CHAPTER 165: A SYSTEM’S ESCAPE

It had been almost a day since all of us had hung out together.

Dario had taken us to different shops and places of the central state, making us try I don’t know how many different kinds of foods and items.

We had even tried to win some prizes of different stalls that gave cute stuff out which Seraphina and Aurelia seemed to particularly like.

Heh—I smiled. Walking past the silent streets of the Central State as I thought of how fun it had been yesterday.

Certainly more than I’d thought was possible, if anything...I was looking forward to our meeting in an hour near the newly opened Auction House.

It seemed that Aurelia was successfull in convincing her father and acquiring VIP tickets from him for the lot of us to go together.

Looking at the street vendors sell tasty bean soups this early in the morning made my stomach growl.

I had left the Romero state an hour earlier than our allotted time to meet because something had happened to Damien yesterday when we guys were together.

I remember Erza trying some hammer hitting competition in one of the stalls when Damien had started pulling at our connection a little to strong, saying about how the powers of the Author had all of a sudden increased exponentially...

It was such that Damien hadn’t even taken the sudden power boost into mind as he told me how I had no time left and that since that weird shop that we had visited when we first arrived here had still not been demolished, I should visit there today morning and buy some artifacts for the future mo matter what.

I had been confused then about what was going on as well as shocked since according to Damien’s words, all of the trinkets we had seen there were real and not some weird mimicry of those ancient items.

I had wished that he would have told me more but the guy seemed to be in an almost weird state as he gave me a list of what all items I had to buy no matter what.

If all that wasn’t enough, he then continued bombarding me about how he had no choice but go to a state of hibernation for the next two years and that it was necessary for me to stay alive until then.

I fixed my grey overcoat that covered all of my figure, the long collar had even covered half of my face while a big black hat adorned my head.

All of this was so that no one gets to know our real identity inside the auction house since we were still young and and it was better to be safe then sorry.

I used the back of my hand to swipe the sweat off my face that continued dripping.

This outfit was just until we entered our VIP abode and we were all wearing normal outfits underneath.

’It’s so fucking hot.’ I muttered, clearly more agitated than I’d like to show usually.

That motherfucking guy had just ran with its tail behind his legs, leaving me with no other clue than how the Author had suddenly become overpowered and that it had to hide.

I sighed, not feeling very good about the prospect of how I would survive the next 2 years without the support of Damien.

I mean, yeah...I never showed it to him but that guy really had helped me more than I could say.

And the fact that even he was scared being found out under the Author’s radar made me unable to understand how or what I had to do to even live a peaceful and safe life for the next 2 years...not to forget that there was still the shadow of that overpowered girl, Sia looming around my head.

Yep guys.

I had officially been abandoned—

Sighing, I removed my coat and hat for the time being, ultimately realising that there was no need to wear them right now and cursing myself for my stupidity.

Holding my stupidly long grey coat and that huge hat using one of my hands, I let out an annoyed grunt.

Damn thing was sticking to me like second skin, and not in a flattering way.

A breath of wind touched my now-exposed face. It wasn’t much, but enough to cool the sweat beading along my jawline as well as soothe my annoyance to a level.

I rubbed my neck once and glanced at my reflection in a nearby store’s shaded window.

I blinked, almost not recognising myself for a moment if I compared myself to the past me who had just arrived at this place.

Underneath my heavy disguise, I was wearing a fitted black turtle-neck shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, hugging a frame I hadn’t noticed had changed this much.

The shirt was simple but sharp, paired with dark trousers that clung neatly to the line of my legs.

I realised that I had grown...and not just in height, though yeah—my back was straighter now, broader. My frame had filled out.

Thinking loud to myself, I noticed that I was just under six feet tall now, the top of my head no longer dwarfed by Grandma Sylvie’s smug comments about my "late bloomer genes."

My shoulders had widened too, no longer slouched from constantly hiding or shrinking back in a crowd.

I stood tall, hands in my pockets, the quiet confidence in my walk giving away that I wasn’t the same boy who first arrived here.

And my eyes?

It was the most beautiful ones I’d ever seen.

And no, its not like im over exaggerating or being self obsessed.

They were hazel still, but these days, they shimmered under the sun like gold coins dipped in firelight.

Sharp, focused and beautiful. The kind of gaze that didn’t drift anymore.

There was a time I used to glance over my shoulder constantly, paranoid. Now I watched with intent.

Studying and reading everything around me like the pieces of a living novel I had to win.

My skin remained white, almost unnaturally so, thanks to the way my strength was increasing maybe.

And except the glaring scar on my neck, most of my skin was the kind of white that almost glowed under sunlight—making my features look sharper than I remembered.

My jawline was more defined, the last traces of youthful softness long gone.

Even the way I moved had changed. No more fumbling, no hesitation in my steps. I walked with weight now, lmao.

The air around me didn’t quite ripple either, but people noticed.

I had an aura—not the kind that screamed power, but the kind that told you I wouldn’t fall easily. That whatever I was walking toward, I wasn’t planning to lose.

But despite all that, despite the power crawling in my veins, the strength in my steps, and the control I had over my presence now...

I still paused when I turned the corner and saw that little alleyway again.

The shop.

The one me and Damien had stumbled into months ago.

It was tucked between those same two cracked stone walls, with a wooden sign whose name was almost too light to read.

If I focused enough, I could even see an etching, a symbol so old I still didn’t know what language it came from.

A wave of cold air seemed to pass through me even though the sun shone fucking bright and clear above my head.

My fingers twitched as Damien’s words echoed again—there’s not much time left...buy the artifacts...the Author’s powers spiked...must have been an ascension...I have to hide...two years.

I swallowed hard.

Even though I was stronger now, more than ever to be honest.

But at this moment, as I stood in front of this shop again...I felt like I hadn’t grown at all.

I felt just like that same lost kid who had stumbled into this place with nothing but a weak robe, a scared voice, and a system that must haven’t even revealed its real name.

It was as if the walls of the alleyway were pressing in on me again.

The way they had before. Back when I thought I thought that I could be the one to drive my own story...that I still had a chance to escape the grasp of this idiot of an Author which Damien said couldn’t even make a proper world.

I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as I realised that it was exactly this dumb system which was the first one to hide the moment the God of this world made a move.

This had only made me realise that I had been too influenced by Damien, this author we had been cursing still had too many sleeves up its hand.

And no matter what that fucker of a system said...The one who created this world was way stronger than any of us could ever believe.

Keeping all these thoughts aside, I stepped forward again.

No hesitation this time.

The wind whispered as I crossed the boundary of the alley as I realised one thing.

Even with all the truths laid out right in front of me...it all remained the same.

Because some shadows?

They never left.

They just waited.

And I was going to be fucking sure that I had the power to back myself when I meet that crazy of an author who created this world.

***