The door creaked open as Liam entered, a shadow falling across the dimly lit room. Xena was sitting at the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, her expression torn between fury and despair. She had already put her clothes back on, having lost all hope.
Her head snapped up towards him, her eyes glistening red at the edges. She quickly turned away, her voice sharp and brittle.
"Leave," she spat, though her voice trembled. "Go die somewhere else."
Liam leaned casually against the doorframe, a faint chuckle slipping past his lips. "Funny, considering this is 'my' room," he said, his tone light but edged with resolve. He took a step forward, holding the bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. "And for the record… I won't be dying tonight."
Xena froze, her lips parting, disbelief sparking in her teary eyes. She turned toward him, voice trembling with fragile hope. "Wait… that means…"
"Yes," Liam said, taking a step forward, closing the distance between them. His voice was calm, resolute. "I've decided. I'm going to complete the quest… with you."
Xena eyes widened. Her breath hitched. She said nothing as he moved past her, the mattress dipping under his weight when he sat down beside her.
He set the glasses down, twisted the whiskey bottle open, and poured the amber liquid into each one. Without hesitation, he slid one toward her.
Xena frowned, shaking her head. "I don't… I don't like alcohol."
"Trust me," Liam said softly, nudging the glass closer. His gaze met hers, steady, patient. "It'll help."
Her eyes searched his, as if weighing his words against her pride. Slowly, hesitantly, she took the glass. She lifted it to her lips and took the smallest sip.
The instant the bitter liquid hit her tongue, she recoiled, coughing and scrunching her face in disgust.
Liam burst out laughing, his chest shaking as he leaned forward, clutching his own glass. "God… you look like a kid tasting medicine for the first time."
"Shut up," Xena shot him a glare, cheeks flushed, but there was the faintest curve of a smile tugging at her lips. "Don't you dare laugh at me."
But her words only made Liam laugh even more, he couldn't help himself.
This earned a pout from Xena. Her glare softened into something almost playful, though her cheeks still glowed pink from the whiskey's burn. She lowered the glass onto her lap, shaking her head slowly. "I already told you… I don't like alcohol."
Liam leaned back, his own glass in hand, and took a long sip without flinching. He exhaled through his nose, savoring the warmth sliding down his throat before grinning at her. "You'll get used to it. Besides… it makes you feel confident." he chuckled.
Xena huffed, pretending to be annoyed, but the corners of her lips betrayed her with the smallest upward twitch. "You're insufferable."
That single word… half rebuke, half affection, made Liam chuckle. For a moment, silence draped over them, only broken by the faint hum of the refrigerator down the hall. Then, with her guard dropping inch by inch, she tilted her head toward him.
"…Why?" she asked quietly, almost whispering. Her eyes shimmered with curiosity and something deeper, something raw. "Why did you change your mind?"
Liam swirled his drink in his glass, staring at the amber whirlpool. He sighed. "Honestly… I don't really know. Maybe I was scared of dying." He chuckled faintly, shaking his head. "Or maybe… I just don't like seeing beautiful girls cry."
Xena blinked, stunned for just a moment before she broke into soft laughter. "You're terrible at flirting."
Liam shrugged, lifting one shoulder. "Never had a girlfriend, so… cut me some slack."
Her laughter faded into a quieter smile, her gaze lingering on him with surprising warmth. She studied him—his messy hair, his awkward half-grin, the sincerity laced into his fumbling words.
Then she said softly, "I know the real reason you changed your mind."
Liam looked at her, brow arched. "Oh? And what's that?" he asked in curiosity.
Xena didn't look away. Her eyes locked onto his with a gentleness that made his chest tighten. "You're doing it for your sister. So she won't be alone. And…" she added, her voice soft but steady, "you're doing it for my people. For the innocent lives in my world that you've never even met."
For a moment, Liam was silent, caught off guard by the clarity in her words. Then he chuckled lowly, shaking his head. "You're right. I don't really care if I die, not for myself anyway. But I can't leave my sister alone. And I couldn't let you come all this way for nothing either. That would just… make this another bad investment for your people."
Xena let out a laugh, amused by the phrasing of the last line. "You're an idiot." she chuckled. Then her smile faded. "But… there's one more reason though."
Liam tilted his head. "Oh yeah? And what's that?"
"You want the chance to change this world," she said simply. "To put an end to the criminal overlords who rule over it. To break the chains of oppression and… free the people who've been suffering."
Liam blinked, stunned. Then a crooked smile tugged at his lips. "You're right again. Are you some kind of therapist?"
She chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Vonites are psychic, remember? I can read your mind. I see your thoughts." she said with a knowing smirk.
Liam's eyes widened slightly as everything clicked. "Wait—so that's how you knew what system I chose. The quest, the timer… everything."
His mind flashed back to her earlier words, her piercing accuracy about his inner thoughts. "That's what you meant, isn't it? When you said you could see my desires, my anger… my past."
Xena nodded, her expression darkening slightly. "Yes. I can see it all. I know what happened. I know what caused you to be so angry."
For a long moment, Liam was out of it. His gaze faltered, silence thickening around him. His mind drifted… to the memories of his parents, their absence a wound that never healed.
Xena's gaze softened as she caught the flicker of those thoughts. Slowly, she reached out, her fingers brushing his hand gently. Her touch was warm, grounding. "I'm sorry, Liam," she whispered, "About what happened to your parents."
Liam's lips curved in a wry smile. He didn't trust his voice, so he tipped his glass back and swallowed a heavy gulp of whiskey instead, the burn searing down his throat.
He let out a small cough, forcing a joke. "Well… I guess that explains why you're winning every argument tonight."
Xena smiled. "Yeah."
The subject died there, and they withdrew their hands almost at the same time, both looking away awkwardly, a faint flush on their faces.
To cut the tension, Liam cleared his throat, and changed the subject.
"Gotta admit though… your psychic ability is impressive," he said genuinely. "Can you do other tricks too? Like… empathy or something?"
Xena replied smugly. "I can do more than that…" But she didn't move her lips when she said it.
The words slid directly into Liam's head.
Liam jerked back, staring. "That's—telepathy!" he exclaimed. "Holy hell, that's amazing. You're amazing."
The compliment hit harder than he realized. Xena's cheeks warmed instantly, a flush rising as she quickly tilted her head away, feigning nonchalance. "It's nothing." But her voice wavered slightly, betraying the way her heart skipped at his words.
Liam leaned forward eagerly, eyes wide like a kid discovering a new toy. "What else can you do? Wait… don't tell me. You can control people's minds too, can't you?" he asked, beaming with excitement.
Xena's expression faltered. She let out a sigh, brushing her hair behind her ear, clearly shaken by the question. "I… I haven't really mastered that yet," she admitted quietly. "I can do it for a short period though, but it takes a huge toll on me. Honestly, It's… frustrating."
Liam tilted his head, studying her. He saw the slight crease between her brows, the tension in her shoulders, the subtle embarrassment hidden in her voice.
Without hesitation, he smiled at her. "Hey, that's fine. You'll get it eventually. I mean, if you can already read minds and do telepathy, then mind control is something I'm sure you'll nail soon enough. You're closer than you think."
That simple encouragement caught Xena off guard. For someone like her… who had carried the weight of an entire race, who was used to commanding rather than receiving reassurance, those words cut deeper than normal. Her chest tightened, warmth spreading through her despite her best effort to keep it hidden.
"No, Xena. Don't be ridiculous. He's a human," she muttered inwardly, shaking her head as if to deny the pull Liam had on her. "It's just the alcohol. That's all. Making me… hear things the wrong way."
Then, almost defiantly, she raised her glass. "Maybe if I drink more, it'll go away..."
Then, she flicked her wrist subtly.
And the whiskey bottle… still sitting on the floor near Liam, suddenly jerked, then floated smoothly through the air as if pulled by invisible strings. It glided upward and into her waiting hand as though obeying her silent command.
Liam's mouth dropped open. He looked from her to the bottle, then back again, as if his brain refused to process what just happened. "No way… You just… you actually—" He broke off, laughing in disbelief. "That's freaking telekinesis!"
Xena shrugged, pouring more into her glass with a smug little smile. "It's nothing." She lifted the glass to her lips, sipping delicately, then glanced at him sidelong. "Besides.. you can get telekinesis too. From the system shop."
Liam blinked, his brows knitting. "The system has a shop?"
Xena let out a snicker. Her chuckle was rich, playful. "You didn't know that? Have you even checked your profile?"
Liam furrowed his brow, confused. "What profile?"
"Your status profile," she said, almost exasperated. "It's literally the basics. How do you not know this?"
Liam rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… I don't know. Maybe cause I thought the system was just some dumb harem game."
"Unbelievable," Xena let out a small laugh, leaning toward him with a spark of amusement in her eyes. "Alright… think about the system. Picture the screen in your head. Summon it."
Skeptical but curious, Liam did as told.
Almost instantly, the familiar glowing screen flared into existence before him… but this time, new options gleamed across its surface.
Liam's eyes darted across the glowing interface. "No way… I didn't know any of this existed."
Xena smirked, sipping her whiskey. "That's because you didn't explore enough." She gestured toward the screen. "Go on. Check your status."
Liam reached mentally toward the tab, but froze midway. His gaze snapped to her, disbelief etched across his face. "Wait. How did you… did you just point to the screen? You can see it too?"
Xena shrugged. Her tone was maddeningly casual. "Of course I can."
Liam's heart skipped. He leaned back, staring at her as though she'd just told him she could read the stars themselves. "How? My sister couldn't see it… I thought no one else could."
Xena's expression softened, though she kept her tone casual. "Yes. No one else can. Except for me." She set her glass down, her gaze never leaving his. "And that's because… the system was integrated into me first."
The room went silent. The words landed like stones in Liam's chest, dragging his breath down with them. He sat there, stunned.
Then finally, he spoke. "W—what? You had the system before me? But how… if it was integrated into you, how did you take it out?"
Xena shook her head firmly. "No, It's not what you think. I wasn't a host. I was the carrier. My job was to hold the system until I found someone worthy to integrate it with permanently."
Liam stared at her, the shock slowly giving way to relief. He exhaled, nodding slowly. "Well… I guess it's comforting someone else can see it. Makes me feel less insane."
Xena chuckled lightly. "You'll get used to it."
Liam nodded, his eyes flicking back to the glowing tabs. "So… why's the shop locked?"
Xena stared at the screen before speaking. "It unlocks when you reach level three," she replied.
Liam let out a low laugh. "You seem to know a lot about this system."
"I should," Xena smirked knowingly. "I was present when it was being created."
Liam's eyes widened again. "Wait—you mean you're one of the creators?"
"Not exactly." Her smile softened, a shadow of humility flickering in her eyes. "But I understand how it works."
Liam studied her for a moment, then smiled, genuine and warm. "That's good. It means I can count on you to explain the parts I don't get."
Xena smiled back. Her laugh was softer this time, almost fond. "Of course."
Liam's gaze returned to the glowing screen, curiosity sparking again. "Alright then… let's see this what this is all about." he muttered, before mentally selecting the Status tab.
The screen flared again, and the tab spread wide, words and numbers lining up in precise order.
*Name: Liam Queen
*Race: Human
*Level: 1
*Exp: 0/100
*Hp: 100/100
*Sin Alignment: NIL
*Sin Energy: (Unavailable)
*Shop points: (Unavailable)
*Strength: 10
*Agility: 5
*Stamina: 5
*Charisma: 20
*Defense: 10
*Mastery: 15
*Perception: 10
*Stat points: 10
None
*Regeneration: [This ability accelerates the body's natural healing process to a superhuman level. Wounds heal rapidly and flawlessly. Severe injuries, such as deep cuts or even lost limbs, can be restored depending on the user's stamina and energy reserves]
*Lust System (Epic)
*Warlord System [Locked]
*Hero System [Locked]
*????
*????
*????…..