Take the Chance [RED SON] ☆COMPLETE☆

11 Bookworm

Tuesday 9:45 AM

"Red Son! Be careful—you’re going to burn this whole place down!"

MK shouted as he narrowly dodged a cascade of toppling shelves and scattered books. He stumbled, nearly hitting his face on the floor, while Mei used her Dragon Blade to slice through the debris, grabbing MK by the collar as they bolted through the towering stacks of shelves.

“That’s not the concern right now, Noodle Boy!” Red son retorted.

Another burst of fire struck the giant worm demon, eliciting a guttural groan from the creature. Red Son stumbled, flames flickering wildly, before catching up with the pair as they panted and wheezed for air. Behind them, the two celestial guardians blocked the demon's path, their colossal forms shielding the trio from further danger.

“This is not what we’re supposed to be doing, MK!” Mei barked.

“It’s not my fault, okay? The shelves smelled fishy, so I had to check it out!” MK protested.

“Well, that ‘fishy’ thing you knocked off is a giant worm demon that’s decided to make a buffet out of the library!” Mei shot back.

Their bickering carried on as they sprinted, their tired legs burning with every step. Red Son groaned, finally grabbing both of them by their collars and dragging them along as he darted into another hallway.

“Will you two stop bickering?!” he shouted, flames igniting his hair as frustration boiled over.

Though they weren’t sure where Red Son was leading them—since he seemed to be running in random directions—they managed to gain some distance from the chaos. Finally, MK collapsed against a shelf, wheezing.

“I need a break! That worm didn’t even give us a warm-up—it just launched at us like it hadn't eaten for days!” he panted, waving his staff in exasperation.

The two celestial guardians had explained earlier that the worm had been wreaking havoc, devouring ancient tomes and artifacts while evading capture. Red Son’s head snapped up, his mind racing as an idea struck him.

“Maybe we should come back tomorrow,” Mei suggested with a shrug, sheathing her Dragon Blade. “The guardians can handle it, right?”

“No!” Red Son exclaimed, standing firm. “We have to help them!”

His sudden outburst made Mei and MK pause.

“Look, if that worm eats all the books here, the museum won’t have anything left to restore! These books are critical—they could save the entire library!”

MK raised a hand to calm him. “Whoa, whoa—chill, Red Son. We get it, the library’s important to you—and so is helping your soon-to-be girlfriend,” he teased with a grin.

Red Son’s face turned scarlet. “S-shut up! She’s not my girlfriend—yet,” he muttered, his flustered expression drawing giggles from MK and Mei.

“But listen, you noodle-brains,” Red Son continued, regaining his composure. “The guardians and I struck a deal. If we help them handle this mess, they’ll assist the museum library. So, stop messing around!”

“Well,” Mei said with a mischievous grin, spinning her Dragon Blade. “What choice do we have?”

MK grinned back, raising his staff. “Alright! Let’s save those books—and make sure Red Son gets his date with Emily!”

Before MK could say anything else, Red Son bonked him on the head with a book. “Focus, you idiots!”

They rushed back toward the fight, only to be greeted by the deafening clash of metal and a monstrous screech echoing through the library. The worm thrashed against the guardians, its massive, slimy form wreaking havoc as it evaded capture, slamming into shelves and sending books cascading to the floor.

“Yo, guardians! We’re back!” Mei called.

“Yeah! Need a hand?” MK added, waving.

The red guardian frowned. “What are you kids doing here? You should have fled—”

Before they could finish, the worm broke free from their grip, letting out an earsplitting screech as it slithered deeper into the library. Its massive body demolished ancient artifacts and shadowed the depths of the stacks.

“Great,” Mei muttered.

“That thing’s appetite has grown insatiable,” the blue guardian lamented. “It’s been devouring valuable tomes and artifacts.”

“And it’s disturbingly... slippery,” the red guardian added with a grimace.

Red Son’s phone buzzed, snapping him out of his focus. He fumbled to answer, his eyes widening in panic. “No! The time—I told her I’d be back at the museum by now!” Smoke hissed from his hair as he pulled at it in frustration.

“Relax!” Mei said, clapping him on the shoulder with a reassuring grin. “We’ll handle this worm before it causes any more trouble.”

“Yeah!” MK added, though his hands shook slightly as he gripped his staff.

Red Son turned to the guardians. “We’ll hunt down that worm for you. Just keep an eye on the rest of the library, and—”

The blue guardian smiled gently. “There may be no need for that. We’ve considered your earlier proposal”

"Actually," the Red guardian nodded in agreement and spoke, "If you’re willing, we’ll visit this museum of yours. Perhaps we can negotiate directly with the librarian and her superior about this...shutting-down issue."

"What? You’d really do that?" Red Son asked, his eyes shining with hope.

"Of course," the Red Guardian said. "But only if you’re okay with it."

"Yes!" Red Son exclaimed. "We’ll handle the worm while you visit the museum. Right, Noodleheads?" MK and Mei blinked at his enthusiasm but nodded. "Sure!"

"Very well," the Guardians said, transforming into more mortal forms. "Be careful, young ones."

"Yeah, yeah! Go handle museum business. We’ve got this!" Mei said, grinning.

As the Guardians departed, MK cracked his knuckles while Mei brandished her blade.

"Alright, let’s hunt some demon worms!" Mei declared.

Red Son stared at the endless maze of shelves ahead, his expression wary. "I just hope we don’t awaken something worse in here."

-Take the Chance