If it wasn’t from the wrong perspective, the short dream would have been perfect. It was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies. Not too cold and not too hot, and there was a nice warm breeze.
Caution hovered high up in the air like a ghost, and from a bird's-eye view, he saw Manny Okoro playing with his kids at the park. Strangely, even though the person was supposed to be him, Caution felt as though he was watching a stranger.
“Lob the ball!” Abeo dashed across the grass, one arm waving. “On the head! On the head!”
Phoebe tugged at Manny’s trousers. “Dad, please can we get ice cream?”
“Of course princess. Step back for a moment.”
Manny grinned wide as he launched the ball into a perfect arc trajectory. As the ball descended, it went straight through ghost Caution’s chest before hitting Abeo’s head.
Completely frozen, Caution could only watch the event play out like a scene from a movie and hear the shouts and laughter. Regrets that he had tried to force down his subconscious for the past decade resurfaced.
I wish I spent more time with the both of you and Sonya.
I wish I went to more of your football matches Abeo.
I wish I properly expressed my gratitude to you, Azuku.
----------------------------------------
Caution jolted up from his bed. Almost immediately, he reached for the crimson cube floating nearby.
Much to his surprise, everyone in “Team Victors” had passed both exams. Caution scored 98/100 for the written test and 80/100 for the physical examination, which he thought was bullshit. The twins scored the same, 75 for the written and 80 for the physical while Astel scored 100 for the written and 60 for the physical. The six of them now lived together in one of the many Adventurer Student houses in the city which were assigned to them by the academy. Their lessons would start in a few days.
Since the first three kills of the Half-Dead Game, Caution had focused most of his time trying to figure out the crimson cube that floated by his shoulder 24/7. He had almost forgotten about the item because he was used to its presence but now it always seemed to be at the forefront of his mind.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
The cube was most likely a reward gifted by Merethe for getting to round 100 of the mini-game and was a great opportunity for him to get stronger and catch up to Albert. On Caution’s profile, the cube was referred to as a Crimson energy store. (Creator gift.) so he assumed it contained all of the “dark energy” Manny was able to win from the mini-game.
Caution was never one to lie to himself— he was stumped. He had no clue how to access the dark energy and wasn’t even sure what dark energy was. He had tried everything from shouting commands, to pummelling it with his gauntlets to using every elemental spell he knew on it. Nothing worked.
He threw the item across the bedroom. “So close yet so far away. Helplessness. You gotta love it.”
The cube slowly floated its way back to him. Caution grabbed it with his hand and squeezed it as hard as he could. The item seemed to be indestructible and couldn’t be disposed of. It followed him everywhere and even phased through walls.
Caution heard a knock at the door. He raised an eyebrow. It was 1 am. Just to be careful, he went to the Radar tab on the dashboard to check if there were any new rivals.
Searching for contestants within a 30-mile radius…
Please wait…
One contestant detected.
Caution opened the door.
“Hey man, “ Astel said. “I wanted to--”
Caution shut the door but a rhythmic knock immediately followed.
“I know it’s late but I had an idea.”
“So do I. It’s called sleep.”
“You haven’t picked a class yet. I might be able to help you out.”
Caution thought for a moment before opening the door. “Do you see a glowing red marker above my head?”
“Um, yes.”
“Do you know what that means?”
Astel smiled sheepishly. “It means we’re enemies, I know, I know.”
“Then why do you want to help me? After hearing about the first three kills, surely you get it now. Surely you understand the reality of the game now. I even told you I’m participating. Have you lost your mind?”
“Hear me out. I want to negotiate. Let’s make an agreement.”
Caution folded his arms. “I’m listening.”
“Let’s team up. I can assist you with the video game mechanics of this world and tell you what I know. We can get stronger together."
“No,” Caution said bluntly.
“Why?”
“There can only be one winner. It’s stupid. Sooner or later, one of us is going to turn on the other.”
“Right...”
Caution noticed the desperation in Astel’s eyes. His body was tense. Had he been struggling to sleep? “Okay, how about this… We call a truce which lasts till the day we graduate and become licensed adventurers. If you help me, I’ll help you. Your fight against Lara sucked, but I can teach you some boxing if you like."
Astel let out a sigh of relief. “You’ve got a deal. That sounds great.” He chuckled. “Phew… I’ll be honest with you. I was worried you were going to kill me in my sleep.”
Caution frowned. “Nah, that’s such a cowardly thing to do. I will challenge you to a fight when the time comes. There will be no sucker punches or sneak attacks. Don’t worry.”
Astel’s smile faltered. “Were you a professional boxer in your previous life? Your name seems familiar.”
“Yeah, I was.”
“Knocking someone out and murdering another human being are two different things. Can you really bloody your hands?”
Caution did not hesitate in his response, ignoring traces of fear and doubt. The moral dilemma had already been tackled when he was 27 days old. “Yes,” he said. “When the time comes, I’ll do what must be done.”
I have to. lt's the only way...