Swooom...
The early morning sun cast a graceful glow over the busy West Leyland city. Airships hovered in the sky, while trains and automobiles moved along the land. People came and went, going about their daily activities.
Noises and chatter filled the air, followed by the sounds emanating from the clock tower at the center of the city.
However, in a house on the outskirts of the city, its inhabitants were just waking.
The sun's rays pierced through the windows, directly upon Code's face.
He inhaled and exhaled gently, squinting to avoid the piercing light.
He rolled left, away from the window on his right.
But it was all to no avail, as there was another window to his left, from which the rays were even more intense.
"Hmm," Code groaned, squinting. He rolled over again, doing all he could to avoid the light.
Then—
He rolled off the bed.
"Huh?" His eyes snapped open, only to see the ground rushing closer.
And before he could do anything—
Thud!!
The room shook.
"Ahh!" Code groaned, rubbing his aching head. "What the hell?" he muttered, yawning.
He slowly raised his hand. But as he did, a sudden jolt of pain rang through his body.
"Nnggh," Code shivered. His head spun as dizziness set in.
But strangely, he felt different from usual. He could feel energy coursing through his bones and marrow.
His five senses were amplified.
Memories of training flashed through his mind.
"I finally did it," Code said, clenching his fist as he remembered entering the flow phase, and Van's words before he blacked out.
He was now a formal member of a guild—not just any, but a 1st-grade guild.
Come to think of it, my arm was dislocated, wasn't it? Code thought, looking to his left arm.
It was whole. No injuries, no scratches—only the aches remained.
"Is this also an effect of the flow phase?" he thought aloud.
But after a few seconds of reflection, he shook his head.
"I'll think about it later," he said.
"Arrgh." Code exhaled, pulling himself up onto the bed.
"My body hurts all over," he wheezed, staggering to his feet as he turned toward the door.
But as he was about to open it—
Swing!
The door flung open, slamming into his face.
Bash!
It connected.
"Eeh!" Code flew backward, crashing onto the bed behind him.
At the same time, Nara stepped in, his eyes searching like he was looking for treasure—until they fell on Code.
"Hey, Code! You're awake!" he shouted, flashing a thumbs-up.
"I don't know about now," Code groaned in response, blood trailing from his forehead.
"Good grief," he sighed, caressing his head.
"Honestly, you sleep so long I'm beginning to think you hibernate," Nara said, walking closer.
"Uh?" Code's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Nara threw him a knowing glance before looking back at the window.
"You were out for five days," he finally replied.
"What?!" Code nearly screamed his lungs out. "Th-that's a joke, right?" he shuddered.
"Hm," Nara hummed, holding his chin. "Minus the exaggeration, let's say four days," he nodded with a smile.
"That makes no difference," Code muttered in remorse.
This is so embarrassing. How could I sleep for so long? he thought.
"No need to feel too bad," Nara chimed, tapping Code's shoulder. "You should be happy you didn't wake up six feet underground."
"What?" Code's head shot up.
Nara's eyes narrowed. "Thing is, we—I mean Van—thought you were dead. He was already planning a funeral."
"What the hell?" Code exclaimed. "You mean I could've been cremated by now?"
"Yeah," Nara nodded grimly, sending a chill down Code's spine. "If not for Hina's punch."
Then, in that instant—
Boom!
The door, partially closed seconds ago, suddenly swung open, barely missing Nara's face.
Code's eyes widened as Nara screamed, "Eek!" jumping back in alarm before tumbling onto the bed.
Both of them slowly raised their gazes to see Van standing at the door, beaming like he had found treasure.
"Urgh, speaking of the devil," Nara muttered.
"Code! You're alive—I mean, awake!" Van's voice rang out, eyes wide as he jumped forward.
"Oh-uh, yeah," Code replied, feeling awkward.
"Really, we thought you were dead," Van said, his tone suddenly full of concern.
"We?!" Nara cut in. "You mean you!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Van.
"Tch." Van scoffed, waving him off before turning back to Code. "I even prepared a speech. Very heartfelt stuff," he added, forcing a creepy smile that reached his eyes.
"Arrrgh. Boy oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?" Code muttered, shaking his head.
"However… all of that doesn't matter right now!" Van continued.
"Huh?!" Code blurted, jerking upright.
Nara stood back up, his eyes narrowing as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"We're having a welcome party!" Nara declared.
"Welcome party?" Code repeated in surprise.
"Yeah, that's right," Van nodded. "A welcome party to celebrate your induction into the guild!" He stretched his hand toward Code, whose eyes widened further.
Nara walked to the door, flashing him a grin.
"Are you coming?" he asked.
'Who wouldn't!' Code replied internally.
...
The parlor and dining room lit up with excitement and noise.
The dining table was lined with varieties of food Code was sure he could only dream of eating.
"Woah," he whispered, already salivating as he stood at the end of the corridor, staring at the rows of food calling him to devour them.
Is this for real? he wondered. Maybe it's a dream.
But that thought instantly shattered.
"Code?" A voice pierced his ear.
"Huh?" He tilted toward the sound.
And as he did—
He froze, eyes widening, cheeks flushing red.
'Wh-what is she?' Code muttered in his head as he stared at Hina walking toward him.
She looked more beautiful than he remembered—not because of her clothes, but her hair.
Earlier, it had fallen over her shoulders, but now it was neatly tied in a high ponytail with straight, blunt bangs.
She reminded him of someone—Elara.
The only difference was their demeanor: Elara was shy and kind, while Hina seemed cold, confident and fiery, especially from how she had controlled the room earlier.
"Code?" Hina's voice cut into his thoughts, snapping him out of his trance.
"Uh-uh," he stammered as she stopped in front of him.
"I've been calling you for seconds, and you just zoned out," she raised a brow, her tone laced with concern. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah," Code replied quickly, avoiding her gaze.
'How could I be?!' he screamed internally.
"Ok, good!" She flashed a grin. "And don't worry about Van. I made sure to drive as many punches as it took into his skull to stop him planning a funeral!" she added with a cold gaze that should have sent shivers down anyone's spine. But Code?
He wasn't listening—and he wasn't shivering either.
Instead, he was gracing the beauty of nature.
'Arrgh, she's so beautiful!' was all that ran through his mind.
"So, you're safe," she added, turning away.
"Um, yeah, thanks," Code said, nodding nervously.
And with that, Hina walked away, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
Code couldn't take his eyes off her, his cheeks glowing redder.
But suddenly—
"Hey!" Nara's voice boomed as he threw his arms around Code's shoulder.
"Uh?" Code blinked back to reality, turning toward him.
"What're you doing just standing here?!" Nara asked.
"Um, I was, um, just…" Code stammered. He knew he couldn't tell Nara he had been staring at Hina the whole time.
But the damage was already done.
"Oh-ho." Nara's eyes flicked toward Hina, then back to Code, his grin widening into a mischievous smirk.
"Wait! It's not what you're thinking!" Code protested.
"Yeah, I understand. I didn't even say anything," Nara shrugged smugly. "You're the one who's feeling guilty."
"Oh no," Code groaned, facepalming.
"Just take it easy," Nara said lightly, tapping his shoulder.
Then his voice dropped to a whisper. "She already has her eyes on someone else."
"Uh?" Code blinked, not sure he heared correctly.
"Oi, Nara! Where's my magazine?!" Van's voice rang from across the room as he walked out of the library door.
"Don't worry about it," Nara said quickly, grabbing Code's wrist. "C'mon, let's just enjoy the party!" He dragged him along before Code could question further.
"I didn't take it!" Nara shouted back at Van.
"Hina?!" Van asked, glaring toward her.
"Not me either!" she replied flatly, not even glancing up from the cabinet she was sorting through.
Code watched the playful banter between the three of them, and a sense of warmth and relief washed over him.
This guild felt less like an organization and more like a family.
And yet, Nara's words lingered in his mind..
What did he mean by that?
***
To Be Continued...