Caelus lies on the hospital bed as he awaits another check-up result while the raccoon-coloured Bangboo idly sits on the table beside the bed.
Not long after he was interrogated by Qingyi, the nurse entered the room and told him about his current condition. All the listed injuries are burnt hands, some broken bones, and bruises, which is very lucky for someone who was trapped in a Hollow.
Another thing Caelus discovers is the Ether Aptitude test, which answers his questions regarding the system's 'Error' displays. The nurse also explained how he shows no sign of Ether in his body, which is surprising since no matter how high your aptitude was, there's always a sliver of Ether energy lingering in your body. Caelus suspects it might have to do with the Stellaron in his body.
Of course, this raises another issue for him. This world had enough on its plate involving Ether and the bullshits they brought, so he must do everything to keep the Stellaron inside his body in check. And not to mention, he doesn't need another cult like Exaltist pops out of nowhere and starts using the Stellaron on its body to do whatever shits they want.
'The Exaltist...' Caelus covers his face in annoyance. Of all the stupid cults that exist, Exaltists have got to be one of the stupidest. Like, seriously, they saw a natural disaster taking human lives and decided, 'Oh, it's God's will! Let us embrace the disaster that could destroy our planet!'
'...complaining won't do anything...' Caelus sighs before taking a look at the system again. Curiously, he decided to check what the description says about other Paths.
[Preservation (LVL 0): Grants the Pathstrider an access to a power that could endure anything by imbuing energy to either the Pathstrider, their weapons, or allies to form a protective barrier, shielding them from any harm, and power over rocks and minerals]
'Okay, Preservation seems more versatile. I guess power over rocks and minerals does make sense with the existence of Ten Stonehearts.' Caelus muses before looking at the other Paths.
[Harmony (LVL 0): Grants the Pathstrider an access to a power over mind and emotion through song and dances, uniting people and allowing them to fight as one]
'That is...not exactly a good explanation.' Caelus sweatdrops. The Path of Harmony is very confusing lorewise; the only display of power is power over emotion, and in Sunday and Robin's cases, it is also some kind of mind control. Gameplay-wise, it's a support role. Is that why it says uniting people and letting them fight as one? Like a literal power of friendship?
[Remembrance (LVL 0): Grants the Pathstrider an access to a power over memory. The Pathstrider is also able to preserve memory in physical matter or display it in the physical world. They also have power over time, but are limited by the matter's memory (only revert or freeze on a certain point in time in the past). They are also able to summon Memosprite, acting as a memory archive to assist the Pathstrider.]
'...yeah, I'm unlocking this Path first,' Caelus deadpans as he reads the description. No offense to most Paths, but Remembrance has offered him more than other Paths. Not to mention, he's almost unlocking it, so it's a no-brainer.
"Ehn-nu-nu! (What are you doing?)" The Bangboo asks, curious about his new human friend who has been staring at the ceiling and muttering under his breath for god-knows how long.
"Eh...it's nothing," Caelus silently turned off the system display screen while looking at the Bangboo. "By the way, I never got to ask, are you by any chance working under someone?"
"...Ehn-na... (...I used to...)" The Bangboo mutters quietly, twiddling its tiny paws. "Ehn-na-na, ehn-na, na...(My former boss sees me as useless, and he plans to scrap me, but I run away...)"
"...." Caelus can't help but feel guilty for this little raccoon Bangboo, and pats his head. "You can stay with me if you want."
"Ehn-ne? (Can I?)" The Bangboo asks hopefully as he hugs Caelus' arm. "Ehn, ehn-nu... (I, I don't want to be scrapped...)"
"Yeah," Caelus nods. "And don't worry, I'm not gonna let them scrap you."
"...n-na?(...r-really?)" The Bangboo whimpers; his screen displays teary eyes.
"I promise. Besides, I owe you for getting help earlier," Caelus reassures the little guy by gently caressing his head. The Bangboo didn't say a word, its tiny paws held Caelus' hand. "I can't help but wonder, why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"Ehn-na, na-na! (You need help, mentioning it earlier wouldn't be right!)" The Bangboo exclaims. Caelus simply smiles before noticing the same nurse from earlier enter the room.
"Ah, nurse. Is my test result out yet?" Caelus asks curiously.
"Yes," The nurse replies as she holds a folder filled with medical files. "It seems there are no more issues. It's very hard to believe how you have an Ether aptitude of 100 since you're a human."
"Is that really rare?" Caelus asks curiously. The game didn't exactly show how much aptitude each agents have, only saying how they have high or low aptitude, or maybe that's on him for not paying enough attention.
"Usually, a lot of humans have low aptitude scores, and those with high scores range between 60 and 70. Thirens has a higher aptitude around 80, and some even reach beyond 90." The nurse explains, knowing how the young man isn't from New Eridu and with how clueless he acts, it's possible his hometown doesn't have an Ether aptitude measuring device.
"I see..." Caelus muses. "So, does that mean I'm allowed to leave?"
"Wait till the paperwork is done, then you can leave," The nurse replies. "Not having a public record tends to make things a bit difficult."
"To be fair, I was planning to apply for a residential permit once arriving in New Eridu, but things have gotten complicated," Caelus says as the nurse merely nods and gives Caelus the medical record along with the official Ether aptitude test.
"I suggest you should get prepared," Caelus looks at the nurse in confusion upon hearing her words. What does that mean? "Ether Aptitude test results are accessible for a lot of government organizations, specifically for the Hollow Investigative Association or the Defense Force. They always seek those with high Ether Aptitude, and currently, you're their biggest target."
"...how is it public knowledge for them?" Caelus asks blankly.
"It was in anyone's record. The moment it was added, government organizations like HIA and DF would be able to access them. I have a feeling they're already preparing some sort of negotiations for you," The nurse muses, not noticing Caelus' face paling.
'I was hoping I could keep some of my peaceful life, but sadly, I had to toss that plan out of the window.' Caelus mentally weeps. The nurse left without a word, leaving Caelus and the Bangboo alone.
"...well, goodbye peaceful life," Caelus let out a dramatic sigh before looking at the Bangboo, whom he had just realized he didn't know his name yet. "So...what should I call you, buddy?"
"Ehn-nu, (I dunno)" The Bangboo shrugs. "Ehn-na na Ehn-na. (My old boss never bothered giving me names)"
"That won't do," Caelus frowns before pondering. "How about Slyboo?"
"Ehn-nu? (Why Slyboo?)" The Bangboo tilted his head in confusion.
"You remind me of a certain raccoon from my childhood," Caelus says with a smile. "...well, not exactly, but it was already taken. So, I chose that equally good."
"Ehn! (I like it!)" The Bangboo exclaims, proudly puffing his chest. "Ehn-nu, Ehn-nu nu! (From now on, I'm Slyboo!)" Caelus could only chuckle at his new friend's antic. Then, he hears a knock on the door before a familiar person sticks her head out of the door.
"Hey, kid," Qingyi greets, surprising Caelus.
"Ms. Qingyi? Is something wrong?" Caelus grows nervous. Did she discover his lies?
"Relax, you're not in trouble," Qingyi says. "May I come in? We need to talk."
"O-okay?" Caelus replies unsurely, wondering what she wants to talk about.
"...I found the gang that you're talking about," Qingyi says, causing Caelus to short-circuit. Did he hear her right? "One of the officers happens to be near the gang and interrogates one of them. They admit they had sent a family into the Hollow to kill them, which matches your story..."
"..." Caelus tries not to show any sign of disbelief, lowers his head while biting his tongue to stop himself from saying anything. He silently checks the system, wondering if he somehow got the Coreflame of Trickery that didn't get registered in the system. Because this level of bullshit is only possible if he's Cipher instead. Or maybe somehow ROB pulled an Aha and decided to make a scenario based on his story. Or perhaps it was simple; it was a mere coincidence.
"I'm sorry to bring it up again," Qingyi says apologetically. "We have dispatch officers to capture the gang so we can prevent this from ever happening again."
"I-it's alright..." Caelus mutters, not daring to make an eye contact with Qingyi. "...do you have any advice on what I should do?"
"For your current situation, I suggest you officially register yourself as a resident of New Eridu," QIngyi suggests. "This would prevent any legal issues... something you shouldn't deal with while grieving."
"..." Caelus' guilt grows even more. He can't exactly admit that he lied, especially when the evidence made his fabricated story seem legit. Caelus simply takes a deep breath before sighing. "...okay."
"...I'm truly sorry for your loss," Qingyi says apologetically as Caelus nods in reply.
"...I'll register once I get out of the hospital," Caelus replies as Qingyi nods. "Do...do I need to pay for the registration?"
"Well, usually yes," Qingyi says while rubbing her chin. "But, given your circumstances, there won't be any fees."
"...is there a catch?" Caelus asks.
"Being cautious is a good thing," Qingyi nods in approval. "But, no. There's no catch. Public Security is not cruel enough to demand money from someone who has lost everything."
"Way to rub salt into injury," Caelus mutters, grimacing at her choice of words. Qingyi realizes this and winces.
"A-apologies," Qingyi mutters. She didn't know what was wrong with her today. She usually acts professionally during her job, but now, she's making rookie mistakes. Did she experience some sort of malfunction?
Once her shift is over, she should get some proper rest, and maybe a soft reboot on her system is required.
To be Continued