Bracing his back by a store counter, the young man looked out the store window. Despite the cheerful conversation around him, his hand twitched, waiting to reach for the broad sword attached to his back. Something felt off, but he couldn't tell why. All his eyes could do was watch a figure appear in and out from the window.
A bell rang from behind as a large-sized mango boba tea was served.
"Order for Mark."
Snapping out of his trance, Mark turned to the counter. Waiting in silence was a sixteen-year-old teenager working behind the counter. Her hair was long and brown, tied up into a ponytail on the right side of her head.
The two recognized each other almost immediately. The girl smiled, with her eyes mimicking the color and texture of a brown tree trunk.
"That will be three silver slides."
The man took out his bubble tea reward card and handed it to the lady. "So, what's the tea this week?"
The girl smiled, holding in her laughter. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But if you want to talk, Mark, can it wait after my shift?"
"Why wait?"
The young girl softly chuckled as she pointed to the lines of people waiting to be served. She leaned over, whispering into his ear, almost mockingly. "So much for acting cool in front of the girls."
Avoiding making himself any more foolish, Mark quietly handed her the money, walking out the door with his drink in hand.
…
"So much for being a team leader. I give Aizen control for one month, and he runs off by himself and goes M.I.A for three freaking days."
"What now, Aizen went missing again?" Without introduction, the girl replied, standing behind Mark as she took a long sip from her drink.
She wore a comfortable yellow shirt with a white flower pattern near the end and torn black shorts, ripped at the ends where you can see her pockets.
Mark turned to look at her with a mildly annoyed look. "Amber, I said the next drink was on me."
"Oh yeah!" Amber took a long sip of her tea, fueling the awkward tension.
Mark sighed. After a moment of pointless gazing, his eyes finally locked into a figure in the distance.
"Mixed-eyes…" Mark muttered, watching as the man in his late twenties casually walked out of a recently torn-down establishment. His expression was dull, with a jagged scar over his left cheek.
In a matter of seconds, the figure vanished, disappearing amongst the crowd.
Mark - "So, how's your research? Seems like you are still deciding if you're going to take the mentorship invitation."
The question was potent. Despite Mark's nonchalant tone, Amber couldn't help but fall silent.
'Not everyone can jump up and leave.'
Swallowing the bitterness lingering on her tongue, understanding the nature of Mark's question, she replied playfully.
"Oh, when did you start caring about stuff like that? Don't swordsmen just rub dirt in the wounds to cure all their injuries?"
Mark chuckled, "Good one." muttering the rest under his voice. "I would have found anything you say interesting."
Amber's drink burst from her mouth. Tapioca balls flew past him.
"Cough, cough!" Stretching out her hand, Amber continued, covering her unnoticed, ever so slightly blushed face. "I'm fine; Chewy just went down the wrong pipe."
Once more, Mark's eyes latched onto the fellow in the distance as they dashed their dark brown hair with light brown and gray highlights from his right eye, but most importantly, the creature that sat on his shoulder.
Panicked, Mark turned to Amber. "Sorry, I have to go."
"What?"
Mark snapped his head back in the direction of the figure, but he was already gone. Hesitating no longer, he ran off, his voice fading with every step. "I'll swing by some before I leave, I promise."
…
The night was starless, with barely enough moonlight to cover the blocks of stone called road. One by one, the pieces of text repeated, floating around his mind like intrusive thoughts.
'Hiroko was acting weird at the end there.' Jared thought as he turned the street corner. 'Maybe it wasn't the wisest idea to lie like that.'
Thinking about it no longer, Jared reached into his bag, opened up the Pet's packaging, and then held the Orange orb in the palm of his hand.
'So, from what I understand, there are only three requirements to awaken the pet normally: its name, a title for this bond, and a connection to match it.'
"Name Installment."
"Name installment… initiating…. Activating Kernel rewriting engaged…"
'Too impatient, I'll just test out the alternative method later.'
"Enchanted base value, online… Voice recognition functioning… You may begin."
Jared took a deep breath, looking down at the orb with newfound confidence.
"Toast, this dark night you were born, from this name, you were given life. This name will become your foundation, and its new meaning will be defined by your actions. From this day on, Toast will be your name."
"Installing… Rewriting collect… Voice attunement recognized… The name has been implemented… Welcome Toast to the land of the living."
"Alright, that's phase on-"
Silence. Words froze mid-sentence; their sounds suffocated in an instant. Tapping his neck, Jared's eyes looked around frantically, his lungs gradually deflating. Every part of his body sank, shackling him to the ground just to preserve oxygen, crawling to a nearby tree in desperation.
Calmly walking up to him, a figure too blurry under Jared's fragmented vision. Despite that, those mix-matched eyes were visible. The pupils surprisingly glowed through their lack of vibrance and color. On his left was a blushed red, and the other a powder white.
' What exactly is… going…on'
Moments away from passing out, an unknown voice spoke to Jared, interacting with his mind with a subtle and submissive tone. It asked, [ What is it that you want from me? What role and purpose do I serve?.... What am I to you?]
Delirious, as the last cells capable of communication sparked, Jared replied.
[ I… I need you… to protect me… Brother…]
'Aizen….'
"Phase two… Bond formulate… Family, Completed. Finalization… finalization… Signal lost; Protocol 247 will now engage."