Bracing against the counter, the young man looked out the window. Despite the cheerful conversation around him, his hand drifted toward the broadsword at his back. Something felt off, but he couldn't tell why.
A figure kept appearing and vanishing from the window.
A bell rang from behind as a large-sized mango boba tea was served.
"Order for Mark."
Snapping out of his trance, Mark turned to the counter. Waiting in silence was a sixteen-year-old working behind the counter. Her hair was long and brown, tied up into a ponytail on the right side of her head.
The two recognized each other almost immediately. The girl smiled, with her eyes mimicking the color and texture of a brown tree trunk.
"That will be three silver slides."
The man took out his bubble tea reward card and handed it to the lady. "So, what's the tea this week?"
She smiled, holding in her laughter. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But if you want to talk, Mark, can it wait after my shift?"
"Why wait?"
The girl chuckled and pointed to the lines of people waiting to be served. She leaned over, whispering into his ear. "So much for acting cool in front of the girls."
Mark handed her the money and walked out, drink in hand.
…
"So much for being a team leader. I give Aizen control for one month, and he runs off by himself and goes M.I.A. for three freaking days."
"What now, Aizen went missing again?" Without introduction, the girl replied, standing behind Mark with a straw between her lips.
She wore a comfortable yellow shirt with a white flower pattern near the end and torn black shorts, cut short enough that the pockets showed at the hem.
Mark turned to look at her with a mildly annoyed look. "Amber, I said the next drink was on me."
"Oh yeah!" Amber took a long sip of her tea.
Mark sighed. Then his eyes caught on a figure across the street.
"Mixed-eyes…" Mark muttered, watching a man in his late twenties step out of a recently run-down establishment. His expression was dull, with a jagged scar over his left cheek.
In a matter of seconds, the figure vanished, disappearing amongst the crowd.
"So, how's your research?" Mark asked. "Seems like you're still deciding on the mentorship invitation."
The question was potent. Despite Mark's nonchalant tone, Amber couldn't help but fall silent.
'Not everyone can jump up and leave.'
Swallowing the bitterness lingering on her tongue, she replied playfully.
"Oh, when did you start caring about stuff like that? Don't swordsmen just rub dirt in the wounds to cure all their injuries?"
Mark chuckled. "Good one," he muttered under his breath. "I would have found anything you said interesting."
Amber's drink burst from her mouth. Tapioca balls flew past him.
Amber choked on her drink. She waved a hand dismissively, turning her face away. "I'm fine. Chewy just went down the wrong pipe."
Once more, Mark found the figure in the distance. Dark brown hair shot through with light brown and gray was brushed back from his right eye, and the creature sat on his shoulder.
Panicked, Mark turned to Amber. "Sorry, I have to go."
"What?"
Mark spun back, but the man had already disappeared. He ran. "I'll come back before I leave, I promise," he called, his voice fading.
…
The night was starless, with barely enough moonlight to cover the blocks of stone called road. One by one, the pieces of text repeated, floating around his mind like intrusive thoughts.
'Hiroko was acting weird at the end there.' Jared thought as he turned the street corner. 'Maybe it wasn't the wisest idea to lie like that.'
Jared pushed the thought aside, reached into his bag, opened up the P.E.T.'s packaging, and then held the orange orb in the palm of his hand.
'So, from what I understand, there are only three requirements to awaken the pet normally: its name, a title for this bond, and a connection to match it.'
"Name Installment."
"Name installment… initiating…. Kernel rewrite engaged…"
'Too impatient, I'll just test out the alternative method later.'
"Enchanted base value, online… Voice recognition functioning… You may begin."
Jared took a deep breath, looking down at the orb in his palm.
"Toast, this dark night you were born, and from it you were given life. Let this foundation be defined by your actions. From this day on, Toast will be your name."
"Installing… Rewriting complete… Voice attunement recognized… The name has been implemented… Welcome Toast to the land of the living."
"Alright, that's phase one…"
Silence. Words froze mid-sentence; their sounds suffocated in an instant. Tapping his neck, Jared's gaze darted around frantically. His lungs deflated. Every part of his body sank, shackling him to the ground just to preserve oxygen. He crawled to a nearby tree.
A figure approached, blurry under Jared's failing vision, but moving calmly. Despite that, those mismatched eyes were visible. The pupils surprisingly glowed through their lack of vibrance and color. On his left was a blushed red, and the other a powder white.
' What exactly is… going…on'
Moments away from passing out, an unknown voice spoke into Jared's mind, quiet and submissive. It asked, [ What is it that you want from me? What role and purpose do I serve?... What am I to you?]
Delirious, barely holding on, Jared replied.
[ I… I need you… to protect me… Brother…]
'Aizen…'
"Phase two… Bond formulate… Family, Completed. Finalizing… finalizing… Signal lost; Protocol 247 will now engage."