“How did you do it?” Erin immediately asked Kane as soon as he saw him go out of the classroom. She clung to his arms and tugged the hem of his jacket to get his attention. “Hey, how did you tame that stubborn kid?”
“Tame? I didn’t.” Kane continued to walk while fiddling with his phone. He informed the AC that he would arrive at the lab early that day since he still had to tutor Ed after.
“But you did! He stopped coming to the music room to play that terrifying music and he started asking more about you!” Erin seemed happy to see that something already changed in his brother after the first time he met Kane.
However, Kane knew better. It was not as if Ed changed within just one night. Rather, he was just starting to open himself up to other people without being afraid that he would be considered as weird.
It was good to know that Ed was more motivated than he thought. Since he was the one working on hi
“What is this?” Mr. Romero berated when he saw the third page of the questionnaire that Kane had been answering before his collapse. “I emphasized not to mention anything about dungeons and anything related to being a hunter!”The other two just lowered their head. Mr. Basilio was sure that he double-checked the questionnaires earlier and he asked those questions to be removed. How come the unedited one was printed and given to Kane instead of the one he asked Mr. Capili to prepare?Though he wanted to defend himself, he couldn’t retort because of his superior’s rage. Kane was a valuable test subject. They were all aware of that. So even if they felt wronged by Mr. Romero’s anger, they couldn’t say anything because of Kane’s state. He, too, was mad about what happened. He was afraid that Kane would feel unsafe in their current setup and suddenly withdraw.“Don’t you have an excuse for this? We all
Kane entered the café and he saw Xander waving his hands for him. He nodded to acknowledged that he had seen him and walked towards them. He looked at Erin who didn’t even greet nor looked at him. Was she still mad at him?It had been days since she stormed out of the room after she took care of him when he collapsed. He had been thinking about it and he thought that he might have been a little harsh on her since she was just worried about him. But still, he wouldn’t take back what he said. He was actually trying to be considerate which he rarely did, so why would he take those words back when he said those out of his goodwill for the first time in a long while.“I’ll order for you, Kane!” Xander immediately stood up and left their table to approach the counter.Now, they were left in a more awkward atmosphere. Erin didn’t seem to have a plan on talking first so he just sat beside her and nudged her a little.&ld
When Kane was still inside the office, Xander sat on the couch. “It’s been a while since I last came here.”Erin who had just come from the kitchen, put down three glasses of juice on the center table before she sat beside him. “Nothing really changed here, right?”Eren chuckled and took a glass of juice and took a sip from it. “I wonder what those two would be talking about.” Though he was curious, he wanted to respect his father’s decision to talk to their friend alone. He could just ask Kane later if it wasn’t confidential.The guys looked at Erin when they heard her phone ring. She was compelled to check her phone all of a sudden because the attention was all on her. She furrowed her brows when she realized that it was Xander’s sister.“Lexi, why did you call?”Xander looked at her with a raised brow when he heard her call his sister’s name. Why would his sister call
“Kane, you’re going to tutor me today, right?” Ed said from the stairs. He was already in his room, expecting for Kane to come. However, his tutor didn’t come after half an hour so he had to go down and check on him.“Ah, right.” Kane had a monotonous voice which made him look more nonchalant than he should be. He took his bag that was on the couch and followed after Ed who was already walking back to his room. “Keep that guy entertained until his sister calls again.”“I will!” Erin chuckled.Eren looked at Erin with a suspicious gaze. He already had a hunch that those two already made up after a few days of not talking to each other, but how could they act close as if nothing happened?“How would you even entertain me?” Xander pouted with his left brow raised.“Just like the usual? Entertain me,” Erin said with a teasing yet sarcastic laugh.Xander’s b
Eren took the family car which was bigger compared to his own car. They all went in and Kane noticed that Ed seemed to be eager but he was keeping his expression neutral. “You noticed too?” Erin, who was seated beside him in the middle part of the car, asked with a smile on her face. “He had been trying to copy you lately.” “I already said that he’s not like me, though?” Kane insisted as he pulled a book from his bag. “No books allowed. Do you want to destroy your eyes?” Erin nagged with raised brows. She took the book from Kane’s hand and put it in her bag. “My eyes wouldn’t be ruined from reading.” Kane insisted but the lady wouldn’t background, but Erin acted as if she didn’t hear anything. Erin turned to Ed and she slapped her forehead when she noticed that even her younger brother was also reading a book. Since Ed was seated beside Kane, Erin leaned closer to her younger brother and pulled the book from his hand. “Hey!” Ed growled
“What the heck?” Xander pouted when he saw his sister grinning from ear to ear. “You made me worried for nothing.”“Who told you to worry?” Andrei, Xander’s elder brother, asked with a smirk on his face.“Whose idea is this?” Xander laughed as he watched his younger cousins play with the balloons. The surprise party looked like a children's party but it didn’t matter for him. As long as the dessert corner was good, he would be happy.“What kind of an idiot would even forget that it was his birthday?” one of his younger cousins teased him.“Well, I’m already so busy with school and work and you still thought that I have the spare time to think about birthdays?” Xander looked smug, but for Erin, Kane, and Ed, he was nothing more than an adult trying to pick a fight with a child.“So, why did you end up planning a surprise party for me? I’m no longer
After the party, Kane asked the Ruiz siblings to just drop him at AC on their way home. Erin looked at Kane with worried eyes but Kane just looked at her as if to assure her that he would be fine.While in the car, Ed leaned his head on Kane, and soon enough the child was already fast asleep. Erin smiled as she looked at the two in the rearview mirror while Eren smirked when he noticed his sister’s expression.“Stop looking at them like a proud mom,” Eren teased his sister in a whisper.“What are you saying?” Erin rolled her eyes as she took her phone and connected it to the Bluetooth. She played the music on her playlist and hummed to ignore his brother’s teasing eyes.Eren averted his attention to Kane who was silently looking outside the window.“Kane, is it fine to drop you at the stop near AC? I forgot I’m on coding today so there were routes I’m not allowed to pass.” Eren sneaked a g
“How dare you!” The man took a step away from him and turned to face him. He stood in a fighting stance and was prepared to use his whip anytime.“Attack him!” the other four attack him altogether but everyone was just too slow in his eyes.He had not fully accepted that he was an S-class, but his body was saying otherwise. His eyes, his perception, his senses, and even his ability. He could feel a big difference from his old self than when he was still a D-rank.Kane did nothing but dodge his attackers. He did not attack since he was not fully acquainted with his newfound skill and he did not want to overdo it.“When are you going to stop?” he asked the people who were just attacking him nonstop.“We won’t stop until you die!”On that last attack, Kane did not dodge. He accepted the full brunt of the whip by just using one of his arms. He heard the impact of the whip, but he did not feel
Dio decided to spend his last day in Arnea City in a very productive way-- to stay inside his room and sleep for a day. He was set to do it though Blur had been whining to go around the city before they leave.He had no choice but to go with Blur or else, he would keep chanting on his head. His hands were inside his pocket while blur was on to of his head as they strode along the market streets.‘Are you having fun?’ He asked his bond through telepathy.‘I think it would be more fun if I could eat some meat.’Dio could imagine his bond grinning from ear to ear when he entered a tavern. “Please give me 4 sets of meat dishes. Just pick the best selling ones.”‘Dio, are you rich?’ Blur’s voice sounded excited as he looked around.‘Maybe? My grandfather left me a lot of money.’He rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. He just wanted a peaceful sleep but he was being push around by a pet. Since when did he become a pushover?‘I’m not your pet.’“Yeah. Whatever,” he mumbled agai
“Dio. . .”The voice that he knew so much called out to him. He smiled as he held his mother’s hand and gently tugged her dress. “Mother, I saw a very beautiful flower over there!”His mother let out a soft laugh before following his lead. They stopped at the corner of the garden then the he pointed at the budding flower.“Look at how small it is, mother!” He was delighted to show it to her and he was happier when her mother tousled his hair.“It’s a beautiful budding flower, just like Dio.” His mother gave him a gentle smile.His brows furrowed in curiosity. “Like me?”His mother nodded. “Just like Dio, this flower will grow to be amazing.”“Will I be someone amazing when I grow up, Mother?”“Of course. Dio was born to be someone strong and amazing, after all.” His mother gently touched his cheek. “Will you promise me that you’ll be someone whom the weak can depend on?”He smiled cheerfully. “Of course, Mother. I’ll grow strong to be someone who will take the side of the weak and not
“Uhmm.” The lady fidgeted before she took the courage to hold the hem of Dio’s shirt. “Can I at least know your name? I am Cassandra, the youngest daughter of Duke Riva.”The sun was already up and they were nearing the entrance where the gates were located. Cassandra wanted to know the name of her savior before they depart. She wanted to make sure that she would be able to repay him if ever they would meet again.“My name is Dio, my lady.” Dio looked towards the direction of the western gates where knights were coming back and forth. “Perhaps, did you run away from your knights?”Cassandra blushed as she looked down in embarrassment. “Will you keep it a secret?”Dio nodded. “I guess this is where we depart.” He turned towards the gate to Arnea and started walking but he stopped when Cassandra tugged on his shirt.“T-thank you for saving and protecting me.”Dio looked back and stared at her for a while. “You are quite timid for a noble.”“Do you need a reward? I could arrange for it.”
After the topic of his light-colored hair, an awkward silence ensued between the two of them as they walked towards the entrance not knowing that a disaster was waiting to fall upon them. Unfortunately, even though the lady basilisk let them go; another one was waiting right around corner. Without making a noise, the smaller basilisk which happened to be the younger brother of the lady basilisk that guarded the mountain bit Dio on his shoulder.“Argh!” Dio groaned in pain when he failed to dodge the surprise attack. He immediately pulled her to the other side to evade the serpent-like beast.Dio held his bleeding shoulder and the lady’s hand trembled in fear as she panicked not knowing what to do. Dio gritted his teeth, the pain coming from the clash between the basilisk’s venom and his healing abilities made him feel wobbly.“W-what should I do?” The lady exclaimed as she tried to wipe Dio’s blood as they ran.“Calm down,” Dio said in a hushed voice as he pulled her to hide behind a
After jumping off the tree, Dio followed the direction of the voice until she saw a lady who seemed to be the same age as him. She was slowly dragging herself backwards as the basilisk in front of her slowly moved forward.“Help me… Help me… Help me…” The girl continued to mumble.Dio stared at the girl who was no more less than a noble. Her ripped dress looked like something that was used to be on display at the capital’s boutiques, her fair white skin which was touched with shallow cuts probably caused by the branches when she ran, and her red hair with a gray hue signified that she was indeed a noble lady.He shook his head when she saw how the lady’s body trembled in fear but still managed to contain it in front of an S-class beast before he stepped out to show himself.“Excuse me,” he said to catch the attention of the lady as well as the basilisk.The lady probably noticed him since his voice was loud enough to resonate in the area. Her eyes grew wide as she lifted her hands to
It took Dio a few more days to collect himself. Knowing fully well that he wouldn’t die easily unless he commit suicide, he decided to just continue what he had been doing-- walking without moving forward. Besides, it wasn’t that bad to comply with his grandfather’s last request: live on.Dio found himself staring at his grandfather’s grave once again. This time, he was neat-looking and well prepped. Unlike the past days when his body hasn’t been washed and covered with sweat, dirt and tears.“Should I go on an adventure?” He stood up and put his hands on his pocket. It was more of a question for himself than to Archie. Dio lost motivation to continue living but he remembered his grandfather’s words.“I need to get moving, Gramps. Please rest in peace.” He bowed in a ninety-degree posture before leaving. As he turned his back on his grave, he felt a pang in his chest. Just the mere thought of leaving the place where he spent his days with his grandfather tore his heart into pieces.He
Dio opened his eyes and he saw the dark sky above him. He looked around and realized that he was still at the alley where the boys left him. He touched his side and felt disappointed when he felt the dried blood but the stab wound was completely healed.His restoration ability was something that he inherited from his mother. It would be hard to kill him unless his heart or brain was crushed or he suffered from too much blood loss that his restoration wouldn’t be able to keep up. Though they can heal and regenerate, they could still feel the pain.“What a lousy bunch. They couldn’t even do a good job of killing me,” he mumbled as he stood up. His stomach grumbled when he smelled the aroma of grilled meat just right outside the alley. He sighed before moving his feet and walked towards the store.“2 chicken skewers, please.” He took out 4 copper coins from his space ring and gave it to the vendor. The vendor gave him his order and he went on his way. Once again, he let his feet walk aim
Dio threw the shovel to the side after he finished burying his grandfather’s remains. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed as he stared at his grandfather’s tomb. He played with the ring on his finger, the last thing that his grandfather gave him, as he sighed repeatedly.“Heir apparent.” He sighed after reading the letters carved into the ring. If it was the reason why his grandfather wanted him to live on, then it would be useless. He threw everything away that day and nothing was left for him to live for.He poured mana onto the ring and a magic circle appeared in front of him. He already expected that it would be a space ring, yet his lips curved upwards when he realized that he was right. He peeked at the contents of the dimension storage and he shook his head in disbelief. In the end, his grandfather prepared everything for him to live a good life. It was obvious with the stack of gold and jewelries that he found inside as well as the amount of high-quality potions that he
While Dio was on an adventure with Matt, Archie was preparing something. He was putting the gold bars he collected for more than eight years to a spatial bag. Then he moved to the medicine cabinet and moved the highest quality magic and health potions as well. After putting a couple more items necessary for survival he then entered his room and opened a hidden door under his bed. He opened a chest full of magic crystals and lastly, he took a twin dagger hidden in the chest and moved them all to the bag. He opened his space ring and put the bag in there with a sigh.“This should be enough,” he mumbled as he put the ring on his pinky finger.He went back to the store when he heard a sudden knock.“I hope you’re ready.”“I’ve been waiting for you.” Archie let out a dark smile.“Dio!” Matt called out to the kid who was suddenly attack by a canis. They were just a few meters away from the heart of the forest when a pack of canis attacked them.Matt kicked a small canis who stood on his way