Chapter 4: What Belongs to Us

It was as if the pressure in the room grew tenfold as the air seemed to leave your lungs. Was this god’s cruel way of forcing you to take part in this fucked up story? That single year of freedom and bliss was just a fluke? Your own folly and confidence led you here. No… This just had to be a one-time thing right?... That’s right. You were just the NPC who helped Surta get his beloved Phoenix Down. There was no need to worry.

The Phoenix Down was a special cape that Surta owned at the beginning of the game. Though it was never specified when he got it, the cape itself had its own history that the game expounded on. Made from the feathers of the Vermillion Bird, Solis: the God of the Sun, crafted this cape as a gift to his descendants.

It was a beautiful sunset gradient cloth shaped like the wings of a bird and shimmered under the sun from the gold threads woven into its seams. As to why it was being held by the Fire Bureau, that was because of the cape’s special ability to light itself on fire. By pressing the golden clasp on the cape, its “wings” would instantly light up in a flurry of gold flames.

But this time, the cape wasn’t in Surta’s hands but in the Bureau’s. You snapped your attention back to Surta whose eyes never once left your visage. The fire in his eyes told you one thing: no matter what you say, you would agree in the end. You exhale deeply and place a hand over your chest.

“If I do this… Won’t I be incriminated too? This could ruin my life.” you said. Surta seemed satisfied with your reply and he leans away, the pressure of the room seeming to die down a bit as well.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I promise to protect your identity and if anything goes wrong; I’ll take the fall” he said. Though Surta was a dangerous man, he was genuine. He never once lied in the game and he was always pursuing whatever he believed to be right. You have no doubt that he would keep his word.

But that wasn’t enough to convince you. Though Surta was a man of his word, that wouldn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to drag you into more of his shenanigans in the future. You needed to make a safe fail for yourself. Surviving meant living a life without him and you have to make sure it stays that way.

“Even so. I’ll only do this one thing for you. All I’ll do is give you a way inside.” You said and Surta gave you a confident grin as he held his hand out to you. “That’s all I need. So I guess this means we have a deal?” he said.

You stare at his hand pensively. If you accepted this, there was no going back. Whatever was going to happen after this could very well lead to your death. But… You steel yourself and grasp onto Surta’s rough hand. With a firm shake, you two share a look of determination. “It’s a deal”

“Good boy. I can’t wait to see the future of our partnership!” The blond said with a smirk on his face.

He leaned closer and knocked on the counter where the cloak was laid on top.

“Be sure to take care of this for me. I might need it back if we fail~” You really wanted to punch the smirk out of the Sun bastard’s face. His joke wasn’t funny to you at all. You were so ready to yell at him but…

That fucker left without another word. You were left speechless as you stared at the door. The faint chime of the bell was the only sound that filled the shop.

Wait, is that it?

Did the man not even think to come up with a plan or was he just going to rely on you and hope things would turn in his favor? Either way, leaving you clueless was stupid of him. In the game, Surta wasn’t considered stupid. He was confident and brash but never stupid.

So why…

You groan as you slam your head against the wooden counter. The growing pain was nothing compared to the dread in your heart. Were you breaking your own rules by choosing to help him? Maybe. But in your defense, you could just be an NPC who helps him once and never interacts with him again.

⌈ Rule 10. Avoid contact with the main characters ⌋

As much as you hated to admit it, you were breaking your own rules. Your chest ached, and a feeling of loneliness washed over you when the blonde left. Despite going against your own rules, you wanted to interact with him more. That sense of belonging that thumped in your heart was---

No

This will just be a one-time thing.

You push yourself up and slap your cheeks to bring yourself back to reality. No matter what. Tomorrow has to be the final time you will interact with the main characters.

For your own safety, you will do whatever you can to keep it that way.

“I just need to give him a way in…” you muttered to yourself as you glared at the cloak Surta had left behind.

Picking up the rough fabric, you slowly hold it close to your nose and take a deep breath.

The scent of burnt sugar…

and...

the sound of crumpling?

It sounded akin to a wrapper and you tried to search for any hidden pockets in the cloak. Bunching up the fabric in random spots, you eventually hear the sound again and a thin rigidness under your hand. Following it, you come across the hidden pocket with a slip of paper inside. You toss the cloak onto the counter as you look down at the crumpled slip between your fingers. There wasn’t any text written on it but there was a diagram on it that looked like a rough sketch of the layout of a floor in a building. There was an x mark found at the left-most room of the layout.

You sigh in defeat. So he did give you instructions. BUT DID HE HAVE TO MAKE YOU GUESS?! You could already figure out that you needed to be where that x mark was but what floor? What time did you have to be there? You had no idea where and where you couldn’t be in the Fire Bureau for the examination. As much as you disliked unknown variables, you had no choice but to work with whatever you had.

Ding!

You raised your head so quickly that you got dizzy.

“We’re back Rune! We got you some sweet rolls from the market!” Moxie’s high-pitched peppy voice spoke up as Alven pushed the door wider, his bulky arms carrying large bags of ingredients on his shoulders. The little pixie picked up a paper bag that rested on your teacher’s bald head and flew up towards the counter.

She gingerly placed the paper bag on to the counter and turned to the cloak that rested on the counter. “Oh, did you get a customer while we were gone?”

You quickly pull the cloak close to you before she can reach for it. “Ah y-yeah. They left just before you got here. I think I if I run after them, I can return it.”

“Jou better ‘urry zhen. Vhen jou come back, ve need to reschtock the schop” Your teacher grunted as he placed the bags on the table at the center of the room.

You nod and quickly run out of the shop. Stuffing the note in your pocket, you go to a neighbor’s trashcan and dump the cloak into the trash. You sigh as you stare at the trashcan, and you slam the lid closed.

BANG! CRASH!

Before you could even realize what you had done, you had kicked your neighbor’s trash. You grunted as a tiny throbbing pain grew on your foot.

Deep breaths.

In…

And out…

Fooooo….

You glared at the cloak that had fallen out of the now lying trash can. All the emotions with meeting Surta began to set in. The anger, the annoyance, and oddly… A sense of belonging.

“He sounds just like his voice actor, doesn’t he? Though I’m pretty sure he sounds cockier in real life than in the game…” You muttered to yourself.

“Haha ha…” Weak laughter escaped your lips as the ache in your heart grew. In real life… It was sad to admit that this life was now real to you. Surta’s presence was enough to shake you to your core. Your knees wobbled and your face flushed. You felt like crying. Your head hurt and your eyes strained as you tried to hold back your tears.

One Year… You had been gone for one year in your world. Did someone find your dead body? How was your mother? Was your little sister doing well in school? What about your friends?

You hated Surta. You hated how much he reminded you of home. The home you left behind. But what you hated most of all was…

How happy you felt hearing someone so familiar.

“Hey! What are you doing with my trash?!”

Whack!

You groaned as you rubbed the back of your head. The wife of your neighbor was there. Her hand raised up in a fist, she looked like she was ready to hit you again.

“S-Sorry Mrs. Jeri, I tripped while running. I ended up spilling your trash.” you laugh nervously as she looked at you. The lady stared at you for a moment and sighed.

“Fine, I get it. Don’t cry and just clean up the mess.” She turned away from you and waved her hand. “I won’t tell Alven about it either,” She said before walking away.

“Thank you…” You glanced back at the trash and kneeled down. You had to clean this up quickly so that the old man and pixie don’t worry.

=====

“Are you sure you have everything you need?” Moxie’s concerned voice let up in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere. The front of the Fire Bureau was crowded with folks that seemed to mostly be his age. There were a few others that seemed to be much older than the rest but you didn’t pay any mind to the crowd. Moxie and Alven, like the supportive “parents” they are, decided to walk with you to the bureau.

Poor Mox was fussing over your large and heavy satchel bag. You weren’t really sure what she packed in there but like a worried mother, it was filled to the brim. “Oh, and I also packed ingredients just in case you needed...” the pixie continued to ramble on about the contents of the bag.

“I packed a frost potion just in case it gets too hot. Just a drop should be fine but you never know. I also packed an explosion potion---”

Wait what?

“Vhy vould jou put somzhing zhat dangerous in zhe Racker’s bag?” Alven asked in disbelief. You were the same actually. Why would she stuff a bomb in your bag?! You grip the strap of your bag tightly as your movements become more rigid.

The pixie gasped in surprise and suddenly clung to the brim of your cap tightly. “But our Rune is weak! He needs it to protect himself!” she exclaimed. The old man only nodded in agreement.

You let out a sigh and force a smile for them.

“I’ll be fine Mox,” you said. Though to be honest it felt more like you were trying to reassure yourself than the two worrywarts accompanying you. If you had the option, you would have chosen death. Your safety was riding on a single man with an ego as big as the sun. No wonder you were shaking like a leaf!

Sure you trusted Surta’s capabilities but the man gets captured at the beginning of the game. So you have every right to doubt him!

You bid goodbye to the duo and push your way through the crowd. Ugh. The loud shouting from the crowd was getting on your nerves. Though you didn’t really care since the paper stuffed into your pocket was the bigger problem.

Fuck the Fire Exam!!

You probably might lose your license as soon as you get it for helping the crazy fire bitch!

Entering the building, you noticed two things.

The entrance was heavily guarded. People going into the building were checked thoroughly and were heavily monitored. However…

The exit was not as guarded. In fact, those who exited the building seemed to get free roam and linger inside.

For being a heavily guarded place, it's strange how bad the security actually was. You just needed to run away as fast as possible and get as strong as you could to live your dream of a peaceful life. You decided you weren’t going to waste any more time and quickly used the clear path made from the scuffle to enter the building. The guards ushered you into the testing hall right away.

Finding yourself in a large hall with other testers. It was easy to tell where each person was from just from their distinctive clothing.

Spring with their purple or blue hanfus, practically glowing porcelain skin, and long black or ashen hair. There were a significant number of them standing there with their backs straight and chins high. They all seemed to be grouped together but were giving off a silent aura that made the atmosphere unbearable.

Summer was much less than either branch. Wearing a typically green or dark yellow waistcoat, a white shirt, knitted stockings, and leather shoes, Summer folk had slightly tanned skin from working in the fields during late odd hours. Their hair was probably the brightest of the three branches with shining blue or neon green hair with ranging lengths. They too were huddled close together whispering to each other.

Autumn was a bit more spread out and was the largest group of the three. They usually wore simple clothing with a leather vest and various belts on their person. They typically had ivory skin and brown or reddish-brown short locks. One of the Autumners noticed you and motioned you to come closer to their group.

You wasted no time and quickly made your way to their group. The Autumner gave you a sympathetic smile before speaking in a hushed tone, “don’t mind any of them. They all got sticks up their asses anyway” he said.

You glance at the group of Spring nobles and frown. “Are they always like this?” you ask and you receive a nod in reply.

You didn’t really get much of a chance to chat since the guards ushered all the groups into separate areas. Spring at the front of the hall, Summer after, and Autumn towards the back. The facilitators provide you with a… 10-page exam?! You knew that the license was difficult but 10 back-to-back pages were just ridiculous!

You held back a sigh and focused all your attention on the exam. You could take as long as you needed to anyways.