The birth rates on Mox have been terrible since their end started. One child per month. Whether it be a human, a Sable, a Drayl, a Westerner or a Loong, their birth rates remained too low.
On Mox, more people are living in poverty. Even Supra, the city habituated in the sky, known for being one of the richest in Mox, was full of homeless Parers. The Throne was also dying. Their villages were bursting into flames for no apparent reason.
In a small village east of Supra's base, which was named Ferunt, nobody had been born for six lunar cycles, and their nursery remained empty, and the midwives resorted to other means of money. A storm hung in the distance, and the civilians of Ferunt were sure that it was approaching. This would mean terror for their crops, and their paychecks may not come in the next month.
The ways of making money in Ferunt were as following:
You could be a midwife, which was foolish given Mox's current state, you could be a farmer, which was usually the safest job, you could be a smith, which was popular, you could knit and sew to make clothes, you could sell items, or you could be a "hunter", or as they called themselves: "Beast Hunters". But there were no beasts in the forests near Ferunt, no monsters, and nothing evil to slay. These people simply found creatures to kill and sell.
Though, if none of these jobs suited you, you could always be jobless. But that was always a bad idea. Friendships had suffered in this time period, and not even those related by their own blood could afford to give relatives a single cent. So it was advised to work for yourself and make your own money.
This was the story of the young woman named Noelle and her younger brother, Leon. At a very young age, their parents both fell due to a disease unlike anybody had seen in the world, and they weren't the last victims.
People these days call these times "The End", and rightfully so. Sicknesses like this have never been a part of Mox's history, and Jikoku specifically decided to create a world where plague never existed.
Noelle had no family that could reach her, and their parents were poor so they left nothing behind, and their curse continued, and she and her little brother had to live with 20 other people in a repurposed church. But at least she had a job and could afford scraps of food, enough to keep her and her brother alive.
Noelle was one of those Beast hunters.
"So… you made it back," Evangeline gasped, and the put down her newspaper. Noelle was standing at the entrance of the Beast Hunters office, battered and bloody. Her nose had a dark red stain going down, reaching her mouth. With her left hand, she was holding her sheathed katana, which was dripping with blue blood, and with her right, she was dragging the corpse of a curious creature, completely black and shiny, scorpion-like with a large laceration down its stomach. Noelle's white jacket had been stained by blood, and her black hair was messy and torn up.
"Y-yep," Noelle stuttered. "I made it back," and then she fainted.
When she came to, she was lying down on a bed, and Evangeline was tending to her injuries. When she noticed that she was awake, she started to scold her. "Noelle! What got into you? We were just meant to be killing wolves! You were gone for around 12 hours!" she sighed, and then she threw away her bloody cotton swab to swap it out for a clean one. "You can't keep doing these foolish things."
Noelle blushed, and she tried to turn to the wall, but she couldn't move her body. This sucks, she thought. "Do I get a bonus for that scorpion thingy?" she tried to say, but her tongue was swollen, and she sounded like she was sleep-talking and drooling at the same time. Evangeline understood her. "It turned into dust after you fainted."
"What the hell?" Noelle mumbled.
"We still made around 50 dollars from that wolf-hunting job."
"That scorpion would have cost at least 50."
Evangeline sighed. She and Noelle opened up this 'business' last year in the hopes of making money of some kind. They were around the same age, give or take a few years, as they only had an estimate of their actual birthdate. "Where's Leon?" Noelle asked.
Evangeline gestured to the door on the opposite side of the room. "I can let him in if you want."
"Yes please."
Evangeline walked to the door and swung it open. There was Leon. He ran toward Noelle's bed, and embraced her. "What's for dinner, sis?"
"Nothing," Noelle said, and a tear shed in her eye.
"Just like yesterday?"
"Just like yesterday."
Leon hopped off of his sister and sat on the chair in front of it. "I'm okay with that."
Evangeline pulled up another chair. "Noelle, you'll need to stay in bed for at least a week. Your injuries–" she grimaced "they weren't good. At all."
"A whole week?" Noelle groaned. Evangeline nodded. "I'm gonna buy some food. You two can have it."
"Really?" Leon asked. "It's okay, Miss Evie."
Evangeline smiled. "I don't want you two getting hungry," she turned and left the room, leaving Leon and Noelle alone in her room.
"Will you be ok, sis?"
"I know I will be."
The moment Evangeline walked out of the Beast Hunters Office, an old dirty man whistled at her. This always happened, and in her eyes, she didn't see herself as attractive. Evangeline was a woman of average height, and she had black hair that she had bleached to a blond near its ends, and it was long, so she tied it up into a stylized bun. She wore a black suit with a black tie, and on her back she had a giant sword which she had found while on a job to kill a monster living inside a labyrinth. She wore a pair of orange goggles on her head, and her eyes were a green colour.
She made her way to the market, where she found the cheapest sandwich she could find, and she bought it for 2 dollars. She had to spare all of the money she could. Times were desperate.
She thanked the cashier, but as she walked out of the shop, a message appeared in her mind:
"You are in the presence of a God."
Evangeline glimpsed the god's tall white hat and his sheer height, and she knew Jikoku was back. Everyone that saw him cheered, and then they all bowed, before Jikoku told them to raise their heads. All of them did, and then they cheered again. Jikoku smiled, and then raised his hand, and the cheering ceased. He glanced in Evangeline's direction, and his eyes widened.
"Hello, Evangeline," he said, and then he bowed to her.
"That is me, sir."
"Please. Call me Jikoku."
He rose, and then he asked her: "Is Noelle ok?"
"Since the last time you checked, she's been injured greatly."
"May I see her?"
"Of course."
Evangeline led Jikoku back to the Beast Hunters Office, as Noelle was sleeping in her room, and they both, and Leon, lived together. A slight pang of hatred was simmering in her mind, and she knew why. Jikoku had taken a liking to Noelle, but he had always overlooked Evangeline. She always thought that Jikoku could just magic her fortune at any time, but for some reason he hadn't. Was there a limit to how much he could create?
"She's just through this door," Evangeline sighed.
"Aren't you going to come in as well?" Jikoku asked.
Evangeline shook her head. "Give her and Leon this sandwich."
Jikoku pushed the sandwich back into her hands. "I cannot give her this. It would be a lie to her. After all, you're the one who bought this for her. Give her what I can't."
"I'll give it to her later, then."
And then she walked away, back to the lobby.
Jikoku sighed. When he entered the room, Leon stood up and bowed.
"No need," he said to the child, and he bowed instead of him. He rubbed his hair and Noelle chuckled. "Why have you come to see me, mister?" she asked.
"I am here to deliver news. How long will it take for your injuries to heal, firstly?"
Noelle shrugged. "Evie said that it would take two weeks."
"We will be cutting it close. Remember what I have told you. I planned to tell it to Evangeline too, but she refused to come."
"W-why?"
"That, I do not know. But we must get to the issue at hand–" he began to grin, and Noelle thought she noticed tears of joy. "I have found a savior."
"A savior?"
"Every time a god creates something, they lose a piece of their power. I had no idea how to counteract that rule, but I then came across an Earthling. Earthlings are known for their tendency to destroy, but they have, after all, combined their efforts to become the most successful species of human. We can learn from him."
"Him?" Noelle was skeptical about this plan. "Who is he?"
"Noelle, can I trust you to be this man's tour guide?"
"Yes! What's his name!?" Noelle cried impatiently.
"He is Ant Infele."
The moment his name was revealed, Noelle felt a sudden sense of safety. She did not know why. "Are you sure you can trust him?"
"Yes." Jikoku told her, and then just before he parted from Noelle's room, he said one more thing. "He comes in two weeks."
"That isn't enough time!"
"As long as you sleep still and do nothing foolish, you should heal fast enough."
Noelle grumbled. "Yeah, okay. I'll see what I can do."
"I can be the tour guide, mister!" Leon raised his arm into the air and walked towards Jikoku.
"That would be inadvisable," he sighed and patted Leon's hair. "After all, we need someone who knows this side of Mox. The Beast Hunters would know that kind of information."
"Aww," Leon groaned. "That's okay, mister."
Jikoku was still standing in the doorway, in the middle of leaving. "I will now depart. Best of luck to you, Leon, and Evangeline."
Jikoku left the room, and Evangeline walked in. She gave Leon the sandwich, "Please share this with Noelle, okay?" and then sat on the chair in front of her bed. "What did Jikoku say?"
"We have a savior or something. He planned for us to be tour guides for him, show him around our side of the Mox, and stuff, but you refused to listen to him. Why is that?"
"Well… I was… getting… a…" Evangeline tilted her head upwards to look at the ceiling. "A… a sandwich?"
Noelle shook her head subtly, and then sighed. "Anyways, the savior's name is Ant inf… Inf-something."
"Do we really need a savior?" Evangeline asked.
"Apparently, yes."
"I see, then."
"I don't know about you, but I think I'll go to sleep."
"If you must. Goodnight, Noelle."
Two weeks had then passed, and Noelle had remained bedridden, until the Saturday, when Jikoku told Noelle Ant would arrive, and so she stood up. Though her body was still sore, she endured it, because she wanted to meet The Savior. "Are you sure you're okay to walk?" Evangeline asked her, wearing the same clothes from yesterday, and the day before (new clothes were expensive).
"My body still aches, but it'll be alright. Don't worry," and then she put on her once-white jacket, now half-stained with crimson blood, and then picked up her katana, which she used as a walking stick.
"Hey, don't use your katana. I'll clean it when you're gone, use my long wooden stick," Evangeline offered.
"You mean… a staff?" Noelle chuckled. "Thanks," she said, and then she took Evangeline's staff.
Jikoku was waiting outside. "I have urgent matters to attend at the God Council," he said, and then he gestured to the forest near the back of the village. "In the centre of that woodland, there is a tall hill marked with a stone altar. Ant will appear there in–" he glanced at his wrist, where a wooden wristwatch settled– "two and a half hours."
Noelle nodded.
"Just in case you get lost, every ten minutes a large beacon of light will fire from the altar, and you will follow it," Jikoku added, and then he whispered "Good Luck" and then he vanished.
Noelle trekked into the forest. Along the way she spotted a few creatures she wished she had captured, but she could not, for her legs were limp and she could not run, and she needed a walking stick just to move. It took Noelle 105 minutes to reach the hill, and another 20 minutes to climb the staircase at its base. Noelle sat on one of the stone railings at its top. It was a very large hill with a breathtaking view. Noelle could see Ferunt above the trees' topmost leaves, and if she looked slightly up, she could see the floating metropolis Supra north. If she turned west, she could see the massive structure in the sky, the "Heaven Piercing Throne". To the east, she saw The Altior, a range of snowy mountains. She looked at her wristwatch. It had been two hours and 15 minutes. 15 minutes left until The Savior arrives.
That number was reduced. From 15 minutes down to 12, down to 10, to 5, and then it had been two and a half hours. Yet the savior had not come.
I'll wait a little longer.
But then she fell asleep for twenty minutes,
And nobody came. It had been three hours, thirty minutes more than the set time, and Noelle had to come to a decision. She had to go home and sleep.
She limped down the stone staircase once more to reach the bottom of the hill, and as she did, a golden beacon fired into the air, lighting up the night sky. Should she wait a little longer?
Noelle noted the direction of Ferunt, and with some trepidation, she made her way back to her village, and then she wandered to the Beast Hunter's office.
"Where is he?" Leon asked, as he was waiting in the lobby for Noelle. "Mister Infele?"
"He didn't come," Noelle sighed. She faltered into a chair, and she leaned backwards, leaving Evangeline's staff resting on the wall. This sucks, Noelle thought. I had to wait an hour longer than expected, and he never came. "Where's Evie?" Noelle asked Leon, to which he replied by gesturing to the backdoor. She's in her room.
"I'll see her," Noelle said, and she glimpsed towards Leon, who had his eyes full of hope. Noelle sighed. And then she left.
In her room, Evangeline was wearing her white button-up shirt, and her black tailcoat was hung up next to her bed. She didn't notice Noelle when she entered the room, and she was sitting on her desk, holding a magnifying glass and a large map of Eastern Mox. Her finger was dragging along the Altior's base.
Noelle staggered towards Evangeline's chair, and she put her hands on her shoulders.
"Huh?" Evangeline yelped, and she span backwards, and then sighed. "Oh, it's just you. Where's the savior?"
"He didn't come."
"Oh…" Evangeline sounded just as disappointed as Noelle was. She felt scammed. No, she was scammed. Jikoku had lied, or he hadn't double-checked his time of arrival.
"Hey… are you okay?" Evangeline asked, bringing back Noelle from her thoughts. "You seem down."
"Why wouldn't I be down?"
Evangeline frowned, and then nodded. "A client came. They're gonna pay us 100 dollars to secure this…" she pointed to a shrine on the map marked 'Altior Shrine'– "from thieves. They said they had listened to their plans, and it was going to happen in two days."
Noelle nodded. She was happy to be back on the job and work with Evangeline, but she couldn't help but feel… unhappy.
"We should really get to sleep. Goodnight, Noelle."
Noelle nodded, and then she walked back to her bedroom, where her clean katana lay on her bed, and she felt better… somewhat. It still helped. This is why… she started to think, but then she stopped, because just then, another thought override hers.
"You are in the presence of a god."
This message was not new to her; she had encountered Jikoku many times and Jikoku had encountered her, but this time was different. She didn't know why, but she knew that this message was not activated by Jikoku. Which meant that another god had entered their planet.
Something then caught the attention of her ears.
Screams. Outside of their office building, screeching humans. And then something else–it was not human. Ferunt was known to be a human village, just like how Sables and Drayls built their own towns. It wasn't that they were racist, the other Parers just refused to move here. That made it all the more strange and weird when Noelle heard a cry of a creature that wasn't like anything she had heard. Out of all of the screams she had experienced, she ticked off boxes in her head.
It wasn't the scream of a human.
Nor a Drayl.
Not even a Sable could make that noise.
But it sounded familiar.
Noelle heard the sound of a door creaking open, and then close, and then Leon walked into Noelle's room, and hid behind a chair.
"What's happening?" she asked.
Then came the sound of metal, and another scream. Was it being twisted? Unsheathed?
"Don't go in there," someone outside said. Who was it? Evangeline? A villager?
The door to her room swung open, and in came a black scorpion. It looked just like the one she killed two weeks ago, except it was almost twice its size.
The words that came out of the scorpion's mouth were unexpected. It could speak fluent English?
"Is it you?" it said.
"Am I what?" Noelle replied. Her heart was beating fast. That wasn't good. In her state, she might start coughing up blood.
"You are the one that killed my people's favourite servant!" it yelled, and black spit came from a hole which Noelle assumed was its mouth. "I have no need to get revenge, but my people had a vote, and I know better than to not disobey democracy!"
Leon was hiding under the bed. He was about to jump in to 'save' Noelle. But he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he could take on a scorpion by himself. But it was his sister. He was torn between two actions, and before he could come to a decision, Noelle took the katana from beside her bed. Technically, it was a Nodachi, but everybody, including Noelle herself, called it a katana. She unsheathed it, and she hopped out of bed. When her foot came in contact with the floor, a sharp pain rushed up her entire body. But she contained the scream.
Noelle dashed forward, aiming for the scorpion's eyes, but because it had no eyes, she had to guess.
She guessed wrong.
The scorpion didn't flinch, and it just knocked her to the side. She choked on her blood, and then she screamed:
"Stop!"
It was Leon. He had come out of hiding.
The scorpion chuckled, or Leon assumed so, it produced a clicking noise, like falling dominoes in succession, and then it leapt.
A message was sent to the scorpion king's head.
"You are in the presence of a god."
It stopped mid-jump somehow. And then it put its head to the ground and bowed. It didn't know why, and it had never encountered a god before.
Before it could rise its head, it was distracted by a call coming from the entrance to the office.
"Hello?" a man called. "Anybody awake–"
He appeared to have spotted the scorpion. "Oh. It's my first day here, already?"
The scorpion was pulled backwards as if yanked by an invisible rope, and its body folded in on itself, and its scream grew softer, until it had become a small black dot in the air.
"It's my first day here, and there's already a monster?"
It was a tall boy with messy brown hair. He had a white button-up shirt, wrinkled and stained with dirt. The boy wore long black pants, and his dress shoes were dried with dirt. He wore a brown and yellow striped tie, and a brown blazer was hung on his back, its arms tied around his neck, and the bottom of said blazer was ragged and in an undesirable state.
The black dot of the scorpion king exploded into a brilliant flash of golden light, along with an ear-damage inducing sound, and blue blood stained on the boy's cheek. "Oops. I used too much power. Sorry about that," the boy wiped the blood off using the end of his sleeve. "It's hard to control it."
"What's going on?" Evangeline shuffled to the lobby. She was half-naked only wearing lingerie. The boy yelped when she came out of the room.
"I heard a loud noise so I got up," Evangeline started, not noticing the boy. "Didn't have time to put on my clothes. Also… something about a god…" and then she turned her head towards the entrance, to where the boy was standing, and she immediately blushed, and then she shuffled around, covering her exposed areas. "Who the hell are you?" she yelled. She stared at him for a little longer, and then her eyebrows raised, and then she started smiling, clearly trying to hide it.
"Take this," A flustered Noelle said, and she took her white jacket off of its hook and gave it to Evangeline. "What she said. Who are you?"
"Me?" the boy straightened his posture. "I am Ant Infele."
Noelle and Evangeline bowed out of pure instinct when they heard him say his name. "That was so cool, mister!" Leon cheered. He ran up to Ant, hopping up and down. "Can I learn to do that as well?"
Ant glanced at Leon, and then frowned, taking a step away. "So… who did I just save?"
"ANT INFELE!?" Noelle exploded. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"
"Nothing..?" Ant swallowed, and then looked down. "I came to Mox on an altar in the middle of the woods. Now that I think about it, you were sleeping on a bench nearby. I didn't want to disturb you, and then I got lost in the forest. I eventually came to this village, and your office was the only building here with the lights on."
"I forgot to turn the lights off, actually," said Evangeline. "Good thing I forgot, or else whatever broke in would've killed you," and then she laughed awkwardly. "...This isn't funny, is it?"
"I don't… I don't think so," Noelle whispered. Leon took a glimpse at Ant. "Where are you going to sleep, mister?"
"I… I don't know," Ant scratched the back of his head.
Evangeline was playing with her fingers behind her back, and she was frowning, which Noelle knew as her thinking face.
"I think we have a spare bedsheet stuffed in a closet somewhere. You're fine to sleep on the floor, right? We can just put the bedsheet on the floor," Evangeline said.
"Hold on, why are we just accepting this guy to live with us?" Noelle asked. "I mean, his story of how he came here sounds like a joke, I mean, he literally just came here, watched me sleep for a bit, and then found this office? Doesn't that sound… off?"
"I mean…" Evangeline stood on the tips of her toes, and she inspected Ant's face. "He looks trustable."
"He looks trustable? Come on!" Noelle sighed. "You just think he looks cute."
"Uh– well–" Evangeline stuttered. "...yeah."
Ant's eyebrows raised. "If you don't mind, I don't plan to stay in this village for long."
"What?" Leon tried getting Ant's attention. "But…"
"Why were you sleeping on that bench anyway?" Ant asked Noelle. "Were you waiting for me?"
"I… was," Noelle nodded. "Jikoku told me–"
"Oh, Jikoku?" Ant sighed. "What does he want me to do?"
"He said you were the savior."
"Yeah, that's me."
"Humble, much?" Noelle said. "Who do you think you are?"
"Hey, Ant, come on, you don't need to leave so soon!" Evangeline cut in. "We could help you! You know, you could run a few errands with us, and we could give you a cut of the money! After all, it would be easy, you seem like a strong person…"
"She's right!" Leon jumped up and down. "How did you kill the scorpion? Can I do that as well?"
"Guys, can you please lay off?" Ant said, and he took a wary step back.
"Ant, please," Evangeline begged. She bowed. "Just help us out! I'll give you my bed!"
Ant blushed, and his eyebrows raised. The floor was suddenly very fascinating. After one or two seconds, he looked up, and his eyes narrowed. "That isn't necessary."
It was like a switch turned off in Ant's brain, and then he grew more wary. "Let me ask you this again. Who are you people?"
His voice cut the room like a knife. Leon stopped bouncing. Evangeline's mouth shut with a click. Even Noelle's eyes narrowed. This behaviour–something was off. To Noelle, he seemed like a madman, who had been trapped for years before breaking out to a new world, where all of their senses were obsolete. But then again, he was waiting for two weeks, right? What can two weeks do to a person? Was Ant an emotionally frail person?
In her brain, Noelle was gathering information about him.
"Us? We're Beast Hunters!" Evangeline said.
"..." Ant sighed. "...Right. Beast hunters."
"I was told by Jikoku to be a tour guide for you."
"Will you fulfill your duty?" Ant asked. Leon and Evangeline were begging for him to stay and help. Ant looked down at them. "Get up," he whispered. "Please don't bow."
"I would not want to anger our god," Noelle replied. "I can show you around."
"Well, that settles it. I have nowhere to sleep, but…" Ant glanced at Evangeline. "You said you were gonna give me your bed, right?"
Evangeline nodded.
"Do you still want to sleep on the floor?"
"I'm fine with it." Evangeline stuttered. She glanced at Noelle. "I'll move into your room for the time being."
Noelle flustered. "Yeah, sure."
"I will get settled. Tomorrow, tell me about this planet," Ant said.
Leon was hopping up and down. "Mister, please teach me how to use those cool things!"
Ant nodded, despite not knowing what he was talking about.
Behind the 'reception' of The Beast Hunters, there is a wooden door. Behind that wooden door is a small room with a table in it that connects to two other rooms, the one on the right leading to Noelle and Leon's rooms. To the left, there was Evangeline's room. However, for tonight, it was Ant's.
The room was bland–white concrete walls and a carpet floor, but to Ant, it felt more like a home than his father's house ever did. On the eastern wall, there was a small desk, one leg was missing, and in its place were a bunch of dusty books. On the desk there was a map, along with a magnifying glass. Someone, presumably Evangelin, had pinpointed a certain spot. It was a cave on the side of a mountain range called The Altior. The cave was called "Altior Shrine". A letter was beside the map, detailing how a client had overheard plans to raid the shrine, and he was paying them 100 dollars. To Ant, protecting an ancient temple should pay more than 100 dollars. Maybe dollars were more valuable here than on Earth?
He looked at the bed, and then he felt slightly disappointed. The bed was a handmade wooden frame stuffed with blankets.
That's probably the case, Ant thought. There was a hook beside the desk, and on it was a black blazer. Ant took off his torn brown uniform jacket and put it on the hook. He had not brought any pyjamas with him to Mox, and he didn't own any pyjamas normally. It would just be like old times.
Ant stripped down and left his school uniform on the ground in a clean spot he found, and then he flopped on the bed. He was essentially sharing a bed with another person. Ant didn't like that thought.
He lay down in Evangeline's bed for around ten minutes, staring up into the ceiling.
Out of nowhere, he didn't know why or how, he started tearing up. To quiet down his tears, he stuffed his face into the blankets. Why was he crying?
All the tears must have tired him, because that night, he had a dream.
He was sitting on the rooftop of his old school. Around the border was a battlefield of some kind. It looked like a warzone, at least. The sky was a dark red and it was like the school rooftop was the only safe spot.
"Ant. There you are."
Ant turned around. It was Lily. Or was it? No. He could tell,
"I remember you," Ant said, "Your name was Raiden."
"I'm flattered you remember me, Ant Infele," Raiden said.
"Who gave you permission to invade my dream?"
Raiden smiled in Lily's body. "Under normal circumstances, dream invasion is strictly illegal. But the God Council made an exception."
"I take it this is a warning?" Ant said. "That you will chase me to Mox?"
"When I do find you, I will kill you, and then I will prosecute Jikoku, your master," Lily's body smiled.
"Did you think I would hold back–" Ant fired a 100% blast of pure golden energy from his palm. "–if you were wearing Lily's face?"
Ant thought he saw fear. He might have been mistaken.
Lily's body twisted to the side, and Ant heard a bone crack, but then a flash of blue electricity ran through her spine, and she contorted into normal shape. "What a weak shot," Raiden taunted.
"All I need is to just destroy your vessel, right?" Ant gritted his teeth, and then he lunged at Lily's body, creating a blade of light that materialized as a thin crack in the sky itself. He swung the blade, but then it shattered, and so did half of Ant's body. Raiden sighed. "I would march over there to kill you right now but the God Council has forced me to await further instructions, so they're sending someone else to you… in around two days."
Lily's body turned away as a pool of blood began to form under Ant's left side.
"See you soon, Ant."
Darkness. He had died.
And when he woke up, he would forget this vision.
"Wakey Wakey!" Evangeline yelled, and Ant rose from her 'bed'. Evangeline sat down on the side of the bed. "How was the sleep?"
Ant sighed. "Do you need help with protecting the shrine?" in his mind he was angry. He was just going to be used. But on the other hand, it sounded fun.
"Yes," Evangeline said.
Ant scurried for thoughts in his head. The amount of discomfort he was experiencing was unlaughable and should be taken seriously. "You… You aren't my type," he wasn't joking. "I know what you're trying to do," Ant said. He clapped his hands, and Evangeline suddenly teleported two metres above the ground. She landed with a yelp.
"You're trying to make me stay. I won't be deceived. You see me as a business opportunity."
Evangeline swallowed. She took her black blazer off of the hook.
"That's not a good idea. You would just get hurt."
"Who would say that?" Evangeline snorted. She was trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Busted," Noelle laughed from the doorway. "What Ant said. Mind his personal space," And then she started cackling like an evil woman. After two seconds of straight laughter, it ceased, and she snapped her head into Evangeline's direction. She stared at her in a way that possibly held a secret message, but Ant did not know.
"Look, I'll still help you with the shrine protection. But after that, I'm leaving," Ant said, and he hopped out of Evangeline's bed, and he put on his school uniform.
Noelle sighed. She tilted her head, inspecting Ant's uniform. "What are you wearing?"
"This?" Ant looked down at his clothes. "Oh, this is a uniform from my school. I don't own any other articles of clothing."
"I see," Noelle nodded. "It's really tattered. Especially the blazer slash cape."
"Haha, yeah," Ant chuckled. He tied the arms of the jacket around his neck. "It warms my neck. It's kind of cold here, no?"
"I guess it is," Noelle said.
Leon ran into the room. "Mister! Mister!"
"Yeah, kid?" Ant said breathlessly.
"Can you show me your powers?"
Ant's eyebrows raised. "Maybe later."
"Yes!" Leon cheered.
"What's for breakfast?"
"Nothing," said everyone in the room except Ant.
"I see."