, although the man insisted. But what Jiro said was true. At least for the next few days, Seth shouldn't leave the White House, especially when his heart is still uncontrollable. Losing Cathleen must be a severe blow for him. Kyler, who came earlier, also agreed with what Jiro said. Choosing to accompany Seth in this city center.Actually, for Xavier, this search is not too necessary. He is sure Gala is fine. Even if this search needs to be d
"Have you seen Gala?" Maverick has been quite curious about the young man since earlier. Since that news came, he hasn't wasted any time. Seth Rafael can't be lying, but after hundreds of years? What really happened? And how can this young man seem to know the girl in the white coffin very well? Maverick is not blind to notice that some people, including Xavier, seem very affected by this event.As far as his memory goes about the battle that took place between all of them and Gideon, there is no leader of the regions who did not survive. Everything returned to normal despite suffering some injuries. Only Gala. Yes, only that young man didn't come back. Xavier, who last met the young man, did not answer any of Maverick's questions about the whereabouts of his son. As if they were hiding something, but Maverick didn't understand.They returned with a lot of questions, which also made Mave and Alexander agree to search for the whereabouts of the young man. Although Maverick doesn't have
For someone who spent a lot of time alone, where he once thought he could never meet his parents again, trying as hard as possible to survive. It doesn't matter who underestimates him. He doesn't want revenge to be his own vendetta. Suddenly, someone appears who observes him, cares for him, raises his hopes, tries to forge him to be better – undoubtedly, the arrival of this new person means a lot to him. And when that new person leaves forever, the young man doesn't know how to face his life anymore.Although... he managed to find both of his parents. He saved them. And at least, what he wanted is achieved. To live peacefully with his family.The sky he's looking at now still offers the same beauty as when he first set foot here. In this wooden cottage, his father spent a lot of time during his visits to East Metro hundreds of years ago. Usually, Cathleen was always by his side. Talking about all kinds of possibilities was also something that left a deep impression on him. The journey