Since joining the Reading Club, Ruby has visited the club more often, even just to read books. The twins who usually rarely attend, now start to attend.
"Perrene's master class is very cold, huh."
Suddenly Jackie took a unique topic of conversation about her class the day before yesterday. She supported her chin with both hands while biting into a stick biscuit.
"She's really mean, just like Liam said," Glen added.
"What are you guys studying?"
Liam, who had just arrived, pulled up a chair and sat next to Jackie, took a stick biscuit and ate it.
"Magic circles. In my class, no one has two magic circles. But, they say magic circles can develop along with the user's experience," Glen explained.
"Some are born with them, but most are acquired through experience," Jackie added.
The three students were busy discussing magic circles. While the other two, Ruby and Stefan, were busy with their own worlds.
In the Reading Club, there were two bookshelves on the right side of the room. The six-tiered bookshelves were filled with various reading books, from magic books to literature. There were even some novels too.
Ruby sat leaning against the shelf near the window, unlike Stefan who preferred a shady place. Because for her, the afternoon sun was very hot.
Today, Ruby chose to read about mythological creatures that reportedly emerged from cracks. Since decades ago, when the world turned into a sea of death. A crack appeared, bringing a very ferocious mythological creature to land.
The changing world also brought changes to the growth of every human being, as is happening now.
As has been the case so far, the raid was carried out as soon as there was confirmation that a crack had appeared. Macletic would secure the area within a radius of one kilometer for the safety of the surrounding residents.
"Oh! Yes! Today there is a live broadcast of the Titan Forest raid. Do you want to watch it together?"
Jackie took the projector, an oval-shaped object that could emit holograms. He set it to show what he wanted.
"Ruby, come here. Let's watch. Stefan, come here too," Glen invited.
Ruby stood up, leaving her book, moving to the chair next to Glen. Stefan did the same, sitting next to Liam.
[I am reporting live at the entry point of today's raid, Titan Forest. Today Team B from Macletic will be conducting the raid.]
A female news anchor held a microphone, while reporting she showed the surrounding conditions.
[A total of 20 people came, this raid was led by Nolan. Reportedly Cerberus appeared in the forest, so they will defeat it.]
There were even many media outlets covering it there, behind the security line. There were also some curious people who ended up gathering there.
The camera moved, showing a row of cameras that focused on the center of attention. Then, it switched to broadcasting a group of members who were ready. Of all the people, there was one person who didn't seem to blend in with the others, to be exact, no one dared to approach him.
[Woah. Isn't that the young actor, Lance from the AREA company?]
"Wow. Handsome," Jackie gasped in admiration.
Ruby who saw him only blinked her eyes. The man she met yesterday looked very different from what appeared on the hologram screen.
They were the same person, huh?
"No wonder he has so many fans," Glen muttered.
Yes, that's right. Most of the people present were his fans. The cheers could be heard even from a distance. Lance just waved his hand, which made them even more hysterical.
Shouldn't I have felt embarrassed yesterday? Wow, where was my shyness yesterday. Oh my...
Ignoring the show in front of him, Liam stole a glance at Ruby. From her eyes, it was clear that the girl was interested in the handsome man named Lance.
That unknowingly made Liam feel annoyed. A click of the tongue was heard softly accompanied by Liam's body standing up.
"Shall I get you some snacks?" he said.
"Oh! Thank you," replied Glen.
Leaving the table, Liam opened the cupboard filled with snacks, preparing them on a plate. Occasionally paying attention to Ruby's expression, there was something there that made his chest tight.
We weren't even close. So what is this feeling?
Since his strange dream that time, Liam began to feel something different than usual when he saw Ruby. Many questions were spinning in his head, even if it weren't for ego, maybe he would have asked Ruby.
However, his ego held him back. He could already imagine Ruby's reaction to him. He would get a strange look from her, and that would definitely make him even more suffocated.
"Here."
Two plates of cookies were placed on the table. They enjoyed them while watching the live broadcast.
"Are the media allowed to come along?" Ruby asked.
Jackie shook her head.
"I don't think so. It's quite dangerous to bring the media in. Moreover, there's no guarantee that they'll be protected, right?"
Ruby nodded.
We'll see how far that guy has come.
-o0o-
Nolan led his members, entering the Titan Forest. The media crew could only broadcast outside the forest. They would wait there until the raid was over.
"Come on, let's go in!"
The burly man, started walking into the forest. 20 people including Lance followed him.
The atmosphere of the forest was quite scary with thick fog and the smell of something burning. For a while they just stayed near the entrance, before finally Nolan's voice gave instructions again.
"According to our strategy at the beginning. Move in groups and look for the creature. If anyone finds it, hide and leave immediately."
"Ready!"
They began to form small groups, leaving Lance behind. Previously there was no notification for Nolan. Even Anos did not know that the one representing Ruby was Lance.
"Hey, new kid! Come here. We're leaving!" shouted Nolan.
Shortly after entering, follow the leader.
Lance smiled. "Okay."
There were four small groups in total. They moved according to the cardinal directions. Nolan's team headed East, moving slowly while watching the surroundings.
"Is this your first time? Aren't you scared?"
Nolan followed Lance's footsteps as he was the last. He glanced at the man who was much younger than him. His handsome face didn't look scared or worried. Instead, he smiled.
"No. Sometimes humans are scarier than monsters."
"Did your company send you alone? I didn't even get any information that AREA would be involved."
"My boss has received a letter from you guys, but the decision on who will go was only made yesterday. Are you suspicious of me?"
While observing his surroundings, Nolan replied.
"That's for sure. Because until now there are still many terrorists in disguise. I'm just a little wary."
Lance only answered with a smile.
After they had walked for 20 minutes, they arrived at a fork in the forest. So far there were no signs of Cerberus. But the deeper they went, the thicker the fog became.
"This will be difficult. Let's decide which one we're going to take," Nolan said, stopping his group in the middle.
Lance raised his hand low. "Then, how about I take the left?"
Hearing that, the other four of them fell silent. It was strange, the gazes that were focused on Lance.
"HA?! Don't joke around. Beginners should follow the group. Do you perhaps want to die first?" one of the men said sharply.
"That's right. You should come with us," Nolan continued.
After all, I don't want any casualties from my team.
"This is also a way to convince you that I'm not part of the terrorists you mentioned earlier. Let me go alone, I'll prove it to you," Lance offered.
The other members' whispers began to murmur. Nolan was confused by it. Indeed, the most suspicious person among his members was Lance who suddenly came as the 22nd member.
Various speculations crossed his mind. What if he was a terrorist, what if his presence brought disaster to his team, what if he stabbed him in the back, and many others.
He had to make a tough decision.
"Okay. Prove it to me. No need to defeat Cerberus, just lure him in front of me. Do you understand?"
Lance smiled broadly.
"Sure. But, if I don't find him, I'll come back to you in an hour."
They split up, right and left. Lance, who was moving alone, decided to jump onto a tree branch and immediately move faster.
Try to get away from the raid leader. At the fork in the road, take the left one. You should arrive in front of a cave not far from there.
Even in the dark and cold fog, Lance could still see very clearly. With the magic amplifier in his eyes, he could see even in the dark.
At the end of the row of trees, a cave was formed solidly, but it was impossible to see what was inside.
Exactly the same. How did he know all this?