[ Marketplace - Inner City Zone ]
The atmosphere within the Inner City was unrecognizable. It was alive, vibrant, and pulsing with energy.
Stalls lined the streets, selling everything from salvaged machinery parts to processed food and synthetic fiber clothing.
The noise of the crowd, the laughter, and the faint music playing from Mana-Speakers made Murphy feel like he had stepped into a completely different era.
"There are so many people..." Murphy murmured, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Back in the old days, he knew almost everyone in the slums by name. But now? The faces walking past him were all strangers.
Thud!
While he was distracted looking at a shop sign, Murphy collided head-on with a small figure sprinting through the crowd.
"Oof!"
The figure stumbled, nearly falling, but Murphy caught their arm just in time.
It was a young boy, about 10 years old. He had messy black hair and looked terrified. In his arms, he clutched a dark cloth bundle tightly against his chest, as if protecting a treasure.
"S-Sorry!" The boy stammered, his voice trembling. "I... I didn't mean to! I'm in a really big hurry!"
Murphy offered a gentle smile to calm him down. "It's alright, kid. Watch where you're going... By the way, what's your na—"
Before Murphy could finish his sentence, the boy yanked his arm free and darted into the crowd, vanishing like a frightened mouse.
Murphy watched him go, a frown forming on his face.
"Who was that kid? I've never seen him before... acting pretty strange."
As they reached the towering skyscraper, guards in full-body armor stepped in to block their path.
"Halt! This is a restricted area for unauthori—"
"Hey! Wait!"
A gruff voice shouted from behind the guards. A tall, bulky man in a military commander's uniform strode forward, his face a picture of pure shock.
It was Axel. He looked much more dignified and imposing than before, with a rank insignia gleaming on his chest.
"Boss!?" Axel whipped off his cap, his eyes widening. "Boss Murphy! You're finally back!!"
He opened his arms wide, looking ready to tackle-hug Murphy right in the middle of the lobby.
"Stop right there, Axel! I'm getting goosebumps!" Murphy put a hand on his subordinate's chest to stop the advance. "You're a Commander now. Maintain your image, will you?"
Axel laughed heartily, scratching his head sheepishly. "Oh, come on, Boss! I'm just happy! Hurry up and get upstairs to Chief Philip. He's been complaining about you every single day until my ears went numb."
When the elevator doors slid open, Murphy strolled into the command room with his hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease.
The room was chaotic, filled with stacks of documents and floating holographic screens.
Philip—who now looked taller, older, and significantly more exhausted—was standing with his hands on his hips, barking orders into a headset.
"I told you to check the energy conduits in Zone B! If repairs aren't finished today, I'm cutting the maintenance department's budget! Do you understand?!"
Philip slammed the headset onto the table in frustration and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"For crying out loud... nothing ever gets done right."
"So fierce... Mr. Executive."
Murphy leaned against the doorframe, his voice teasing.
Philip froze. He knew that voice... but he didn't turn around immediately.
"Who authorized you to enter? I told my secretary I wasn't to be disturbed..."
Philip spun his chair around, his face twisted in annoyance.
But the moment he saw who was speaking... the frown vanished. His glasses slid down to the tip of his nose.
"Yo... little brother," Murphy raised an eyebrow. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Brother..."
Philip's jaw dropped. Then, his expression shifted from shock to pure indignation.
He grabbed a pen from the desk and hurled it at Murphy with all his might!
Whoosh!
Murphy caught the pen effortlessly with two fingers. "Hey! Is this how you welcome people? With weapons?"
"YOU IDIOT BROTHER!! Where the hell have you been?!!"
Philip stormed over and punched Murphy hard on the shoulder. " abandoning your work! Abandoning your brother! Abandoning the city! Do you have any idea how tired I am?!"
Murphy grinned broadly. He pulled his complaining brother into a headlock and ruffled his white hair until it was a mess.
"Come on, come on... I'm back now, aren't I? Sorry for being late... I missed you, Four-Eyes."
Philip struggled for a moment before finally giving up and standing still, letting his brother hug him.
"Hic... I missed you too." The complaining turned into quiet sobs.
"Don't you ever go away for that long again... You promised."
"Yeah, yeah. I promise," Murphy released him and took a good look at his brother.
"Whoa... you've grown a lot. What have you been eating? You're almost catching up to me."
Philip wiped his tears, adjusted his glasses, and returned to a serious (but slightly sulky) expression.
"Of course I grew... You were gone for so long."
"By the way... what kind of crazy training takes a whole year? You said you'd only be gone for a short while!"
Murphy raised an eyebrow, looking confused.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Philip?"
Murphy held up four fingers.
"I was only training for 4 months... Look, count it. Month one to month four..."
"4 months?! Are you crazy?!" Philip pointed aggressively at the digital calendar on the wall.
"Look at the year, brother! The day you left was last year... Today marks exactly one year since you left!"
Murphy turned to the calendar, his eyes widening in horror.
"Wait... seriously?"
He whipped his head around to glare at Sylus, who was standing behind them, nonchalantly picking his ear.
"Master! What does this mean? I only trained for 4 months, didn't I?"
Sylus shrugged, playing innocent.
"Oh... did I forget to mention that?" The little deity smirked mischievously.
"That mountain peak... the mana current is so intense it distorts space-time... Time up there moves three times slower than down here."
"You trained for 4 months... but the world below passed through a whole year. Simple math, you dim-witted disciple."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FORGOT?!!" Murphy screamed, looking like he wanted to drop-kick his master.
"No wonder the city changed so much! I lost a whole year of my life?!"
Philip let out a long, exhausted sigh and facepalmed.
"Great... My brother was duped into a time capsule for a full year."
"But never mind that... It's good that you're back. Because right now... we have a major problem waiting for you to handle."