HUMAN

Chapter 23 - Athiro The Swordsman

I received multiple glances and stares towards me as I strolled through the town square with the car, thanks to the engine and exhaust noise, which was hard not to turn your head at.

Some gawked with amazement, some with curiosity, and some little kids pointing at the popup headlights. The elderly that were standing by were giving me a thumbs up. I grinned nervously and mimicked their gesture.

"Woah, look at that! It looks like it doesn't have headlights. How is that legal?"

"I think it has pop-up headlights. I thought they stopped making those types of cars decades ago."

"It only has two doors, though. It looks like a hassle for backseat passengers to get in." A lady scoffed.

"I wonder who the owner is. It looks familiar." One of the elderly said.

And here, I thought that I wouldn't stand out as much. I didn't think people would bother to look at an old car, and it really was unlucky for me to end up in the middle of the town square suddenly.

Well, to be fair, Frank's car did stand out compared to the sleek-looking SUVs and Sedans that were on the road, and a car like this may be an antique. Although I must confess, I never really knew what the value of this car is and how others see it. Maybe it could be a local legend back in the past. I'll have to ask Frank about this later.

I inadvertently slumped lower in my seat and rolled up my windows to avoid drawing enough attention to myself.

I found a lone parking lot nearby and parked the car in the far corner. A camera was placed where I parked the car, so I have a sense of security if anything happens to it, and I could hopefully request footage. I also took the liberty of parking in between the large 4x4s. "Hidden enough, I guess, as long as those 4x4s don't move-"

And I had to jinx myself when a group of teenagers began to approach the vehicle to "subtly" take photos. I sighed. Whatever. As long as they don't scratch the paint or do anything to the car, Frank should be okay with it.

I shoved my hands deeper into my jacket and pulled up my collar, then crossed the road. I was met with a building that had four Roman-inspired columns that supported the front entrance, where stairs led me to it.

I'd hoped it wouldn't be too busy, but the quick internet search proved otherwise. I'd chosen the most active hours during the whole week. I cursed to myself and decided to head for the place anyway. My attention was shortly diverted to a crowd of children being oriented by what I assume was the tour guide and the teacher (who was failing miserably to keep the kids quiet from their excitement).

"Morning." I greeted the guard, and he nodded before I walked in. I was presented with a spacious lobby where vending machines stood close to the walls, a merchandise store near the entrance, an area of seats and couches organized in the middle, and a skylight that illuminated the interior—further complimenting the overall modern yet intrinsic, architectural design of this building.

Footsteps echoed throughout the place as distant chatter bounced off of the pristine marble walls, and camera clicks could be faintly heard from other rooms and videos being replayed that informed the audience of the historical context. I couldn't help but whistle a bit at the size of the place.

I noticed that the opposite side of me led to two entrances labeled 'EXHIBIT 1: ANTHROKIND' and 'EXHIBIT 2: HUMANKIND'. "Oh. . .this should be good."

I noticed a group of other adults similar to my age who were beginning to group around to another tour guide. Well, similar to how old the identity I am playing is at 21 years old at least. I decide to slide myself in, knowing full well that this needs payment, but oh well. . .I doubt anyone would notice.