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Threat levels
Threat levels are used to determine the sheer power one has. Threat levels are split into 12 parts, 6 being the highest humans are able to achive. People with threat levels higher than 6 consists of angels and inhuman creatures.
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Cyeen tilted her head a little. Why would she have child clothes if she they weren't used for this long? she thought before it hit her.
"May I ask if something has happened here? I just can't fathom the idea of having random piles of clothing around."
Súko's gentle smile dropped as she looked at the girl. She sat down on her bed while looking down.
"It's a bit of a long story. One that I wouldn't share to people I didn't trust. Sit next to me."
Cyeen felt like she asked a really sensitive question. The silence had gotten awkward for her and the idea of Súko trusting her this easily wasn't really that believable. Is she trying to scam me now? Cyeen took a few steps before sitting next to her. She had gotten curious even though it was most likely a scheme of hers. She started listening.
"Two years ago. It happened two years ago...
"Mama!" Súko was surprised by the boy waiting her at the entrance. "How long have you been standing here &@∆¶) ? Isn't your father supposed to be playing with you?" The child nodded and held her hand. He guided her mom to his room. "Look, papa is sleeping on my bed!" Súko smiled, that was pretty in character for him. She shook him awake. "Rise and shine dear."
He rubbed his eyes before speaking in a sleepy tone,
"Súko? You're back home already?"
She tilted her head and made a pouty face.
"This is when I always come back home, you should have gotten used to it already."
"Oh, right sorry."
He giggled to himself. They had been married for seven years and had a baby a year into their marriage and somehow he still wasn't used to her schedule. Though they had some problems along the way, Súko was finally living her ideal life. She had settled in a new house, had a caring husband and an energetic little boy. The only issue now was how the tavern she was working at was doing. Rarely any customers visited nowadays and it was slowly turning into a gathering ground for shady people. Maybe it was about time she found some other place to work at.
As she headed for the kitchen, her husband kissed her neck from behind and lifted her up in the princess carry pose. She squeaked from the shock and turned her head towards her husband.
"Let me handle it this time honey, you go get a well deserved rest."
With that, he put Súko down on the couch in the living room. Moments after that, he started working on some sort of chicken based food. The smells coming out of the kitchen was pleasing her nose and soothing her brain. Their kitchen and living room were connected by a large doorframe allowing every smell to escape out when food was being prepared. She looked at her couch. They had saved a lot to buy these furnitures around. The house they live in was passed to Súko by her grandmother meaning they got a chance to focus their finances on other important stuff. Even though the house was a bit far away from the closest village it still had a good location.
Súko got awoken by a kiss on the cheek. She had fallen asleep unknowingly. "Mama, we're eating. Come!" Her son tugged at her clothes, trying to pull her into the kitchen. "Alright alright I'm coming." They didn't have to walk long as the kitchen was just right there. She sat down on her usual spot next to her son. Her husband soon brought the plates and the food along it.
"So how was work today Súko?"
"As you can guess, not many customers."
He lifted his brows a little,
"Really, again? Don't you think it's about time you start working at another place?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. What about you, when will you start working again?"
"Hmmm, maybe when &@Ʀ) is old enough to start school. Our first priority is him right now, right buddy?"
He looked at his dad,
"Yes!"
Even though he was still not old enough to understand adult stuff he could understand that it was important for him to go to school. Both for his future and his parents.
Súko put her spoon down momentarily,
"So dear, what do you think which school we should enroll him? I don't really like the idea of a combat focused ones like we talked before. Even then, when he grows up he'll get the last say I guess."
"Hmmm, I was thinking of a merchant school. I heard it brings in good money."
The two kept exchanging ideas all throughout the dinner. In the end, they both had less of an idea on what they wanted him to become once he grew up. Súko took &@∆¶) back to his room as the dinner ended. He wouldn't sleep if a lullaby wasn't being sung but before going to bed this time there was something he wanted to show his mother. Súko looked at the boy as he searched his room and once he finally found what he was looking for, he lifted it above his head in pride. He walked next to her mother and handed her a piece of paper. Súko looked at it. There were three people holding hands with a child in the middle. She was fast to realise this was a picture of their family. She smiled and hugged her child.
"Oh &@Ʀ), you're such sweetie. Let me frame this, wait for me okay?"
Súko took the drawing with her as she entered her bedroom to look for the empty frame. She had bought only a single one just incase something like this happened. It pays to be insightful. She put it in the frame and brought it back into her son's room.
"See, this is better right?"
"Yes mama!"
Her smile widened as she pat him on the head. A while later she found herself singing a lullaby and a sleeping child in front of her. Looks like she was successful but it also made her realize how sleepy she was. These lullabies work more on me than him. Súko returned to her room right next to the room of their child. Her husband was already in bed waiting for her.
He had a big grin on his face,
"You have a magnificent voice."
Súko blushed a little. What am I, sixteen? Why does it still sound so embarrassing.
"You say that every night."
"And you get better every night."
Her husband was one hell of a smooth talker. He always knew how to make her blush with his words. She felt young whenever they were together. Maybe that was the reason she fell in love with him. After kissing her husband on the forehead she tugged herself in next to him.
"Just go to sleep idiot. I love you."
"I love you too."
Súko was back to working in the same old inn she kept working at for the last seven years. This day marked the last day. She was going to quit after getting this week's wage. Shady people kept showing up whether it was day or night now. Some of them kept trying to hit on her but she was kindly refusing all of them. All those people that tried their luck looked like raccoons to Súko. She had started despising this place she loved working at. Before it all went downhill, there were lovely patrons who she really liked conversing with. Sure, there were drunk people fighting from time to time but the drunkards could barely hit a single attack. She pretended to be scared when those would occur but deep inside she was giggling like a child. Now all of those were replaced with people who were most likely bandits or 'happy shroom' dealers. The squeaky clean floors had been neglected as the owner fired the janitors she loved working with. But she couldn't blame her too. She had gotten pretty deep in debt but never missed a single silver of her wage. The poor woman was tangled with the wrong people and it cost her mos-
!BOOM!
Her thoughts were interrupted by this loud sound. Was that a blaster? she thought before she got back to cleaning the glasses a little later. Then, it finally hit her after two minutes. The noise came from afar... She threw the glass she was cleaning away as she sprinted at full power towards her house. Please be a wrong alarm, please be a wrong alarm. She kept running at the highest speed she could achieve. When the house was in the range of her teleportation she immediately used it to close the distance. It was not a false alarm. She heard sounds of weapons clashing against each other and blasters going on constantly. The small shed next to her house was razed to the ground. She rushed inside to see her husband trying to fight off three bandits. The entrance was covered in countless blood stains. Súko summoned her light pink colored sword. Both she and her husband were inexperienced at fighting, she needed to help him as much as she could. As she was about to attack one of the bandits she heard her blood covered husband's yell. "THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM!!" Her pupils constricted and her heart skipped a beat. Four? She teleported upstairs, ignoring the cooldown. She ran towards her son's room. There were sounds of resistance coming out from it.
"Ow! That hurt, you little piece of shit!" Accommodated by a scream and then... silence...
She entered the room slowly. Inside the room was a mess, the bed was broken. MY CHILD. The walls were all bloody. MY SON. The painting she framed yesterday was on the floor, with the middle person covered up by blood. And most importantly, a woman standing on top of her lifeless child. She fell to her knees with her grip on the pink sword still tight. She heard a man's scream downstairs and then... silence again... She felt a touch on her neck. It wasn't warm, it was a chilling cold material like metal. As she looked up at the woman with tears in her bloodshot eyes, she blacked out.
There were six. There were six people laying without a heartbeat inside her house. Her vision was all blurry from the tears flooding down her cheeks. She dragged her sword as well as her feet upstairs and into the room of her son. She picked up the child in her arms and pressed her face into his chest. HE WAS ONLY SIX.
"My child... My son... Shane..."
Cyeen felt a tear run down her cheek. Huh, What? Do I really feel sorry for someone like her? But, she looks like she's in misery for real. She let go of her suspicions at last. Cyeen hugged the poor woman as Súko cried like there was no tomorrow.