The next day, Kian woke up early, the sky still dark before sunrise.
I feel like I've been sleeping less lately.
Perhaps it was due to his increased attributes, or perhaps the stress of a huge debt.
Whatever the case, Kian was getting up earlier than he normally would.
As he prepared his breakfast, Kian's mind soon turned to his tasks at hand.
Today I have to go to the Syndicate to sell those cores.
He could also take advantage of being there and try to buy a new gun for himself.
"Urgh, I think my debt is going to increase even more" Kian's face contorted as he took a sip of coffee.
But there was nothing to be done, it was a necessary expense.
Besides, didn't they say you had to spend money to make more money?
Crumpling the empty bread bag, Kian was about to throw it in the trash when a glint caught his eye.
"What is this?" He muttered, staring at the bottom of the trash can.
Overcome with curiosity, he quickly reached in, retrieving a small piece of gold paper.
Is this gold?
It was a paper that was black on one side, but the other side seemed to be made of pure gold, to the point that it reflected Kian's face.
What would something like that be doing in the trash?
Staring at the bottom of the trash can for a few moments, he found another subtle golden glow.
Retrieving the second one, his jaw dropped as he examined what it was.
It looked like a small brooch, or it might as well have been the seal of a letter. As if dipped in gold, one side bore a symbol of a circle divided into four parts.
I-Is this from the Agency?
Hundreds of theories and possibilities ran through his mind, trying to decipher the object's origin.
Turning back, Kian saw Adrian's room, the door locked.
Immediately, he grabbed the trash can and emptied the contents onto the floor, soon spotting several pieces of black paper.
Retrieving each one, Kian gathered all the pieces before returning the mess to the trash can, returning to his room with the fragments.
It appears to be a letter.
On the floor, he examined each of the pieces, some of them containing loose words and phrases in sophisticated white calligraphy.
Damn, how could Adrian have ripped this? This thing screams 'luxury'.
Little by little, Kian was able to guess what the role originally looked like.
The letter would have been written in white ink on black paper, and the four corners of the paper would have been gold-plated.
Then folded and finally sealed with a small ARA clasp.
But seriously, what did the Agency see in Adrian?
Kian couldn't quite put the letter together exactly as it was before, but loose words like 'proposal', 'remuneration' and 'welcome', gave him an idea of the content.
It seemed to be some kind of job offer for his brother. But that only made Kian wonder why Adrian had torn up the letter.
Rummaging through the pieces of the letter, he soon found a loose sentence saying, 'discussed above'.
Has he gone crazy, maybe? Why would he want to continue bartending instead of working at the damned Awakened Regulation Agency?
If what Kian supposed were true, it would mean that ARA had contacted Adrian previously, only to be rejected.
And now they were sending this letter to make his brother reconsider.
Let's see, it should say somewhere where the salary is. If they wanted Adrian that much, maybe they would have even raised the offer.
Soon, Kian found a piece that might give him a clue:
"SIX THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED?!?" Kian blurted out, rereading the little '6,500 cr—' passage.
T-That amount has to be paid monthly. It wouldn't make sense for the great ARA to give so little in a year.
As Kian dreamed of all the things he could do with that monthly sum, he soon picked up on vibes outside the bedroom.
Did he wake up? Should I ask him about the letter?
Leaving the fragments of the letter behind, Kian opened the door to find a messy-haired, vacant-eyed Adrian leaning against the sink with a mug in his hands.
Pretending nothing had happened, Kian avoided Adrian's gaze as he poured himself another cup of coffee.
Silence soon fell over the kitchen, the pair of brothers leaning on opposite sides of the counter. Kian occasionally sipped his cup, feeling Adrian's gaze on his back.
At the strangeness of the atmosphere, Adrian sighed, looking at Kian with heavy eyes,
"Since you're not saying, let me guess: why didn't I accept the Agency's proposal?"
"Huh?" His heart skipping a beat, Kian stared at his brother in dread.
"Come on, Kian," Adrian said, his voice sounding tired, "If you're going to pry into someone else's business, at least clean up the crime scene…"
He pointed with his foot to a small eggshell lying on the ground.
Damn, I didn't see that one.
Having been easily discovered by his brother, Kian shrugged as he replied:
"So? Why not?"
"Because my life is already complicated enough, and I don't need any more work." Adrian sighed.
"But that would be the opposite of more work," Kian said, straightening his back. "You'd make a lot of money, and you'd probably work a lot less."
"It doesn't matter, I don't want to," Adrian replied, shaking his head, "Besides, I have a mother and a brother to take care of."
That doesn't even make sense.
Kian frowned at Adrian's lame excuse.
"Then that's even more reason to accept this. Especially because of Mom."
"You know very well that no amount of money can solve this," Adrian replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Uh, well," Kian hesitated at his brother's statement, "A-anyway, I don't need any care. You're really not losing anything by accepting."
A chuckle escaped Adrian at the irony of the situation, making Kian frown.
"What now?"
"Oh please, Kian," Adrian laughed as he placed his mug in the sink, "you can't be serious."
"What's funny about that? I'm serious," he said, his expression darkening.
It was no wonder that Kian survived the three days he spent in Zone A. Despite everything, he knew how to fend for himself and take care of himself.
Not that he would say that to Adrian, who laughed as he shook his head,
"Really? Really, Kian?" Rolling his eyes, he turned to leave, "No, let's not talk about that, since 'it's nothing', isn't that right?"
"Hey! It's really true, you know? I can take care of myself."
"Okay, okay, if you say so." Adrian replied before entering his room, "I'm going to visit Mom. Are you coming?"
Kian didn't answer, his jaw clenching as he stared at his brother.
"Well, that's what I thought," Adrian sighed heavily, closing the door.
Tsk, what's wrong with him?
Cursing under his breath, Kian went to his own room, slipping on some sneakers before grabbing his backpack.
I really know how to take care of myself.
Leaving before Adrian, he set off to attend to his tasks.
***
In a small, secluded alley, a groan of pain echoed, followed by a dull thud.
Lying on the floor was a young man with dyed red hair combed to one side.
Standing up, the young man wiped the blood that was running from his nose, glaring hatefully at the boy with disheveled black hair.
"You're really not making this easy for me," Kian said, returning the look, "everything would be so much easier if you just gave up."
"Fuck you, Kian"
"Well, no one can say I didn't warn you," Kian said with a shrug.
With a grim expression, the young man pulled a pocket knife from his pocket, pointing it at Kian before advancing.
Man, he's so slow now.
Stepping aside, Kian grabbed the young man's arm before punching him in the stomach.
Dropping his pocketknife, the young man fell to his knees, saliva dripping from his mouth as he struggled to breathe.
"Stop being so dramatic, man. I didn't even use that much force." Kian said, a smile gracing his face.
Ah, being an awakened one is truly the best.
Before, Kian had to be cautious and stay focused when getting into a fight.
Now he even had to hold back his punches so as not to accidentally kill someone.
Watching the young man cough uncontrollably, Kian grabbed him by the neck as he lifted him up and slammed him against the wall.
Holding him down, Kian felt the young man's pants, taking a phone out of one of the pockets.
"Come on. Pay me and I'll leave you alone." Kian insisted, holding out his phone, "Do it just one more time, and I'll never come back."
"As if." The young man laughed.
"What's with everyone not seeming to take me seriously today?" Kian complained, waving his phone,
"It's the truth, okay? Just this one more time, and neither you, Amara, nor any of your little group will see me again."
"Now that would be a good thing." An amused voice sounded from the alley's entrance, causing Kian to turn to face it.
Oh, that's great. Speak of the devil…
Releasing the young man, Kian glared at a girl approaching him with a wicked smile.
She would have been considered a pretty and popular girl, if it weren't for her delinquent features and the baseball bat resting on her shoulder.
Wearing flip-flops, she wore a pink top along with short shorts and a denim jacket.
Her hair was also dyed red, cut to shoulder length, emphasizing her white neck.
Her brown eyes were small and her lips were full, three piercings decorated each ear.
"Sigh," Kian sighed, looking at her. "What are you doing here? Did you get lost on the way to the brothel?"
A laugh echoed from the girl, Amara, upon hearing Kian's insult.
"Oh. My. God." She scoffed, staring Kian in the eye, "The dead boy got cheeky. Looks like I'll have to bury you in the ground again."
"You can try if you want."
Chuckling, Kian pulled his dagger from his jacket pocket, challenging the only other awakened he knew.