Embers of the Holy War [BEING REVISED]

Let's Play Ball!

The boy gave him the stinkiest side-eye that Guang had ever been subjected to. Since it came from a child, he felt like someone had physically shot an arrow into his heart.

"Really?" the boy questioned doubtfully.

"Really!" Guang asserted.

"Don't hold back next time, or else I won't forgive you!"

This boy...was really something. After receiving several formidable throws, Guang eventually got used to the impact. Not only that, he had also figured out the ideal way to catch the ball so that the impact wouldn't throw him off his feet.

On the throwing end, Guang cranked up the strength of his tosses with every confident catch of the boy's. He was completely astonished when the boy managed to catch his most powerful blow easily. From then on, it was like something snapped, and the game changed. Their exchanges became quicker and quicker. Catches turned into returns, and their game of catch became more like a volleyball match. Each rally lasted so long that Guang had barely time to catch a breath in between, but he was so absorbed into the game that he didn't think twice about it. This was actually fun!

The boy seemed to enjoy it as much as Guang did. The little kid jumped around on his tiny legs, catching each and every single one of Guang's returns, sometimes even intercepting it mid-air, blasting strike after strike while cheering giddily.

Without realising, Guang had soon viewed the boy as his equal rather than just a helpless child. He went all out, and so did the boy.

That was when his stomach gave a painful squeeze. It was so sudden that Guang was forced to double-over. The boy, seeing his companion knocked down, hurriedly caught the ball and ran over.

"Mister, are you alright?" the boy asked worriedly.

That's right...Guang forgot that he hadn't had his lunch. He remembered wanting to get Burger Queen's chicken burgers, and...wait. Oh, no.

"Jin!" Guang gasped.

"Jin? What's that?" The boy scratched his cheek quizzically.

"I just remembered my brother was waiting for me," Guang explained urgently. "I'll go find him and come back with some food real quick, alright?"

"Oh." The boy appeared crestfallen, but he still grinned. "OK, mister. I'll wait for you here."

Returning back to his normal form, Guang sprinted back to the entrance of Twilight Tower. Thankfully, Twilight Tower wasn't so convoluted, so he managed to find his way back within a couple of minutes. He immediately spotted Jin, and so did Jin. Jin had his arms crossed, one hand holding a takeout bag, tapping his foot. As hungry as Guang was, he hadn't had the audacity to ask Jin for his burgers just yet. Not when, even without looking at his face, Guang could tell Jin was mad.

"Well? Explain yourself."

Yeouch. That tone was one that Guang knew all too well. Recalling their playful bantering and Guang's promise of staying put, Guang felt even guiltier.

"There was a lil' kid around here just now," Guang tried to justify. "No one wanted to play ball with him, so I accompanied him to play ball at a safer place. But I didn't realise the time. I'm sorry for leaving without notice and making you wait, Jin."

Jin eyed him for a few moments, as if ascertaining whether he was lying. When Guang appeared genuinely sorry, Jin sighed, uncrossing his arms.

He handed Guang the takeout bag. "Here're your burgers."

That was sooner than expected. Guang thought that Jin might make him starve for a couple more hours as revenge, but it turns out, he had thought wrong of his brother. Guang accepted the bag gratefully.

"Thanks, Jin," Guang said awkwardly.

Jin grunted, idly leaned back on the wall.

Rummaging through the bag, Guang found that there were only the two burgers that he ordered. "Have you already eaten?"

"Yeah, waiting for you took long enough," Jin huffed. "Now quickly finish that burger, or we're going to be late to the appointment with Lord Janus."

Ah, that's right! They had an appointment with Lord Janus at two! Guang swore to the Hero, he was so forgetful of things! However, he still hadn't forgotten his promise with the boy.

"Jin, do we still have some time?"

Jin frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "What do you want to do?"

"Remember the kid I mentioned earlier? I kinda left him hanging, and I promised to come back, so can we go see the kid off first?"

The gaze Jin had fixed him with was an odd one. Guang stood there restlessly as he awaited Jin's decision.

"Sure, but-"

"That's great!" Guang interjected, clapping his hands. He seized Jin's wrist and pulled him along the way he came from. "It's not too far away, I'll lead the way!"

"I get it, I'll follow you, just let go of me!"

However, the nearer they were to the hall, the more Guang became more uncertain in his steps. The crowd did not thin out at all, unlike before. Not only that, but some of them were undoubtedly heading in the same direction as he was. Did he somehow lose his way? What was going on?

When they arrived, they found that the hall was full of people. It was noisy, filled with their endless chattering. There were people behind the counters, guiding and advising those that approached them. Guang thought they might be in the wrong place, but the positioning of the furniture and decorations and the overall structure of the hall was exactly the same. Before this, there wasn't even a single soul here. So where did all these people come from?

"The kid...where is the kid?" Guang muttered. Frantically, he looked around, almost panicked. There was no bob of green to be seen. Where did the boy go?

After walking three full circles, Guang was forced to conclude that the boy was no longer here. Following closely behind him, Jin was scanning the hall as well.

"Are you sure you saw a kid around?" Jin asked sceptically.

"Yeah! He has green hair, hard to miss, and he's wearing green too! He has a white ball in his hands."

"I don't see anyone like that."

Guang's shoulder sagged. "Maybe he had already left. That's too bad. I wanted to give him a burger."

Guang plopped down on an empty sofa, munching on his burger mournfully. Quietly, Jin sat down beside him, waiting patiently for him to finish his meal.

While such a thing was bound to happen, Guang still felt bummed out that he didn't get to spend more time with the boy or at least say goodbye to him. He ate slightly slower in hopes that the boy would appear. However, when his first burger was gone, there was still no sign of the boy. He gave the hall one final sweep of the eyes. Nothing. Guang was forced to sadly eat the second burger as well.

Jin shot up onto his feet the moment the last bit of burger went in his mouth. "Let's go. We only have two minutes before two."

That fast? Crap, Guang was totally unaware of the time. The two of them went to the elevator lobby just across the hall. The security guard stationed there patted them down and scanned them with a metal detector.

Once they had their faces scanned, the security guard said, "Mr. Long Guang, visitor, Mr. Long Jin, visitor. You have an appointment with Lord Janus at 2pm. Please tap your tags at the scanner to your right and proceed to the third floor."

"Alright, noted," Jin said.

As the two of them tapped their tags and entered the elevator lobby, the security guard bowed. "I wish you a pleasant visit at the Ministry of Intelligence."