Chapter 8 Misunderstanding

Clank...

My weapon slipped from my grip, clattering onto the floor as I raised my hands in surrender. The mana around me churned and swirled, a tangible manifestation of the power emanating from the person standing behind me. It was clear that their strength far surpassed my own, and I felt that following their commands was the best option.

Clank…

I flinched as I felt the cold metal of handcuffs close around my wrists. Glancing up at the restraints, I realized that they were not ordinary handcuffs, but specially crafted to contain those who, like me, had awakened.

"Get on the ground!"

I lowered myself to the floor, grimacing because I was near the puddle of blood. As I lay there, my eyes slowly traveled up the length of my captor's body, taking in the sight of a woman in her late twenties with long silver hair that cascaded down her back in a river of shimmering strands. Her face was delicate, with sharp features that seemed perfectly designed to frame the deep green of her eyes.

'Shit...'

Encountering another important character so early in my reincarnation was not part of my plan. I had hoped to maintain a low profile during my life, training and growing stronger behind the scenes while keeping up the facade of being weak. Thus, I found little fascination in the fact that fate had brought me face-to-face with yet another significant figure so soon.

I groaned in annoyance, biting down on my lower lip in an effort to contain the flood of curses that threatened to spill from my mouth.

"Look, I am not-"

I began to speak, but the woman was already moving away, rushing to help the customers who had fallen to the ground.

As she worked, more people in grey uniforms flooded into the restaurant. Before I could react, I found myself being taken into custody by a group of the newcomers, who quietly led me to a corner of the room for questioning.

"Full name."

"Aiden Steele"

"Age."

"16 Years Old"

...

As the questioning continued, I began to grow more and more impatient. The constant glances from passersby through the window were getting on my nerves, making me feel like a criminal even though I had done nothing wrong.

Finally, after helping the customers off the ground, the woman with the striking green eyes approached me. She didn't seem to pay any attention to the raised eyebrows of the people in grey suits as she gracefully bowed before me.

"I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding!"

She said, gesturing for one of her people to remove my restraints.

"My name is Carolina, and I would like to thank you for saving all the people inside the restaurant. If not for you, they all would've..."

Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the corpses of innocent customers lying on the floor. I followed her gaze, feeling anger rising in my chest. Even though Leclentia was just a game, now it is the real world and everyone around me is a living being.

Carolina's next words surprised me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What would you like to receive as a reward?"

My eyebrow twitched in surprise. Even though I had expected to be compensated for being wrongly accused, this offer seemed too good to be true.

"I need you and your group to keep my identity a secret and act as if we hadn't even met..."

I could see Carolina hesitating, but in the end she nodded in agreement.

"I understand. Your secret is safe with us. We'll make sure that our investigation and records reflect that there was a misunderstanding, and that you were not involved in the incident."

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful for her understanding.

"Thank you..."

After carefully wiping away the blood splatters from my face, I swiftly made my way towards the restaurant's backdoor, leaving the place with an empty stomach and a sour mood.

As I stepped out into the cool evening breeze, the fresh air helped to clear my mind from the chaos that had just unfolded. Despite my lost appetite, I decided to purchase some takeout food, which I carefully placed into one of the bags containing my black clothes.

As I made my way towards the train station, I couldn't help but notice the peaceful sight of couples strolling together, hand in hand, gazing at each other with affection.

It was then that I remembered the new theater opening in Helixia, with the first performance being a romantic rendition of the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. The abundance of couples in the area was likely due to the highly anticipated show.

As I glanced at the flier that was plastered on the wall, my eyes quickly skimmed through the details until they came to rest on the name of the show's director. A frown creased my forehead as I realized why the theater opening in Helixia was familiar to me.

It was because this was the same event where the director had gone mad and attacked the crowd, resulting in the deaths of both awakeners and casual humans.

Letting out a deep sigh, I crumpled the flier in my hand and tossed it into the nearest bin. I knew all too well that I had no power to alter the course of events, especially when the director of the show was a C rank awakener.

While I considered informing the authorities about the potential danger, I knew it would be futile. They were unlikely to take my warning seriously, and I would probably face suspicion and blame after the incident occurred.

"It's a lose-lose situation..."

I muttered to myself as I boarded the train, making my way to one of the less crowded carriages. The lack of sleep had started to take a toll on my body, and I felt my eyes growing heavy as I settled into a seat.

As my eyes began to droop and I drifted off to sleep, I noticed someone take the seat directly in front of me. However, I was too exhausted to pay them any attention as I sank deeper into the realm of dreams.