(A/n: We're almost half of the story! Whew!)
C H A P T E R
T W E N T Y - S E V E N
We arrived at the cityscape, the area cluttered with all sorts of trucks.
Kun and Wendy were walking ahead of me. My two accompanies were having a conversation, all related about the Capital Fortrent's upcoming festival. The magician was inviting the girl to attend; telling her how much the people missed her voice.
"The city is falling. The son of the Rulers is missing. The bosses got separated. And the people still think of throwing a feast?" Wendy said with distaste, her brows fixed together.
"It's a tradition," Kun remarked. "And the Capital's edict is to hold the festival no matter what. The fact there is chaos brings forward the need to conduct it more, since festivals are meant for social and gaiety gatherings to establish peace."
"They're holding it this year?" I asked.
Wendy and Kun looked behind me.
"Yes," the brunette man replied, and then he paused, wrinkled his brows, and asked me, "Wait a minute; you've participated in the program before! You're...you're..." he trailed off.
I inhaled. "That was nothing."
"There was a girl who was supposed to be partnered with Lee Taeyong but ended up..."
"Getting partnered with Lucas. Yeah, that girl was me," I said, bothered.
"Oh." Kun turned silent.
Wendy seemed more intrigued. "Oh, really?"
"It was last year," I said. "And it was for the sole purpose of participation. Nothing memorable really happened."
I was starting to get accustomed to lying even more. A lot of things happened, especially with Taeyong. But he and I didn't really get along. I always had an eerie feeling about him.
I didn't like the guy.
I bet he felt the same way. He always dodged a conversation from me. I was starting to believe that he didn't want to cross paths. Even when we were little kids, he would always give me this cold look. He's like a book I was dying to get my hands upon. A mystery I can't wait to be solved.
The memory of him, the festival, and our childhood caused me to remember the journal that Jeena lent to me. The first thing I'd do once we get back in the city's to retrieve that journal. The answer that I am looking for could be there. I tried deciphering it a lot of times, but failed. There were codes: numbers, foreign symbols, and illustrations that appeared meaningless. I had no idea what it was about. In case Jeena's really alive, then I think it's for the greater cause. The journal was owned by her parents, after all. And she's the daughter. She's everything. She's special. She might be the one to fix this chaos. Not me.
I am just a stranger from a poor town. I am just a no one tangled in this mess. I am nothing like her.
I bet anyone would agree to that, even Lee Taeyong.
Clap.
Wendy clapped her hands together in front of my face, stirring my attention away.
"Heads up, Champion! We're here."
In front of us was a truck coated with rich magnolia mettle. The truck emitted a gloss, its outer quality screaming millions and millions worth of Neons. Behind it, written in large bold font, was the number "10".
Neither Wendy nor Kun needed to tell me who the owner was.
I tried to hide my smirk. "Ten, that jerk. Why does he always come up with everything so flashy?"
Wendy shrugged her shoulders. "That's Ten for you. He doesn't settle with the normal."
"Agreed," Kun said. "Always showing up at parties and at the Fortrent with damn extravagant clothes, that man. Breaking hearts left and right as easy as fluttering his eyes," the corner of his lips twitched. "People of all sorts of gender even talked to me to cast a curse on him after he broke their hearts."
"Did you?" I asked.
"Of course not."
I sighed in relief.
"You make Ten sound so bad," Wendy faced Kun. "He's actually a very good person. I mean, it's not his fault that those people fell for him. Ten's not fond of commitments."
"I agree with Wendy. Ten just likes to play along. He's just having fun. But he could be serious when needed."
I might be saying those words, but I actually envied Ten more than anyone. He did everything by himself. He lived his life as he pleased. There were no chains bounding his wrists, nor was he pledged to act the role of someone. He's doing what he wants. And Ten deserves it. Afterall, he built it himself whatever luxury and title that he has right now
He created it.
But what did he went through to get all of those?
I stared at the truck as Wendy urged me and Kun to go inside. She said she's driving for us since she had a free pass on one of the checkpoints heading to Neo City.
As soon as I get in the car, I palmed the medal on my pocket. Check.
Kun sat beside me and I realized that what Yuta said about scents was wrong. Kun didn't smell like rotten eggs, not at all. He smelt like coffee. The very first impression I had of Hendery.
Wendy took the driver's seat and then smiled, glancing over her shoulder to look at us. "Kun, about the offer..."
"Yes?" Kun's eyes flickered in anticipation.
Wendy pursed her lips together. "Maybe I'll sing at the Capital one last time. Not for them, but for the people."
"Great. I can't wait to listen to it as well," I said without thinking.
Wendy smiled warmly. "Thank you, Sooji."
"No need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you for helping us."
She waved her head. "No, no, I mean, thank you for doing your best. For being here. For willing to fight."
"Don't put too much trust in me, Wendy."
"I can't promise you that. I have deep faith in you."
I huffed a sigh and decided to stare at the window. The sight caused me to feel a lurch in my stomach.
Hendery was right. There were cyborgs roaming around the village. Woods turned into metals. Trees into poles. Grasses into marbles. Life into artificial.
My hometown's dead.
I didn't know if I was more eager to escape from the enemies or find them myself. I didn't know if hiding behind Nakamoto Taka's curtains will do me any good. Or if constantly relying on Ten would drive us straight to our goal.
As Wendy began driving, Kun was busying himself with his knapsack.
"Do you know his address?" I asked out of the blue.
Kun didn't move his head when he said, "Whose?"
"Taeyong's," I spoke in a low tone. "Lee Taeyong."
"What do you want with him?" Kun seemed unpleased.
"Is that even a question? He's valuable."
"He's as dangerous as he is important. So it's better to stay away from him."
"And let him have Kwon Jeena?"
"Leave them be."
"No."
There was a sudden tension inside the truck, my gaze and Kun's piercing each other like knives.
But he cut off the stare, his eyes diverting back to its innocent and pure look.
"I am not the best person for you to ask. Even I don't know his address," he said.
My brows squinted as I studied his face, searching for any lie that wasn't there.
"I don't know if you're lying or not, but I will find him myself."
"Lee Taeyong and Kwon Jeena aren't your priority now, Dong. It's the Capital. Neon 116. The virus."
If my tasks were to be narrowed down, the lists that Kun recited couldn't even reach a half of it. There's Na Jaemin as well, I promised Jeena and her brothers that I would retrieve him. Then, Sicheng. I needed to find Sicheng. There are still a lot. Oh, so many. The president, my hometown, Grandma, Hendery, Yuta.
I balled my fists on my lap, settling down my back on the seat. Kun seemed pleased at my act of silence, deciding to start a conversation with Wendy regarding the dates and venues of the festival.
The side of my lips twitched upward as the memoirs of last year's festival barged in my head.
All of a sudden, the sound of people chattering was replaced by a chorus of muted sounds. It all downed in comparison to the loud and deafening crowds of City 127. I opened my eyes; they were greeted by darkness.
It seemed like we were under a tunnel. Our truck moved onward without a break despite the tunnel being so tight and dark, as if it were a giant wolf's mouth. I heard Wendy mutter the word shortcut, which explained why I had never been to such place.
Facing in front of me was a portscreen I didn't notice was there. It's embedded behind the seat that was ahead of me. It was broadcasting a live news from the city. The place was familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint where they're filming it. But nevertheless I couldn't keep my eyes off it, because Na Jaemin was someone who you couldn't keep your eyes off. Not even a blink would do.
I didn't know who he was personally but I knew how much his appearance changed. The slope of his cheekbones became more defined. He looked taller than the last time I saw him, or maybe he just gained a bit of height in the television. I filled my lungs slowly, then, released the air all at once.
"Young Sir, I heard that the Capital and the government are having a collaboration of a new Cyborg model!"
A slightly yellow-skinned woman was holding a microphone; the city preferred calling it nanophone. Because, well, it was smaller than the original microphone. I didn't know what has gotten into the designer's minds to believe that a smaller model would be better. If they made a mistake, who knows, that small piece of "nanophone" could end up being shoved down their throat.
Na Jaemin smiled. It looked disturbing.
"Yes," he said. I didn't expect his voice to be this deep. "Yes, that's true."
The interviewer beamed and continued, "Well, well. Do you mind sharing us even an itsy-bitsy piece of it? Your people are curious. I am sure you father wouldn't mind?"
My fingers twitched. Every bit of this was a lie. I couldn't stand it. From my peripheral vision, I could tell that Kun and Wendy were listening to the news alongside me. I wondered if it made them sick as it did to me. That's when I realized that, no, they didn't see this as false. They believed that this was a normal morning interview with the president's son.
They couldn't see what I see. For me, this was nothing but a puppet show. The only thing missing were the strings.
"No, no. I am sure he wouldn't mind," Jaemin said. "We are currently making the sixth draft of this Cyborg model so far. We plan to expand it as much as possible, because this model talks about saving real human life."
For a moment there, I was puzzled. However, the woman gladly dug deeper information from Na Jaemin.
"Saving real human life? Is It a Sec-borg?"
There were plenty of terms that I didn't really study too much about. But from the word itself alone, I could derive the meaning by myself, I guessed. Sec-borg might be a combination of "security" and "cyborg". They might be those ones that functioned as bodyguards or cops in the city walls and the city itself.
"No," Jaemin released an unexpected chuckle. So he still knew how to laugh amidst everything. It just proved even stronger how good the president taught him, or brainwashed him. "No, it's not a Sec-borg. It's a Med-borg."
Med-borg. Medical cyborg. Great.
"They are programmed to perform flawless healing tasks. They could attend the sick, 24/7, with no electric charges needed. A practical human, doctor, nurse, and with limitless energy."
"Damn it!" Wendy's sudden outrage caught both me and Kun by surprise.
Wide-eyed, I asked her, "Hey, what's the matter?".
"Oh. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to..." she sighed. "Are they serious about that Med-borg thing?"
"I assume they are. They're in its sixth draft already. Too many revisions just tell how desperate they are to develop it."
"Oh, God," she groaned.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"What will happen to the people who work at hospitals? Are they just going to fire them and replace them with cyborgs?!"
"Let's just hope they wouldn't," I said.
"If that happens, Irene needs to find a job. Oh god, what will, who will, this, why do, ugh, I don't know anymore. This is screwed up."
"Not at all. I'm sure that human doctors and nurses will find a place," Kun said. "Don't you think it's better for your friend? She can disconnect from the city and find a new job outside."
"Yeah right," Wendy pouted. "What if I tell you they also made Cyborgs who can perform magic, hah! Wiz-borg."
I held back my laughter, emitting a soft snort instead. Wendy and I exchanged a look, then that's when we burst into laughter.
Kun sat still. But I saw him touch his temples and mutter the word, "Honestly..."
In the middle of getting caught up at Wendy's joke, someone's voice started speaking through the speakers of Mark's goggles. My body jotted in alarm. I cleared my throat and stopped my split moment of joy.
"Enjoying too much, huh? It's been a while since I last hear you laugh like that."
I rolled my eyes upon recognizing whose voice it was.
Without further delay, I grabbed the goggles and settled its speakers over my mouth.
"Hey, Ten. Since when were you listening?"
My words also caused Wendy and Kun to turn silent. All ears were on us.
"Since you opened my mail? I got connected to your device in an instant."
My jaw flexed.
"You sneaky person."
He laughed. I didn't realize how much I missed his laugh until I got to hear it now.
"Are you near the city?" Ten asked with a juvenille tone.
"I guess so," I replied.
"Good. Meet me at Phase 11 when you get here. I need to talk to you, Sooji."
"Phase 11," I repeated, not because I didn't hear it properly. Simply because I knew what type of a phase was it.
"Yes, Phase 11, that phase. Exactly what you're thinking about."
"Okay. I will be there."
As if on cue, hinges in a whirlwhind of smoke and glittering neon flashed before my eyes. Tall, enormous metal walls stood like they were connected to the ground since ancient times. Neo City glimmered in its everlasting shine, hues scattered in different rays and angles that if I would stare at it longer, I was afraid it might cause me blindness.
"Hey, Ten, let's talk later."
"Sure thing, darlin'."
I placed the goggles on my lap and let my free hand fist the witchlight that I was carrying as a necklace - the cylindrical object that Yuta gave to me. I decided to call it witchlight because that's how his mother had described it, just like he told me yesterday night.
Almost anxiously, I shook the witchlight in dissociated motions.
Five seconds clicked by until it gave a tiny shine - emerald green, like the ones I saw when Yuta demonstrated to me how this weapon - more like an accessory - worked.
The witchlight twinkled, an aknowledgement, a proof that its half's owner received it, a sign of a bit of assurance, and then I let go of it.
______
A/n: another chapter that exceeded the length of my word-limit. Lol. I seem to be writing longer chapters these days, hmmm, which is one of the reasons why my updates are slower than before :( I'm sorry.
Anyways, if at some point you are confused of their convo inside the truck, regarding the festival thingy about Lucas and Sooji being paired up blah blah, then it's just a reference from the ending part of Chapter 48 of BOSS. :) I'm just making you remember in case you forgot.
Btw, thanks for 100K reads!!!! You guys are amazing! Here's a greeting from the two leading males in Champion: XD
I will treasure this ❤ tbh, I was actually worried that this sequel 'Champion' might turn out a flop. That I will fail to meet expectations after the first book was finished. But, here you are, reading it and giving it support! It means a lot. I will strive harder to finish this book ❤ Although tbvh, writing Champion is a lot more difficult than writing Boss for me. Hehehe. It's true when they said that writing sequels is way harder than writing the first book. Oh, but I will reassure you that I am doing everything that it takes to finish this trilogy as long you guys are here with me<333
Don't forget to vote and share your thoughts through the comments! :D
Love, Lumi💚