CHAPTER 39

"I don't know..."

Hirayon's answer made OSZ61 pout. She couldn't comprehend why Hirayon was hesitant to make them their friends. It's not that she doesn't understand their situation. She just thought that no matter what, it would be better for them to stick together and help each other.

Hirayon watched the group's reaction. OAR48 looked disappointed, OSZ61 pouted at him, and OID76 showed an uninterested expression. Of the three, OID76 was the one who didn't care whether Hirayon became his friend.

In fact, he wouldn't want to, especially since he witnessed what Hirayon was capable of in the recording. Indeed, Hirayon doesn't like fighting, but no one knows what Hirayon will do in the future, especially in games requiring them to fight each other.

"If we became friends, we can help each other," OAR48 said. He really wanted to be friends with Hirayon as he could see that the child was one of a kind.

"I'm fine on my own," Hirayon answered, which upset the group, including OID76. Although he wasn't keen on making friends, he somehow felt offended because of Hirayon's rejection.

"He said it," OID76 said.

OAR48 stared at Hirayon. He wants to convince the child, but the air the Hirayon is giving is one who won't budge, no matter what. Hirayon also looked remarkably uninterested, which gave OAR48 the thought that Hirayon might get angry if he pushed it more.

But OSZ61 overlooked Hirayon's indifference. "Ey! Don't be like that. If we become friends, I'll invite you to our mansion in the future. You can even work for us. I'm sure my parents would want you as one of our knights," OSZ61 insisted.

The other two thought she would whine and show a bratty attitude like she always does, but it seems like she was fond of Hirayon to persuade the child.

Hirayon looked at OSZ61 strangely, his one eyebrow slightly raised. He couldn't understand why OSZ61 suddenly invited him to work for their family.

"No, I'm good," he declined.

OSZ61 was about to talk again when OID76 spoke, "I wouldn't want to work for you either," he suddenly said, earning a glare from the little girl. Her arms were once again crossed in front of her chest.

"Who said you're invited? I wouldn't even let you step on our territory," OSZ61 stated. Gone was her calm tone, and it returned to her sassy one.

OID76 faced the little girl and crossed his arms as well. He tilted his chin slightly upward and looked down at OSZ61. "Yeah, right. Like you could stop me from doing so."

Feeling challenged, the little girl stepped closer to OID76 and raised her chin. "Of course I can! I am from the Legarve Family of Sand Clan, which existed even during the clan wars. I can definitely ban you from stepping a single step on our sands."

Not backing down, OID76 sternly looked at the little girl. "Then, in the name of the Nievez Family, I will ban you and your family from getting pure ice from our clan!"

OSZ61 eyes widened. She never expected to hear a family name that handles the leading distribution and sales of pure ice from the Ice Clan. She imagined her parents scolding her because the Ice Clan stopped delivering the most needed ice in their extremely hot territory. Although machines can easily create ice, the pure ice from the Ice Clan doesn't melt as quickly as machine-made ice does.

Frustrated and annoyed that she felt scared of the OID76 threat, OSZ61's eyes watered. She then scowled at the little boy, who was taken aback by her reaction. He didn't expect the little girl to almost tear up as he only said that to answer OSZ61's threat. He wanted to say something to OSZ61, who became so quiet, but he couldn't think of any words.

Seeing what happened, OAR48 sighed and looked at Hirayon, also watching the two children. "Don't mind them. They usually bicker like that," he stated about the two.

"Anyway, I won't push you further, but I'm still not giving up on becoming your friend. You can also count on us, and we will help you in any way we can- ah, are you aware of the thief?" OAR48 asked.

Hirayon felt slightly troubled that OAR48 wasn't giving up, but he let it go and instead shook his head. "What thief?"

"A thief is going around stealing black objects. Even ours was stolen, and though we were not entirely sure, I think it was a cat. We met one earlier, and it suddenly ran off somewhere. The next thing we knew, OSZ61's black objects were also gone. By any chance, have you seen a cat? At least before you slept?" OAR48 explained and asked. "It's a black cat," he added.

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Hirayon was sure he did not see a cat, but something piqued his mind, "Black cat and a thief."

Glancing at the dusty window beside the bed, Hirayon saw the ruined buildings and abandoned town. An image of a run-down village with a cat in front of it suddenly flashed in Hirayon's mind. He could remember a story that fit what OAR48 was saying. Though there are hundreds of stories about a black cat, Hirayon's instinct tells him that the story he has in mind is connected with the game.

"I read something before that tells about the story of an intelligent black cat. What happened to you guys was similar to it," Hirayon said while trying to remember the story's details.

OAR48 looked at Hirayon with confusion and surprise. "Really? Is it a children's storybook? I don't remember reading something like that." He had read a lot of storybooks, especially when he was little, but he couldn't recall anything about a thief cat.

"It was a myth from the time before people became Oddities," Hirayon explained.

"So it's from the pre-oddity era?" OAR48 asked with evident surprise in his voice. Stories, articles, texts, or any book about the time before oddities gained abilities were considered rare and extinct as they were not allowed to be copied or mass-produced to keep them as it is and their value. Only rich people in the entire Diwana can access and own them. Even in their old library, there was no book from the pre-oddity era, as they are considered extremely valuable and expensive.

Even though OAR48's family was not the richest in their clan, they are still considered well-off, and they have a vast collection of books from different eras, but not from the time before oddities gained ability.

This gave OAR48 an idea of where Hirayon could be from or to whom he was connected. After all, only clan chiefs could afford such treasured books and could have a library capable of holding items from the pre-oddity era.

'Is he the Water Clan Chief's relative? What I'm sure was he is not the chief's son.'

"Most probably. But there are no records of which era it was," Hirayon answered.

"But where did you read that myth? My family has a huge library, and there's nothing like that," OAR48 pried. The two other children also looked at Hirayon, waiting for an answer. The mention of the pre-oddity era gained their attention.

"It was from my dad's library. He has thousands of books, and it was included in the myth book I've read."

'Ah, he must be a son of a rich water oddity.' OAR48 thought. The possibility that Hirayon might be the water clan's relative has totally left his mind.

"Can you tell us what you remembered?" OAR48 kindly asked. Hirayon might not share it with them, but he wanted to try.

With Hirayon's enhanced memory, he shared the myth written as a poem.

"There once was a black cat named Miti.

Miti was smart, playful, and witty.

She can't smell,

But she rings a bell.

As a talented cat, Miti can play, dance, and act.

She has a family, four and three,

Miti was full of love for eternity.

She would count, two and one,

Play snatch for fun.

When darkness fell, there she waited to play again."

"It was a myth from the ruins now part of the Shadow Clan," Hirayon added.

"That's the first time I heard about it," OID76 said.

"Same as well. What was the title of the book you read?" OSZ61 asked, as she might have encountered it in their library. They own a few books from the pre-oddity era.

"How could he remember every book he had read?" OID76 commented, and the two started another round of bickering.

"So the black thing we need to get is the cat?" OAR48 ignored the two and asked. He figured it was highly likely, considering that the game title was 'The Black Myth.'

"That's what I believe," Hirayon answered honestly.

"Actually, I heard the soft sound of a bell earlier, but I wasn't entirely sure," OAR48 shared. After they were teleported, he heard the bell sound, but it was quick and subtle, so he thought it was only the wind.

But after hearing the myth that Hirayon read, everything made sense. The black cat, the bell, and how it would snatch the black objects we found.

'So this game was based on a pre-oddity myth,' he thought. He also wants to return to where he heard the bell, but it would take them most of their remaining time. Still, OAR48 believes that it's better instead of searching aimlessly.

"Why are you sharing this information with us? You could've had a higher chance of winning," OAR48 curiously asked as Hirayon would have an advantage.

"You shared what you know, and I could also be wrong," Hirayon reasoned. He doesn't mind telling them what he knows, as he wasn't too keen on winning the game because of his exhaustion.

Feeling glad he felt closer to Hirayon, OAR48 gave a pure smile. "Then, thanks. Do you want to come with us?" he offered.

Hirayon shook his head and tapped the bed. "Nah, I wanna sleep more."

"You want to sleep more? Are you not going to find the cat?" OAR48 asked, perplexed that even though less than an hour remained, Hirayon was still planning to sleep.

"I will later. I'm just too tired," Hirayon answered. He might not look like it, but he's still feeling sluggish and tired.

"Will you be fine?" OAR48 asked with concern. He also wants to ask if Hirayon is tired because of an experiment, but he stops himself as it feels too personal.

Most trainers told the children to keep their experiments and abilities to themselves for more advantage. And even though Hirayon had already shown his Water Ability, OAR48 was sure there was more that Hirayon was hiding as he himself was keeping an ability for future games.

"Yeah. And this game is based on luck..." Hirayon murmured, staring at the dusty bed.

OAR48 nodded and understood that Hirayon already wanted to rest the way he looked at the bed. "Alright, see you later," he bid, pulling the two, glaring at each other.

The group left the room, and Hirayon lay on the bed again.

'What was the title again?' he thought when he remembered OSZ61's question.

He remembered that it caught his attention because it was extremely old and tattered, unlike most books in the library. The book was not that thick, but not thin as well. Its hardcover was stained, but some parts retained their original color, midnight blue. The front cover with its title was no longer legible, and only traces of bronze paint remained. Its pages were wrinkled and yellow, showing traces of old times. It felt rough and fragile in Hirayon's hands, so he carefully opened it and turned every page with excessive care, not knowing it was already under a preservation barrier.

The book lists the myths of the pre-oddity era, and on the third page, the title was written in gold ink and large cursive letters.

'Odds of Diwana.'

R E H I L I Y A