Adam sighed, even as the sun bathed Dowell Town in warm light. The rows of wooden houses gave it the feel of either a medieval village or a cowboy frontier town. Well, not like I care anyway... he thought.
Lowering his head slightly, he turned to Manori. "Can you change the AC?"
Manori gave him a confused look. "...?"
Adam scratched his head. Right... maybe I'm just saying nonsense. If she really was the dreamer, then maybe his question made sense in a backwards way. He smirked faintly, thinking about those indie games he used to play. Her mesmerizing aura matched that aesthetic. Manori looked like a disheveled ghost girl—gray skin, ruby red eyes, and an expression that hovered somewhere between bored and broken.
Yep, Adam thought, this is literally the main character type.
She looked at him again—detached, bored, clearly lost in her own haze of thought.
"So hehh... can't you just make millions of those dream coins or something? Rule this world maybe?" Adam spoke lightheartedly but with a hint of genuine curiosity. If he had that power... well, after living through poverty, maybe even that would leave him feeling empty.
Manori blinked. "...?"
Adam leaned closer. "So?"
She met his gaze. "I can't do it."
"What do you mean you can't?!" Adam ruffled his hair in frustration. "If this is a dream world, then it's gotta run on dream logic, right?!"
Before she could answer, a voice interrupted them. "Excuse me," came the low tone of a man.
Adam blinked. Wait...
"I just can't..." Manori repeated softly.
"Can you at least try?" Adam sighed, shaking off the thought and trying not to press her too much.
Manori raised her hand slowly and focused. Nothing happened.
"Yep. Nothing," she said flatly.
The leather-coated man from the store approached them. "So... you two aren't busy, are you?"
Adam turned toward him, realizing he'd completely forgotten the man was around. "Whoops. Sorry. Got a bit too immersed."
"No worries," the man chuckled nervously. "I heard you two were looking for some work?"
"Yeah, but it's gotta be something manageable," Adam said, taking a few flyers and flipping through them like they were contracts. The man rubbed his hands together.
"Don't worry. It's nothing crazy. I just need someone to check on the cemetery—make sure nothing's leaking or falling apart in the burial grounds."
Adam raised an eyebrow and looked at Manori, who simply nodded. It didn't sound too bad. Just a walk around a quiet cemetery. Plus, they'd get paid. He couldn't help but wonder how rich this guy was. Owning both a store and a cemetery?
Adam sighed. "Where is it?"
"Up north, far end of Dowell," the man replied, gripping his cane. "It's tucked near the edge of the forest. People don't like seeing the dead every day, you know..."
Huh. Fair enough.
"Alright."
Adam and Manori accepted the quest, the man handing them a heavy iron key along with the promise of a generous reward—100 coins. Adam couldn't help but wonder why people in this place seemed so trusting. Maybe it was just the nature of this world.
The key had symbols of his face in it... How pridefull.
As they made their way into the forest, Adam remembered the time he was once swallowed by the darkness of this strange town. A wave of anxiety passed over him. The shadows among the trees loomed heavy and deep.
Please… let it not happen again.
Manori glanced over. "You okay?"
"Yep… Let's go!"
Their footsteps crunched through the leaves and thick undergrowth. The air smelled like moss and dry earth. Adam muttered, "I wonder... If dying is always part of living, then why do we hate it?"
From a nearby branch, crows stared silently. Manori's voice came quietly.
"Because we weren't supposed to die."
Adam looked at her, half-playful, half-serious. "Then why did you make death a thing in this world, huh? HMM?" He crossed his arms with exaggerated irritation.
The cemetery loomed into view. A tall stone wall wrapped around it, iron fences crowned with arrowhead tips. The large gate was overgrown with thick vines and bushes.
This was the place.
A figure moved inside—sweeping along the grave path. His golden eyes gleamed darkly, almost like the sun behind storm clouds.
Wait... wasn't that the guy with the breadstick on his head?
"It's you! How are you here?"
The man turned in surprise. "Why are you here?"
Adam sighed. "We could ask the same. We were sent to inspect the cemetery, see if anything's wrong." He walked to the gate and slid the key into the lock—it clicked open. "How did you even get in?"
The man looked away, voice quiet. "Gates don't have just one key. I locked myself in... to avoid being disturbed while I work."
Adam blinked. Ah... cemetery groundskeeper. "Got any ID then? Otherwise, how do we know you're not lying?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "Do you have ID?"
Adam opened his mouth… but couldn't say anything. The man calmly swept the ground and then showed his ID tag with a tired smile.
Adam looked away in embarrassment. He turned toward Manori with a silent plea in his eyes: Edit this weird world… or just edit this moment, please... ugh...
Manori sighed. "You know I can't do that."
Adam coughed. "Alright, alright... let's just move on."
The man narrowed his eyes. "Who says I can trust you? That you're really inspectors?"
Adam's patience thinned. "Well... I have the keys, you know."
"And?" the man replied coldly.
A bitter silence stretched between them. Finally, the man sighed. "Alright, alright... There's been something going on in this place."
The boy had brown light hair and brown hair, with his golden dark eyes... He suddenly looks manori, thinking about something. As she looks at him... as if it had been a long time. "You look different."
The golden eyed kid said something... "What? What do you mean, i dont even know you"