Rise of The Underworld

The hidden Number

Inside the shop, Lio sat with Percy and Mic, devouring their food. Mic asked, "Lio, where are we headed?" Lio shrugged, "I don't know." Mic's eyes narrowed, "I thought we were searching for answers about the sword."

As Mic gazed at the Phantom Blade, Percy shuddered, "It's creepy. I don't want to look at it. Buy me a cola." Percy turned away, facing the wall, leaving Lio and Mic watching his back.

Mic's curiosity got the better of him, "Where did you find this blade, Lio?" Lio's eyes drifted, lost in thought, "At a store in Void Land, where I used to live. It was a strange place, always eerie. The shopkeeper... I don't know his name or face, but his aura was unlike anything I've felt before. He seemed different."

Lio's voice dropped to a whisper, "I'd sit outside his store, watching him. He'd smile, always, even when there were no customers. One day, he beckoned me, 'Come, take something.' I said I had no money, but he replied, 'Repay me when you can.' I saw the blade on the wall, and it felt like it was calling to me. I said I wanted it, but he refused. Then, something strange happened... I said, 'It's made for me, and I only want it.'"

Mic cut in, his tone incredulous, "If I were you, I'd have chosen something valuable, something that could make me rich! But you took this cursed blade." Mic glared at the sword, his expression skeptical.

Lio's eyes flashed, defensive, "After taking it, I thought I should have chosen something else. But at that moment, nothing else mattered. The blade felt like it was speaking to me, saying, 'We're made for each other.' The shopkeeper handed it to me, saying, 'Don't forget, you have to complete what I've left behind.' I agreed, without knowing what it meant."

Lio's voice trailed off, lost in thought, "The next morning, I returned to the shop, intending to exchange the blade for something more valuable. But... the shop, the man, everything was gone. Vanished."