We walk out of the store, each holding a slushie — one hyper child, one ascended cosmic woman, and me, suffering in silence...
.
And... Forgetting something... Like something important that I left behind...
.
I took another sip of my slushie like a fool.
.
Even tho I am.
.
Instant migraine.
.
Wait no i always have this headache since earlier this morning. Let's change it.
.
Instant regret.
.
Ivy skips beside me, blue tongue already, sticking out like she's proud of evolving into a new specie's.
.
Vesper floats — okay... walks, but it looks like floating — gently sipping her red slush like it's holy wine.
.
Everything feels… normal.
.
Until suddenly—
I stop.
Mid-step.
.
A slow, horrible realization creeps up my spine.
.
Ivy bumps into me. "Ahjussi?? Why'd you stop?"
.
Vesper froze too. "Did you sense danger?"
.
Yes.
.
Yes, I sensed danger.
.
I turned around.
.
The automatic doors slide shut behind us.
.
Inside the store…
.
Sitting on the counter…
.
Completely abandoned…
.
Is the one thing I bought that didn't came with me.
.
The eggs.
.
My fragile, helpless, soft-boiled sanity.
.
"Ah… crap."
.
Ivy gasps dramatically. "THE BABIES—"
.
They're not babies.
.
"BUT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN."
.
Vesper folds her hands like she's mourning a fallen celestials.
.
"We have left behind… the fragile orbs of nourishment."
.
I stare up at the sky.
.
Why. Why is my life like this.
.
I chugged my slushie out of spite.
.
Brain freeze killed me instantly.
.
"AGH—AH...! WHY."
.
(A/N. I just know Si Hon is breeadable)
.
Vesper places a gentle hand on my back.
.
"A mortal mistake. It happens."
.
Ivy pats my leg.
.
"It's okay Da— I MEAN— AHJUSSI— we can save them!"
.
I groan.
.
"…Fine. Let's go back."
.
We march toward the automatic doors like three idiots returning to retrieve forgotten treasure.
.
Ivy bouncing.
Vesper wise.
Me dying...
.
The doors open—
.
And standing behind the counter is the cashier…
.
Holding the egg carton like a newborn child.
.
"You forgot this, sir." she says.
.
The other cashier gasps again like she's
witnessing a sequel to the card legend.
.
"HE RETURNED FOR HIS EGGS— THE CYCLE CONTINUES—"
.
(A/N. HIS EGGS... YES)
.
I grab the carton.
.
"Thanks."
.
Ivy: "WE SAVED THEM!"
Vesper: "A miracle."
Si Hon: "I want to go home."
.
We step out again.
.
This time, WITH the eggs.
.
And that's when the lights above the parking lot flicker.
.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
Then—
.
A neon blue ripple shimmers across the sky.
.
I froze.
.
Vesper's eyes widen.
.
Oh it's just the system.
.
I guess?
.
I closed it off.
.
Now that I think about it.
.
Ivy stops licking her cup.
.
She looked at the eggs in my arms.
.
"Didn't we buy Chips, chocolates, and Sausages and hotdogs too?"
.
Realization hit me.
.
Hard.
.
Like a truck...
.
Like a cosmic slap from the universe telling me I am, indeed, an idiot.
.
Even tho I'm not... Maybe.
.
I look down at my arms.
.
Eggs.
.
Only eggs...
.
I look at Ivy.
Then Vesper.
.
Then the parking lot… empty… silent… too calm.
.
"Wait—" I sighed.
.
"We… didn't bring… ANY of the other groceries..."
.
Ivy tilt her head slowly, like a confused baby duck.
.
"Ahjussi… did you just save… one item?"
.
Vesper closes her eyes in spiritual disappointment.
.
"…All... the others have been abandoned to fate."
.
I sigh harder.
.
"THE CHIPS..."
"THE HOTDOGS..."
"THE SAUSAGES..."
"T-The CHOCOLATES..."
.
Everything...
.
Everything is sitting inside the store like an abandoned child.
.
Like ivy. Oh wait I forgot she Ran away.
.
I inhale.
I exhale.
.
I whispered "…I hate my life."
.
Sigh. Let's... Let's just get it and go home.
.
But then before I can even turn around—
.
The sky cracks.
.
A sound ripples through the parking lot.
.
BZZZZZZMMMMM.
.(N/A. I genuinely don't know what sound to pick.)
A neon blue line slices across the clouds, bending like a glitch in reality
.
The hairs on my arm Stood up.
.
Ivy freezes mid-bounce.
.
Vesper steps forward, eyes widening as the air itself starts vibrating.
.
"Ahjussi…" Ivy whispers. "…the sky… it's moving."
.
Vesper breathes out slowly, reverently.
.
"…This is not mortal phenomena."
.
Of course it's not.
.
The neon line thickens.
Expands.
Then explodes outward in a silent, shimmering shockwave that ripples across the entire sky.
.
"Whoooshhhh"
.
My vision distorts.
.
The System pop up.
.
[ SYSTEM NOTICE ]
────────────────────────
QUEST: Have a Nice Day
Objective: Spend a peaceful day outside with ivy.
Status: completed
Reward: ???.
Tap for more details.
────────────────────────
.
I looked carefully at the bluish transparent window.
.
I tapped the details.
.
——————>[details]<————
────────────────────────
For completing the quest: spend a peaceful day outside with ivy.
You receive a ??????
Would you like to Accept? Or would you like to accept it later!?
[Accept/decline]
────────────────────────
.
And of course I Tapped the accept button but then.
.
Ivy squeezed my arm.
.
Making me misscliked and Tapping the decline button.
.
"..."
.
What the fuck!
.
"…Ahjussi… I'm scared."
.
I place a hand on her head.
.
I sigh. "It's okay. I'm here."
.
Then—
.
A sound like cracking glass echoes behind us.
.
From the direction of the CU store.
.
I slowly turned around.
.
Inside the store…
.
Where we left the groceries…
.
Where the cashier stood…
.
Where the groceries were forgotten…
.
A blue circle of light begins forming on the top of the CU store.
.
Like a portal.
Spinning.
Glowing.
Humming.
.
Vesper whisper, eyes trembling.
.
"…Mortal."
.
"…Someone… something… is coming."
.
The blue portal widens.
.
A low hum vibrates the ground.
.
The slushie in my hand starts shaking like it's about to explode.
.
"Okay," I whisper. "Nobody panic."
.
Ivy immediately panics.
.
She grabs my shirt with both hands.
.
"AHJUSSI!!! IT'S A BOSS MONSTER, FROM A GAME!!!"
.
"It's literally not—"
.
Vesper steps closer, her voice dropping into that ancient, dramatic tone.
.
"…A rift of unstable mana. A breach between realms. A cosmic wound carved open by a great power."
.
I stared at her.
.
"Or maybe it's just a CGI?"
.
BOOM.
.
A shockwave bursts outward from the roof, blasting the air around us.
.
NEVERMIND.
.
The streetlights flicker.
.
My slushie explodes out like a geyser.
.
All three of us scream for... different reasons...
.
Me: "MY DRINK!—"
Even tho it's almost out.
Ivy: "MY LIFE—"
Even tho it's just a gust of strong wind.
Vesper: "MY HAIR!"
Even tho it's perfectly fine and smooth...
.
Wait smooth?
.
Then the portal stabilizes into a perfect circle of blue flame.
.
then
.
Another one appeared in the gate of CU store.
.
And Then—
.
A figure steps out.
.
Slowly.
.
Calmly.
.
Silhouetted by the swirling light behind them.
.
I swallowed.
Hard.
.
Even Ivy stops breathing.
.
Even Vesper became quiet.
.
The figure steps fully into view.
.
And it's—
.
A CU STORE EMPLOYEE.
.
Holding my forgotten groceries bags.
.
"Sir!" She shouts, waving it dramatically like she's bearing an offering to a king.
"You… you forgot your chips and more!"
.
I blinked
.
Ivy blinks.
.
Vesper blinks so hard she might ascend.
.
The cashier stands heroically, the blue portal swirling behind her like she's some divine messenger.
.
Wind blowing her apron.
.
Light shining behind her head.
.
My party-sized chips and groceries cradled in her arms like a sacred artifact.
.
I said the only thing a sane man would.
"…Bro. What the hell."
.
She marches toward me with dramatic purpose.
.
"Sir, our store protocol strictly forbids leaving perishables or valuables behind i have therefore returned them to you… through the portal."
.
"Through the WHAT—"
.
Vesper gasps softly.
.
"So... she's a gatekeeper… of another realm…"
.
"No I think she just past thru the Portal when she left the CU store."
.
Like ma'am??? She works minimum wage.
.
But before I can say anything, the portsl behind her got merge with the one above the CU store, and it ripples again.
.
Harder.
.
Stronger.
.
Like it's reacting.
.
Then—
.
Something ELSE starts pushing through.
.
Not a human.
.
Ohoho. Not even close.
.
A massive shadow presses against the membrane of the portal.
.
A claw.
A... claw...
.
Then another.
.
A low, guttural growl vibrates the air.
.
The slushie machine inside the CU rattles like it's about to explode from fear.
.
Ivy squeezes my arm so tight my bones might pop.
.
Yea no...
.
"AHJUSSI— I DON'T THINK ITS HERE FOR THE CHIPS—"
.
Vesper's voice drops to a whisper only ancient beings should use.
.
"…This presence… it's hostile."
.
Of course it is. Look at that Big ass claw!
.
The store employee slowly turns around.
.
Sees the giant monster silhouette.
.
And in the quietest voice imaginable, she whispers.
.
"…Sir. Even tho this is just a dream I would like to go home now."
.
No time.
.
The portal surges.
.
A wave of neon blue energy explodes outward.
.
The wind roars.
.
Lights shatter.
.
The sky trembles.
.
The creature forces its way through—
.
And I did the most heroic, brave, noble thing possible
.
I shove the eggs into Ivy's arms and
screamed. "RUN."
.
.
(Guys :( I'm so hard. I mean writing is hard.)
(And heheheh guess what!!!! I got A SYSTEM like uh how it look like in text!!!! Used Titkok tho. Heheheh I know you already saw it. It's.
────────────────────────
Skill Unlocked: THIS!
Description: MAKE A SYSTEM WINDOW USING TEXT.
────────────────────────)
Alr just some SOME INFORMATION. if your curious why The cashier aka Lila is calm or still hasn't get why she's acting like that. She keep dreaming of weird thing Repeatedly so Yk. THAT explains.
why she's calm.
why she walked out of a portal like it's nothing.
why she delivers the groceries like a divine messenger, like she's used to it.
why she quietly says "even tho this is just a dream… I wanna go home now"
Oh and one more... I don't know if paragraph SPACE dot space paragraph. IS BETTER OR paragraph dot paragraph. (So yea... It doesn't work... Ahhhh *cough *cough* I'm dying... I've been doing dot paragraph for now reasons!!! Well... I'll just keep with it it's pretty much my signature.)
.
Well Cya next chp!