Chapter 46 - 45 : Shopping spree

After some time, we moved to the final floor of the tower. It was a wide area, with a single cylinder placed on a table and beside it was a note with a single instructions. Break it. There was also a timer that was ticking down one by one. As soon as we reached it, a huge screen appeared in front of us. I saw Ye-Rin and her party waiting in a similar room to us. It seems they could see us too. "Are you good?" I asked them but it seems they can’t hear me. "It seems they can’t hear you kiddo." Boom boom said. "Yeah. That seems to be the case. Sir Hyun-tae, get ready to blow that thing off." Then I signaled to Ye-Rin to smash her side of the cylinder. On the count of three, Ye-Rin hammers her ax down on the cube and on our end. Hyun-tae didn’t hesitate. "Blow it, Boom Boom." Both cubes disappeared in a thin air as if they were never present there. A single clang echoed. Then silence. Then... light. A white flash swallowed us whole. My feet touched dirt again, and a sharp wind scraped my cheeks. We were out. We were outside the towers. Volt stood nearby, unmoving like a mountain, his storm-charged aura dimmer than usual. On his back was Seo-Yeon—still unconscious. Her face was pale. "Her berserk mode got activated." Ye-Rin spoke as she handed me Song-woo’s spear. The tip was chipped, and dried blood flaked off the shaft like dead leaves. I didn’t need to ask. The way Ye-Rin looked—eyes red but no tears, face hard but not angry—it said everything. She met my gaze and just gave a small nod. "He didn’t make it," I said quietly. No one answered. We didn’t need to. In-ji sat beside Eun-ha, who was clutching Seo-yeon unconscious hands desperately as if she would disappear the moment she let go of her. "Thanks Eun-ha. Because of you, Seo-yeon, Ye-Rin and I survived today." "But Mr Song-woo didn’t....." In-ji cut Eun-ha off mid sentence. " It’s not your fault." He patted Eun-ha head. Eun-ha, blinking slowly, turned toward In-ji. He smiled down at her. I asked Ye-Rin about the details and she told me what happened inside. How Song-woo died and how Volt and Eun-ha came and rescued them. It seems the White Guardian is far stronger than what we faced in black tower. "She did that?" I asked, motioning at the spirit. Ye-Rin exhaled. "Yeah. You should’ve seen her.I mean, I don’t even know how the hell she pulled that off. The kid’s got serious potential." I looked around the field where we landed. Debris from the towers glimmered in the fading light like metallic ashes. Somewhere far off, I swore I heard birds. Mi-Sun broke the silence with a question no one wanted to hear: "How many more will we lose?" Hyun-tae didn’t even look up from his shotgun. "That’s not the question," he said. "The question is—how many *can* we lose before we break?" We didn’t answer. We just waited. And then, as if on cue, the cruel voice returned. [SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT] "Congratulations, survivors of the Twin Towers." "Mission 3: COMPLETE." " Extra 3 levels are awarded to whole Buk-gu, ulson". " Extra rewards will be awarded to those who participated in towers" "Mission 4 will commence in 1 hour. Please recover and prepare." "...Good luck." I stared up into the sky. One hour. Sixty minutes. "Let’s look for a Shopping mall nearby. I want to wear something cool and awesome." I spoke pointing at our worrn out clothes. "Yeah I think we should do that." Ye-Rin also joined in. "You siblings are taking these things too lightly, aren’t you?" Hyun-tae asked, laughing at us. "Let the kids have some fun" Mother said. The shattered glass crunched beneath our boots as we stepped into the abandoned shopping mall. Volt’s massive form ducked through the broken entrance, his three dragon heads sniffing curiously, claws tapping against the tile floor. Ye-Rin, beaming, bounced over to him with three sparkly bowties in hand. "Hold still, you big lizard," she said. Volt huffed, but lowered his heads. She tied one blue bowtie around the left head, a pink one around the right, and a polka-dotted red one on the center. "There. Now you’re mall-ready."The dragon blinked, then gave an approving chuff. Junior, perched on my’s shoulder as always, seemed inspired. He leapt off and darted down the aisle of a store labeled "Sunny Days." When he returned, he was wearing a floppy summer hat twice his size. He adjusted it proudly with all four hands, the wide brim drooping over his face like a mushroom cap. Everyone cracked up. "That monkey has more style than you, Ye-Jun," In-Ji said, nudging me with his elbow. Nearby, Eun-Ha stood in front of a cracked mirror, holding up a pastel pink sweater with frills on the sleeves. It was oversized, soft-looking, and had a little bunny stitched on the pocket. "Cute," Ye-Rin said, popping up beside her. "It suits you." Eun-Ha didn’t say much, just nodded, clutching the sweater to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her eyes sparkled. She’d been so brave in battle... seeing her smile again felt like the world hadn’t ended. Mother sat by Seo-Yeon’s unconscious form in one of the changing rooms.Ye-Rin had found some fresh towels, and together, she and Mother cleaned Seo-Yeon gently. They dressed her in a cozy sweatshirt and some soft pants, then laid her down on a bench with a blanket. Ye-Rin brushed strands of hair off her face. "You’ll be okay," she whispered. In the meantime, In-Ji and I wandered through a nearby store. He held up a red bomber jacket and grinned. "Think I’d look cool with this?" I gave him a once-over. "You’d look like a high school delinquent in a romance manga." "That’s the goal," he replied, tossing it over her shoulder. "What about you?". I smirked. "Actually," I said, pulling a dark-gray hoodie from a rack, "this looks comfy enough." "Practical and edgy," In-Ji laughed. Then, quieter: "Feels nice, doesn’t it?" "What?" "This. Shopping. Talking. Being stupid." I paused. "Yeah. It does." For a moment, there was no apocalypse. No centaur monsters. No blood. Just the flicker of fluorescent lights above. Across the hall, Hyun-Tae emerged from a store called "Tacticool" wearing what looked like a tactical vest over a black long-sleeve shirt, cargo pants, and military boots. It suited him way too well. Ye-Rin gave a thumbs-up. "Okay, soldier. Now we need to find you a catchphrase." "Boom Boom already took mine," he said, and held up his shotgun. The weapon vibrated slightly. "Damn right I did, baby." Boom Boom’s voice rang out cheerfully. "Now gimme a reload and let’s shop for grenades." "You don’t get to shop," Hyun-Tae muttered. "You’re a gun." "’m a lifestyle." We all laughed again. Eventually, we gathered near the central food court. It was dusty and broken, but we found a clean spot to sit. Someone found a dusty vending machine still stocked with candy bars. Junior cracked it open with a web shot and we shared the loot like a picnic. I glanced around at everyone. Seo-Yeon resting peacefully. Volt lounging nearby with his bowties blowing in the breeze. Eun-Ha nibbling chocolate. Ye-Rin sprawled out beside Mother. In-Ji leaning back with her arms crossed. Hyun-Tae sharpening a knife while Boom Boom grumbled about being neglected. For the first time in a long time, it felt like a family. The silence was peaceful, not the haunted kind we’d grown used to. "I almost forgot what normal felt like," I said aloud. Ye-Rin opened one eye. "Normal’s overrated. This is better." In-Ji chimed in. "We’re like... apocalyptic fashion warriors now." Hyun-Tae didn’t look up. Mother nodded. "But they’ll wait a few more hours. Today, let’s just be... here." I leaned back and watched the rays of sunlight dance through the shattered skylight. "Deal," I murmured. We had each other. And for now, that was enough.