After a long and gruelling day of battling the undead, the sun had finally set, casting a warm orange glow over the settlent. Exhausted, Shinon returned to their eting spot, where he knew Kira and Rico would be waiting for him.
As he approached, he spotted Kira’s familiar figure leaning against a tree, her arms crossed and a tired but content smile on her face. Beside her, in his wheelchair, sat Rico, looking sulky and disgruntled. Shinon walked up to them, knowing why Rico was sulking.
"Hey, guys. Long day, huh?" he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.
Rico huffed, his arms crossed defiantly. "Yeah, a long day of being left behind while you all had fun. Just because I’m stuck in this stupid chair doesn’t an I can’t fight."
"Rico, you know it’s for your safety, and you’ll get your chance to join the fight when you fully recover." Kira sighed, her eyes filled with both sympathy and exasperation. "But if you pull a stunt like before again, I doubt I’ll let you walk in peace."
Rico grumbled but didn’t argue further. He still rembered how Kira had used vines to strap him to his wheelchair earlier to prevent him from wheeling off to the battlefield, a precaution that Rico found more than a little frustrating.
"Trust , dude, you didn’t miss much. It was chaos out there. But we’re all here now, safe and sound." Shinon gave Rico a pat on the shoulder before playfully remarking. "Though you did miss the part where everyone was cheering on."
"Yeah, yeah." Rico scoffed before all three of them broke into laughter.
"So, what are you planning to do next?" Kira asked Shinon. "Everyone is out there celebrating; maybe you should join them?"
"They are celebrating? Well, nothing new if they are," Shinon mumbled, rembering his first day at the settlent. "Well, I’m a bit tired, so I was thinking about napping."
"Right, we’ll be by the bar in case you need anything," Rico mumbled before turning to Kira. "Driver, to the bar, please!"
"...if I kill him, you’ll vouch for , right, Shinon?"
"Of course!"
"Oi!"
With their conversation concluded, Shinon bid farewell to Kira and Rico, making his way towards his quarters. As he walked through the settlent, he was greeted by the familiar faces of the settlers.
They smiled, nodded, and so even extended invitations for a drink to celebrate their victory. Grateful for their support, Shinon politely declined, explaining that he had other matters to attend to.
By other matters, he ant collecting his rewards from the system, seeing if he got anything useful, and, if possible, thinking of ways to undermine the Phoenixes’ authority from under their nose.
"Damn... I think I know why those damn Phoenixes did not stay back and help clean up. That shit was so taxing! I just hope the rewards are equally great."
Upon reaching his room, Shinon closed the door behind him and exhaled deeply. It had been a long and eventful day, and he was eager to see the rewards he had gained from completing the quest.
His mind also wandered to his experience on the battlefield and the rush of levelling up. He couldn’t help but wonder how much stronger he had beco.
However, as he settled in, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden presence at his doorstep.
"Who is it now..." Shinon sighed and went to open the doors.
Looking down, Shinon saw a young boy clutching a small toy. Behind him was a lady in her mid-thirties. Before Shinon could say anything, the child approached him timidly and extended the toy towards Shinon, a shy smile on his face.
"Thank you for protecting us," the child whispered before scurrying away with his mother. "One day, I hope to be as strong as you, big brother!"
Shinon stared at the toy, his heart touched by the innocent gratitude of the child.
At that mont, he realised that even amidst the chaos and despair of the post-apocalyptic world, there were still monts of joy and simple pleasures. He gently held the toy, a bittersweet reminder of the childhood he had never truly experienced.
"At least one of us is having fun!" Shinon smiled, placing the toy next to his workstation and was about to open the mission tab when he saw a silhouette from the window.
"Who’s there?" Shinon asked as he rushed out of the workshop.
However, there was no one to greet him except the winds. Shinon then hurriedly looked at the map in his eyes and saw a weird icon next to him, running away.
Shinon rushed behind the apparent stranger but couldn’t find them as the icon disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Knowing he couldn’t give up like that, Shinon decided to look for the mysterious person alone. But unfortunately, he had no success.
~~~
As the evening wore on, Shinon decided to give up the search and visit the workshop, hoping to clear his mind with the one thing that gave him peace.
However, as he approached, he spotted Selena standing near the entrance, waiting for him. mories of their last encounter flashed through his mind, causing discomfort.
"Selena," Shinon greeted cautiously, unsure of her intentions. "What are you doing here?"
Selena smiled softly, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I wanted to thank you properly for saving back there. And, well, I was wondering if you’d like to join for dinner."
Shinon hesitated, caught off guard by the unexpected invitation. He was about to politely decline, wanting to avoid any potential misunderstandings, when i Lin appeared from behind Selena. Her presence surprised him, and he glanced at her questioningly.
Shinon looked at Selena, who didn’t seem to register i’s presence there. But before he could ask any questions, i Lin stepped forward, her expression calm but knowing.
"Shinon, this is an opportunity to clear any misunderstandings between you. Trust , sothing important might await during your dinner."
She continued, "Oh, and the one you’re seeing now is just a projection of my abilities, in case you’re wondering why only you can see . I’ll tell you more about it so other ti, sayonara!"
Shinon furrowed his brow as i disappeared. "Astral projection... that’s a tricky ability to deal with, as for her request..."
i’s gift of foresight had proven valuable in the past, at least for the Phoenixes, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was hinting at. Perhaps this dinner with Selena held more significance than he initially thought.
With a mix of curiosity and apprehension, Shinon finally nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Alright, Selena. It won’t be right to ignore your invite like this."
As they walked away from the workshop, Shinon’s mind raced with anticipation. He couldn’t help but wonder what the evening held in store for him.
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