All she remembered about the rumor was that he got it from Gerald antique square, the largest antique market in the city, a few days before the apocalypse.
Jenna bit her lip.
Hope she wasn't late?
She shook her head. She couldn't be.
However, how would she find it?
There had to be a way to find it. Even if it meant buying every single ring in the antique market.
"We've arrived," the cab driver said, pulling Jenna's mind back to the present.
She blinked, then quickly grabbed her bag, scanned the driver's code and alighted. But before leaving, she casually warned him.
"Mr. If you'd heed my advice, there's no telling what this countdown actually is. It could be doomsday–"
"Another talk about end-time, you religious fanatics," the car sneered and zoomed off.
"Oh," Jenna blinked twice. "Okay," she shrugged, flung her backpack over her shoulder and turned towards the market.
She already knew nobody would believe her, but her conscience wouldn't let her be selfish. She could only casually warn people. Whether they believed her or not wasn't her burden to carry.
Ahead of her, the gates to the antique square loomed. Over it was a grey neon led sign that read: "Gerald Antique Square – Where Memories Live On."
Jenna took a deep breath but before she could step in, she paused at the sight of an automated teller machine across the street.
Just then, an idea struck her.
She wondered if she was the only one given a second chance at life. And if she wasn't, which she believed could be the case, there'd be trouble if others came for the ring and tracked her with her payment history.
Especially that monster, De Warden.
With that thought, a shiver danced down her spine. Immediately, she veered away from the gate, crossing the street, and heading straight for the cash machine.
There was no queue.
She first checked her account balance.
Five hundred and fifty thousand zubi.
Of course, she wasn't expecting too much. But this sum, for a late billionaire's daughter, was simply laughable.
Hazel, her cousin paid nail technicians over five hundred thousand zubi weekly for new nails, yet, she could only save that much. It was telling how she lived under her uncle and his family.
In her past life, she'd saved this money for years in order to get herself and her siblings a new place to stay once she turned nineteen and could finally get to work in the company. Back then, she didn't get the chance to spend the money before disaster struck. But now…
She exhaled slowly.
Jenna selected "withdraw cash", choosing the maximum the machine would allow in one go. She grabbed the cash quickly then chose "more transactions" and continued to withdraw until she hit the limit for the day.
"This will do."
She tucked the last stack into her backpack, pulled out her credit card from the machine and walked back to the market.
Before entering the market, she pulled out her nose mask from her bag and wore it.
If De Warden was reborn, then, he'd come for the ring. He'd be smarter, faster, and just as paranoid as she was. She couldn't afford a single mistake.
Prevention they said, was better than cure.
Jenna didn't know why she was reborn. She didn't see herself as anything special or deserving of a second chance. She wasn't the nicest person, not in the life before the apocalypse nor after the apocalypse – She'd watched a child die from thirst when she had a bottle of water in her bag.
So if a person like that could be reborn, what more of someone like that monster who had a cheat?
Jenna knew she had to be careful.
She faced the gate again, this time stepping into the buzzing market.
It smelled like medieval times: old books, outdated items, ancient incense, the aroma of snacks from the 60s or 70s…and lots more.
People moved in slow waves, some browsing out of boredom, some hunting for specific memories. And a few… just like her… searching for something they didn't fully understand.
Jenna didn't waste time.
She went from stall to stall, not looking at anything but rings.
Some vendors laughed, amused by her interest in old rings. Others were annoyed by how she ignored everything else they showed her, thinking she was only wasting their time.
But Jenna didn't care.
She bought rings by the dozens. Every old, weird, ancient-looking ring she could find. Jade, copper, silver, blackened gold.
Some with patterns, others smooth as glass.
But they all had one thing in common.
They felt off.
Jenna noticed that the rings were cold to the touch, making her feel uneasy. The rings she selected gave her a weird feeling… like relics from centuries old graves that should've stayed underground.
Jenna breathed as she put the tenth ring box away, into her backpack and continued moving around jewelry stores.
"Looking for something special?" an old woman with sharp eyes and too many scarves asked when Jenna stopped before her shop.
"I– I need a ring," Jenna stuttered, a chill running down her spine as she stepped through the threshold. "Something unusual. Old. Maybe… with a symbol or strange markings?"
For some strange reasons, this woman's shop gave Jenna the creeps. She knew she shouldn't be here, but she couldn't help the pull.
The woman gave her a long look. "You're young, why do you need such things?"
Jenna cleared her throat, telling an effortless lie she'd repeated countless times in other shops. "It's my grandfather's birthday. His love for antiques, especially rings knows no bounds. The older, the better."
The woman smiled, "Ah, old men. I understand, then she clicked her tongue. "I've sold ten of such rings already today. You should have come earlier."
Jenna's heart lurched with panic. "Y–you already sold them?"
The woman nodded, adjusting one of her scarves. "Strange, isn't it? I've had those rings for years. No one cared. But today, suddenly, everyone wants them."
'Everyone'?
Jenna's blood spiked.
Was it what she thought it was?
She swallowed, trying to stay calm, trying to convince herself that it could be a coincidence. But even so, she couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Do you remember who bought them?"
"Not really," the woman said, frowning as she recalled the customers' appearances. "A few collectors, some teenagers, a man in a suit… oh, and one boy with green hair. He looked like he hadn't slept in days."
Jenna's lips thinned as she tried hard not to but on them. "Anyone very tall and strong…with a beard? He looks big and scary."
Seeing the woman staring at her suspiciously, Jenna quickly waved her hands in the air as she told another lie without blinking. "He's my uncle. He promised to outdo me this year. I was hoping to beat him to it." She grinned widely, masking her unease.
"Ah, so that's it." She couldn't help chuckling. "Your relationship with your uncle is so cute." Then, she replied, shaking her head, "I'm not sure any of them had such distinguishing features. The men were average and not very remarkable."
Jenna exhaled slowly as she thought; The Warden was a broad, 6'7ft – 6'8ft tall man with roughly 300 of brute muscles in her last life. He had sharp cheekbones, thick, long beard, a dark aura, and moved like a man who feared nothing. His appearance wasn't one that could be forgotten even from a fleeting glance. He terrified the shit out of people by just existing and doing nothing.
Her fingers tightened around her backpack straps. It meant he hadn't gotten here yet…or this might not be the right place.
She shook her head once, dispelling the distracting thoughts. "Do you still have any rings left?"
The woman thought for a moment, then bent down behind her counter. She rummaged through a wooden box, muttering something inaudibly to herself.
Finally, she pulled out a small, round vintage wooden box and opened it.
Inside was a single ring.
It was plain, dark, almost black, with no stone. But something about it made Jenna's skin pickle. The unease she felt earlier intensified.
"This one creeped me out," the woman admitted, offering it to Jenna. "And it scared customers away, that's why I took it off display… No! You can't touch —"
It was too late.
Jenna reached out abruptly, like she was compelled. Touching the ring, her fingers trembled as a freezing cold seeped through her fingers, traveling straight into her bones.
She gasped, swiftly jerking back like she touched a hot coal.
'What the…!' She mused, shocked.
"Told you," the woman said, closing the box with a sigh.
Jenna squinted, thinking, 'this ring is special. What if it's the spatial dimensional ring? And why does she feel drawn to it?'
She swallowed hard. This must be it…right?
"How much?"
"You—" the woman was stunned. "You're not thinking of buying it, are you?"
Jenna sighed softly and activated her lying skills once more. "My grandfather has a friend who studies and appraises antiques. I'll give this to him to look at."
The woman didn't ask further questions. "Hundred thousand zubi," she said.
Jenna blinked. "What?!"
"It's a special ring. Obviously, you can't get it for a penny."
Jenna bit her lip. Hundred thousand zubi was a freaking high sum for a ring!
Still, Jenna wouldn't be deterred. Even though she knew that the woman was ripping her off.
She dug into her bag and pulled out two stacks of clean cash and placed them on the counter.
The woman stared wide-eyed at Jenna, never expecting a high school student to carry around that amount of money.
This meant that Jenna was from a wealthy family. Not wanting to bring trouble upon herself, she changed her stance. "Are you sure you want to take the ring?"
Jenna arched a brow, "Why? You don't want to part with it?"
"Not that, just…" she sighed, handing the box to Jenna. "Take it for five hundred zubi. But don't blame me if anything goes wrong."
Jenna chuckled dryly. "What could possibly go wrong?"