"Are you sure you don't want this?"
Albert hesitated, his eyes looked down at the ice cream cup in my hand and then at the shop.
"Urgh, yeah give me some as well." He grumbled taking the cup from the vendor.
"I am really sick of these mind games boss, are we going to help that kid?"
"I am not sure, It seems way too troublesome, to be honest."
Taking a big scoop from the cup, I felt the ice melt in my mouth, giving a sweet taste mix of chocolate and vanilla.
"That kid gave me creeps anyway," I added.
"So, we are not going to do anything, right?"
Albert nodded with a smirk, his satisfaction reaching sky-high.
"Not totally, I will see what I can do... But not today!"
I said with a smile.
"And he didn't answer any of my questions... So Albert can you guess what I am talking about... or do you still don't understand?"
He frowned not understanding what Asher meant just now.
"Didn't he answered everything, He did say some unnecessary words but I thought he was just playing around with us for his amusement."
I chuckled and shook my head.
"Yeah everything he said was bullshit, yet not at the same time. I said that kid was creepy remember he may laugh or act innocently but his eyes don't move even a bit... Maybe he himself is not aware of it yet but his gaze looked very calculating."
Albert winced at my words the cold ice cream getting to his head, smacking his head a little to the right he spoke loudly.
"Uh, now that you say that, I think he never told us about his reasons for dying, did he?"
"He also did not speak anything related to his uncle, as well." I reminded, taking another bite from the cup.
"Boss, isn't it weird?"
"What is weird...?"
"We almost died...Um, we are eating ice cream here right now?"
I frowned.
"So what? I die almost every day at this point, what's one more day to the list."
"Anyway let's buy the materials tomorrow, I am too tired to do it anymore."
Yawning loudly I stood up from the bench, stretching my limbs high up in the air.
Albert's face was a mix of many emotions, he had died just now yet here he was scooping ice cream he previously had rejected. It was not a big thing probably, but he felt his chest tighten at the thought of what he just witnessed. He threw the cup away stood up and muttered slowly to himself.
"Is life always this hard?"
I fell silent.
I almost wanted to make fun of him, for hearing such profound and meaningful questions, especially from a carefree person like him.
Looking back I mumbled out loud for him to hear.
"It's always like this..."
*****
The next day arrived, but my thoughts lingered on Ains' statements and request.
But something was bothering me, I couldn't understand what it was this feeling. Maybe I was being paranoid once again.
At the moment his request was genuine, his words also felt reasonable. Yet, I don't understand any reasons behind them.
When my Grandfather died, I couldn't move for days. Everything felt useless to do. Even though many people were near me, I couldn't connect with anyone.
This kept going for almost a week, maybe even longer than I had imagined. But Ains was different, his parents had died a week ago, and he knew the reasons behind their death.
So, why was he not sad? Was he a kid, younger than me, with more memories than me, with many connections than me, that strong in his will?
If so, then I was the one who acted pathetically.
Yet, I couldn't understand something as simple as this.
'Just survival isn't enough.'
I had told this to Liber, yet I was far from becoming better in my approach.
"You seem to be in deep thought." Castor's voice pulled me back, I raised my head and looked him in the eyes.
He was arranging his bar selves, putting new beer bottles along with new decorations on the counter.
The place which looked gloomy on my first impression was gradually changing.
"Nothing special, I... just thought of some old memories," I said, my hands roaming around the table, sometimes tapping them, while at other times just gripping them in an unnoticeable manner.
"...I see."
Castor nodded, not minding the mood he pushed one of the boxes away under the counter and clasped his hands.
"Well my work is done, let's start." He told me without batting an eye.
I tilted my head. "Should we do it here?"
Castor frowned then shook his head. "And who will clean the mess, you make?"
"Isn't that your job?"
Castor let out an exaggerated sigh, then smirked.
"I have a basement, let's spar there."
My lips curled up, I jumped from the chair and followed his lead, going through the door behind his counter, we took turns passing through several doors and open rooms, this place had an intersection that made it appear rather small from the outside, meanwhile, it uses its position to expand downwards.
Going through the stairs we came underground after pushing away one last door.
"Is it a storage room?"
I asked, looking at the boxes rotting away. A pungent heavy smell permeates the air, making my nostrils feel unpleasant.
"The smell is too strong!" I exclaimed.
"Heh, It's expensive liquor kid, You won't understand. The stuff here can even make an awakened drunk."
That's not something, I would have expected to hear...
As an awakened, I have a high tolerance regarding anything coming inside me, mostly unhealthy substances.
But this only applies to natural things, anything made from the abilities of awakeners or above can still affect those who rely on origin.
"This is the only room big enough to spar properly."
Castor's words made me frown as he pushed away the chair and the table settled in the middle of the room.
After everything was cleared with my help, we both maintained some distance. Castor stretched his limbs. His knees bent slightly from stretching, creating a breaking sound loud enough for me to hear.
"Hey, is that sound okay?" I asked worried he might have been injured.
"No, It's okay I haven't exercised in days..." He said bending backward.
"You used to be a hunter, right?" I asked removing my jacket and tying it to my waist.
"Oh, how did you know?" He asked, surprised by my guess.
"Just a guess..."
"Tell me about the ability you used last time. How were you able to keep up? Or should I say learn last time we fought?"
Castor asked with a hint of interest in his eyes, But I was ready with my answers.
I smirked, as if showing off.
"My ability is much like acceleration, well to speed up things including myself, I increased my thinking speed last time we fought... I kept my promise not to use my ability on you though..."
Castor blinked, then chuckled.
"That sounds like an excuse, Wasn't the promise you made during that was not to use your ability?" He asked raising his brow in doubt.
"No, the promise was not to use the same ability on you... Not to use any ability at all." I retorted with a small grin.
Castor's eyes darkened as he realized the harsh truth.
'Right, as an awakened he has two abilities, he must have used a different ability last time.'
"You fooled me well," Castor stated honestly.
I blinked at his words my mind stopping for a moment.
'What is he talking about? When did I fooled him?'
He must be having a misunderstanding, understanding the situation I didn't correct him and gently nodded.
"What can I even say? Sometimes my genius scares me... But should we start?"
Castor's grin grew wider as he nodded, the air in the basement grew tense. I took a deep breath, focusing on my abilities, ready to unleash the full potential of Kairosflow.
"Let's do basic first, this time no ability." He added pouring cold water on my ambiguous thoughts.
"I thought you would teach me how to do better?" I protested.
Castor gave me a blank look and then asked in a small voice.
"How do you generally fight?"
I answered without thinking.
"For creatures of beyond, I use whatever I have at my disposal."
Castor nodded then added after hearing my answer.
"And for humans?"
"Just kick them or punch them at full speed until they stop moving."
"Oh, I also stab them sometimes when I can't waste time"
I shrugged casually, not bothering to hide my usual brutal approach towards combat. Castor's expression grew serious as he observed me closely. He probably expected some grand strategy or technique, but that was the reality of my life. Survival was about efficiency, not elegance.
"Alright, let's begin." He stepped forward, his movements fluid despite his age. His fists clenched, and I could see the muscles in his arms tensing up. I mirrored his stance, my hands ready to strike at a moment's notice. The basement echoed with the sound of our footsteps as we circled each other, both looking for an opening.
Even though I was not using any ability, my mind still ran faster, due to the passive effects from Kairosflow. It was nowhere near the original effect.
But still good enough to think.
The first blow came from Castor, a simple yet powerful punch aimed at my chest. I leaned back, avoiding the hit by a fraction of a second. The force of his strike caused the air to whoosh past me. My counter was a quick jab that he blocked with ease. He stepped aside and threw a roundhouse kick which I barely managed to dodge by jumping back.
"I am a physical type awakener, and you probably are a speed type... Maybe I am wrong about you, but even as a being of lower rank my strength and endurance are bound to be better than yours."
Castor's words echoed in the dimmed lighted room, he took a fast step forward, and his legs shot up in a wide arc, grazing my cheeks by an inch as I hastily stepped back.
The attack which was supposed to have ended with the kick, jerked back and once again came with an explosive strength hitting my chest.
Unable to dodge in time, I was thrown to the ground gasping for air.
"We were not going to use our ability, right?!" I shouted, clenching my chest in pain.
Castor seeing me in pain chuckled, his face filled with amusement.
"I never used my ability, did you really think you would be physically stronger than me? A strength-related awakener?"
Castor's words were filled with confidence as he offered me a hand to get back up. I took it, using the momentum to flip over and land on my feet, my eyes narrowed as I studied his movements. His speed was surprising for someone his age, but I had underestimated his experience.
"Let's use our ability now... Or I will have no chance at all," I complained.
Castor shrugged, his eyes narrowing in disappointment.
"Looks like I can't give you a beating after all..." He sighed rubbing the back of his head.
He truly looked disappointed.
'This bastard was doing this to give me beating all this timing!'
I was about to hit him but controlled myself. Taking deep breaths to steady my beating heart, I let the pain soothingly go away.
"Let's start"
"Huh, what?!"
Just as I said those words he raised his elbow, to protect his head from the kick I just landed.
Pa—!
He slid away from the impact, his eyes widened in surprise.
'Dammanation, my leg hurts!'
It felt like I hit a metal pole just now.
But not minding the pain I again moved forward, slower than before, my foot came in contact with his palm as he pushed me away and pulled himself ahead not giving me any space to move.
Seeing him close distance, I grinned.
Castor threw a jab at my face, I pushed my whole weight into his hand and jumped using it as a springboard. He was quick, but I was faster.
As I found myself above him, I rotated myself, by the waist and landed another kick to his face.
"Shit!"
I cursed as it did no damage, he braced for its impact using his forehead and pushed me away effortlessly.
I landed with a loud thud on my knees.
"You are fast but your attacks do no damage at all," Castor commented.
"What's your ability?" I asked taking a deep breath.
"Muscle contraction, I can squeeze them shut or tear them apart on touch." He said with a grin.
My face turned pale upon hearing his words, this bastard was overpowered in a close fight. I had been on his mercy all this time and I didn't even knew.
"It seems you realized how dire your situation had been all this time, even though I am an awakener my attacks can still do pretty good damage to an awakened such as yourself."
Castor's words sent a chill down my spine. He had been holding back, treating this like a mere spar.
'But this doesn't mean I would have lost, Rather knowing about his ability made me confident that in a fight to the death, I will win no matter what.'
Determined, I prepared myself for the next attack.
"Try it if you can."
Hearing my words, Castor grinned, his face was the embodiment of evil at this very moment.
Already regretting what I said just now I added in a hurry.
"Hey, wait, it's not a death match!"
In the end, no one heard my plea for help, as our spar turned into a battle of survival.
A battle in which my attacks did no damage to the opponent while all I could do was dodge his punches and kicks when he threw them at me.