Chapter 2

Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see.

Kiyro stopped to enjoy the nice summer breeze that lazily blew across his face. The aromatic evergreen scent could be smelled heavily from the small forest on his right. He enjoyed the calm feel the trees gave him whenever he walked near them. Especially the nature around where he lived felt more alive than in certain places.

He couldn't explain exactly why, but if he were to 'feel' the energy around the areas, he could tell if the energy around the area was plentiful, brimming with pure, peaceful energy, or stale, dark and had an uneasy feeling. It was something he naturally was able to sense.

If he thought back, the times when he used this ability were quite often. He could remember certain places where he instinctively sensed that something was wrong or that a specific place felt safe. His little talent kicked in off and on, so he did not have total control over it. Usually, he would listen to his instincts, but at times he would carefully observe his surroundings to discover why he was nervous.

With a quick stretch, he began to walk towards his destination, which was one mile away from his home. It was a small park that was luckily only a fifteen-minute walk from his apartment.

Raising his hand, Kiyro adjusted his falling Alive gear from the bridge of his nose. He walked down the silent walkway. No cars sped by, nor any sound of people could be heard. He found it eerily quiet in the rural area. Every step he took, he felt like the air was becoming denser, making it difficult to breathe.

It was a bit strange throughout his walk. Usually, he would see children playing in the park or groups of people walking by on days like today. He thought, Maybe because it was getting dark, there weren't any people around. His mind came up with different excuses and ideas, but something in the back of his mind bothered him.

The orangish-red light of the setting sun was slowly turning bluish-black, making the surrounding area dark. The street light buzzes and then flickers on. No bugs sang their usual chorus of songs; instead, there was complete silence. Kiyro could even hear himself breathing throughout his walk. The wind that blew a moment ago stopped.

"Is it me, or is it dead silent?" Slyph chirped, breaking the silence. "Any quieter than this, and I will be able to even hear my own thoughts out loud."

"It's strange," said Kiyro. He was not sure what to make of this.

"What? The silence or you coming out to do this quest. Either way, I find the whole thing odd. Especially you humans doing this quest."

"So?"

"Why do you do it? It's just too mind-boggling?" Sylph fluttered around on his shoulder, trying to better look at his face. He cocked his head to his side, waiting for Kiyro's answer.

"Money, curiosity, and the experience. Especially the experience, without it, we wouldn't be called alive, would we?"

"Experience…..hm….."

"Everything we do, we do it for the moment, to feel, to see, to smell, to live. That is called being alive. We want to know what life could offer us, but sometimes it becomes an unquenchable thirst that can not be satisfied because we don't know what we want."

"It seems you humans are fickle creatures."

"You could say that, but it always depends on what one wants."

"So, what is it that you want?" Sylph curiously peered towards him, waiting for an answer.

For a moment, Kiyro thought about the question. "I want to find my brother and punch him in the face."

"Really? Is that what humans tend to want? Violence?"

Kiyro lip curled into a smile, almost breaking out into laughter. "No. It's really just to make me sane again."

"Then you're saying that you are temporarily insane at the moment? Do you need me to call a psychologist, or should you be going to a mental hospital?" Sylph slowly moved away from him. Kiyro couldn't help but smirk at Sylph's behavior. He wondered if all artificial intelligence had a quirky attitude.

"I do not need one, nor do I need to go to a mental hospital. Think of it as human behavior that needs to release pent-up anger towards an idiotic brother who ran away."

"This brother must have given you a headache. But, on the other hand, hasn't your older sister been there for you?"

"That's a matter of opinion. I have not seen my sister in a very long time. She's been too busy with work that it's nearly impossible to see her. So I'm stunned that she is living with me now."

"Really? If you say so, I wouldn't mind living with her." Sylph snickered like a dirty old man.

Kiyro shook his head in disbelief.

"We're here." Sylph suddenly said out loud. "I recommend you take out the pouch and get ready to place them around the designated location. You need to do this quickly and efficiently.

Then, I'll show you the locations using the shortest routes."

A digital map appeared before him in his Alive Gear and zoomed in towards the location he had to go to. Then, five new red dots appear before him, each blinking slowly red, designating where to place the runes.

"I suggest you go to the one on the left from where we are located. It's closer to us." Sylph pointed out with his wings towards where they needed to go.

Moving forward, he slowly walked past the creaking swings. Not too far from him, the red blinking lights overlapped with a couple of small bushes entwined together like two lovers.

"Here?" He stepped over a broken, large wooden branch from a tree to which the shrub was next.

"Yeah. Just drop it into the bush"

"That's it?" Kiyro was baffled at how easy it was. "Are you sure this is all we got to do?"

"That's it."

"You're kidding me, right? This is a walk in the park. I can get this done in less than ten minutes. So where's the next one?" Kiyro flipped over his hand and let the stone tumble onto the ground and into the bush.

"Next, you see that tree over there?" Sylph hopped over to the edge of his shoulder and pointed his beak toward the tree.

Kiyro turned towards the direction that Sylph was pointing. It was a small tree compared to the rest of the other trees. It looked sickly and almost barren, without many leaves growing around it. Even the land around the tree was void of other plants except for dirt.

"You want me to place it there by the tree?"

Sylph shook his head side-to-side. "No. You're going to have to place it in it."

"Wait, what?" He held out his hands to stop him from talking any further. "You expect me to claw my hand into it or something? That's a tree, for crying out loud."

"It's a simple objective. Let's move it. We've got four more to go."

"You're kidding me." Kiyro placed his hands in his pockets and went forward, making his way towards the tree. Kicking wood chips off the ground, he haphazardly made his way over. He glanced around, looking for a place to put the rune stone without falling out. Finally, he raised his hands onto the thick tree trunk and began to pull himself up. With one strenuous pull after another, he quickly scaled up from branch to branch and found a tightly V-shaped wedge in one of the thick branches.

Pulling out a small throwing knife from his pocket that he always carried around with him, he began to cut into the branch, trying to make a deep cut. With steady hands, he put his stone into the V-shaped wedge and pushed down, tearing a bit of the branch of the tree with it. Then, testing it out, he tried to keep the stone wedged deeply into the tree without falling out.

"How about now?" Kiyro stated toward Sylph. "It shouldn't fall out so easily."

"It's good enough." Sylph peered towards the embedded rune stone. "It's a one-time thing, so it's not going to matter when we're done."

"The next one?" Kiyro jumped off and rolled onto the ground, dampening his fall.

"Towards the monkey bars five feet away from it. Same thing, okay?"

"Gotcha." Kiyro jogged towards his next goal and dropped it down at Sylph's specified location.

"Next." He waited impatiently for the next location to appear on his Alive gear.

"Meow." A soft purring sound of a cat could be heard from the darkness. Kiyro whipped his head towards the sound and saw a pure white cat that stepped out into the light where his Alive gear had illuminated.

It was an odd-eyed white cat that he had never seen before. One eye was green, the other gold with short hairs. Its slim body walked gracefully towards him and once again meowed softly.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Get away, cat." Sylph scorned the cat. He was not happy seeing it near him.

"It's not like it's going to eat you. You're a hologram. Did you forget?"

Sylph stood silent on his shoulder and puffed up his feathers. "I hate cats. They shouldn't even exist. Do you know how many of my kind die from their grasp? Thousands!"

Kiyro peered at him funny. "Calm down. It will not harm you, and you're not even alive. What you're saying doesn't make sense. You're an A. I, for crying out loud."

"This A. I am not just a bird. I am the great legendary being. You don't see someone like me running around all the time, do you?" Sylph boasted out loud, puffing up his chest for Kiyro to see. Kiyro shook his head in disbelief. He did not believe a single word coming out of Sylph and ignored him.

"If you say so." He rolled his eyes and bent down to pat the cat. The cat purred out loudly, letting Kiyro scratch it by the chin.

"Woah. Woah. Woah! You're too close!" Sylph backed up toward his head, trying to get far away from the cat.

"It's not bad. You'll like it."

"What are you talking about? I'll have lunch. Can't you see the look in that monster's eyes?" Sylph fluttered around worriedly. "Let's go. Let's go. We don't have time for this. Our next spot is under the slides."

"You're so boring," Kiyro replied as he got up. Wiping his hands free of cat fur, he smiled. He didn't mind animals, especially after getting used to Tempest. He probably was sleeping on his bed as always. Walking forward, he had begun to move toward his next destination.

"Do this quickly so I can go and eat my favorite almond porridge meal," said Sylph.

"You're kidding me, right? Almond porridge doesn't sound appetizing at all," replied Kiyro with a blanch.

"No. You just have bad taste."

"Hardly; you should try something different. Possibly try an Asian dish."

"I could, but I like what I already have."

"You're kind of boring, aren't you."

"It's called stability and being safe."

"Here, right?"

"Yep."

Kiyro stopped before the peach-colored slide where the paint was heavily worn off. Then, leaning his hand over the slide, he peered behind the slide, where a considerable amount of wood chips scattered on the ground. "I'm not too sure being safe all your life would be considered moving forward."

"Psh. When it comes to your life, it does." Sylph turned his body away from him and scoffed at Kiyro.

"That is a matter of opinion. Let's get this over with" Kiyro rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a rune stone. He leaned over and dropped it behind the slide. "This should be fine, right?"

"Yea. That'll do." Kiyro pushed himself off the slide and turned around. What lay before a couple of feet away were a couple black cats. In the middle of the two black cats was the same white cat he had patted a few moments ago. Each one was frozen in their spot, watching his every movement.

"There are more?" Sylph said in alarm. He hopped closer to Kiyro's face as if it would make it any better.

"They're not going to do anything to you."

"Cats. Cats. Cats." Sylph had begun to mutter under his breath like a lunatic.

Kiyro sighed and shook his head in disbelief. He did not understand where this hatred for cats stemmed from, especially because Sylph is a hologram. It wouldn't matter if he was attacked because they wouldn't be able to harm him.

A soft meow could be heard from behind him; he whipped towards the sound of the cat and noticed two more different colored cats appearing out from the dark.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Where the hell are they all coming from? This is not funny," said Sylph, his voice wavering with a bit of fear.

One-by-one, more cats started to appear around him. Each and every one of them sat a good distance away.

"Where did all these cats come from?" Kiyro stepped back a couple of steps but stopped short when he heard more cat's behind him. He was cornered from all sides and unsure where to go next.

"We should run. These monsters are trying to kill us all!" Sylph said with a bit of hysteria in his voice. "I can't die like this. I'm too young and pretty."

"Don't scream in my ears. You're not helping me right now." Kiyro covered the ear that Sylph yelled in. Then, he scanned around, trying to find an exit. "Where is the next one located?" He asked in a hurried tone. The number of cats was already exponentially increasing by the second, making him slightly uncomfortable.

The map on his Alive gear zoomed towards the next destination leading him slightly into the dark woods away from the park.

"It's up. Go!" Sylph ordered.

"Let's get this over with," Kiyro whispered underneath his breath. He did not like the sudden large crowds of cats surrounding him.

With quick steps, Kiyro walked forward. The cats parted ways for him to pass and followed right behind him. Some of them were close to his heels as Kiyro tried not to trip them. Then, like a dog following its master, the cats walked in unison with him towards his destination.

Kiyro wasn't so sure why the large group of cats were even there. In the beginning, it unnerved him to have so many around him, but when they did nothing, he felt oddly comfortable. At least he didn't feel like he was utterly alone anymore.

Once again, the wind began to blow softly like a high-pitched whistling sound. The leaves rustled, and the soft sound of his feet landing on leaves made crunching sounds. Then, he saw shadows darting out of his visions. From left to right, more than one flashed around him.

A full chorus of alarm from cats burst around him, startling him. The cats hissed and arched their back as they all faced the direction of the moving shadows. A couple flipped backward in fright as they screamed and hissed in anger.

"Are these cats insane?" Sylph cried out in a bit of hysteria and fear. He was not enjoying the full onslaught of cats increasing in numbers every minute. Their howling spats and hissing made his feathers stand on edge as he flew up onto Kiyro's head.

Another dark humanoid shadow ran by and blended back into the darkness.

"Don't you see them?" Kiyro whispered. His steps became light and weary as he walked into the dark forest. His only light source was from the Alive gear, casting out a small bubble effect of light around him.

"The cats? I see them perfectly well," said Sylph. He was slightly breathing heavily, as if he had asthma. "What's causing them to make such a fuss? Are they fighting amongst themselves or something?"

Kiyro shook his head. "No. Can't you see there's something else besides the cats?"

Sylph cocked his head in confusion, "I only see cats. Are you sure you're not hallucinating? Do you have a case of schizophrenia? Give me a second while I look up your medical files. If I'm right, we need to get you to a mental hospital as soon as possible. I have already searched up and am ready to go." His eyes glazed over as he looked for all the needed information.

"I'm fine. I don't have any mental illness or anything like that." Kiyro rolled his eyes. He didn't mind the help but to be sent to a mental hospital over something like this was something he did not want to go for.

In moments, Sylph came back to reality. "I was hoping you had some kind of mental instability. I was ready to push the call in seconds." Instead, he pouted and ruffled his feathers. "I don't know what you're seeing, but your health seems top-notch. You have no fatigue, you've got your recommended sleep for the day, and you also have all the calorie intake that you need. I don't get it."

"Never mind," Kiyro replied. He didn't expect Sylph to understand what was happening.

"No, tell me. What do you see?"

"It's fine."

"Come on. It's not going to hurt. I could search through a different database and give you a better answer. It's not going to take too long. Just give me some descriptions," Sylph pried for more information.

"Fine." Kiyro let out a breath of dissatisfaction. "They're quick, transparent, and look humanoid. But, if I were to describe them in short phrases, they are Shadow people."

"Shadow people." Sylph paused for a moment. "Give me a moment." Once again, his eyes glazed over, looking for the answer.

The chorus of the cat's meowing intensified. The cats darted in and out as if they were chasing something only they could see. It was like a game of tag between the cat and whatever the cats were chasing. Kiyro could sometimes see the shadow people darting in and out from the edge of his vision. Other times, there was nothing there.

"I got something," Sylph stated in excitement. "This might actually sound very farfetched to me. But, in actuality, it sounds too illogical."

"What is it?" Kiyro asked.

"Well, I had a large variety of hits on shadow people. There's one in specific detail where it's more supernatural. I thought going towards this definition of Shadow people makes more sense than the other ones that I found. Here goes." Sylph breathed in loudly, "Shadow people imply that the person or entity that appears shadow-like and is not solid but like what a shadow is; dark, transparent, and fleeting. Apparently, it seems that these shadow people have been seen worldwide by different races from around the world. Some say they are spirits that cannot move on to the other side."

"So you're saying they're dead people."

"Yep." Sylph nodded. "These shadow people had come up in a variety of different people's experiences. They're not scientifically proven, and because it's an experience, each answer is different to each person."

Kiyro carefully hopped over a fallen log and branches. The thick leaves rubbed against his arms creating small welts from each hit.

"That's not the only thing. Here is something about cats. There was a long history of cats being worshiped as guardians of the dead, a protector, or even spiritual companions. There were other sides during the medieval times when cats were stigmatized as evil, in league with the devil and demons, an omen, bringing bad luck and especially black cats were often caught and burnt like witches at stake. Different countries worldwide still have such strong beliefs even today and age," Sylph said.

"So we're going for a supernatural aspect in all this."

"Yep. That's the best answer I have come up with now. Would you like me to pull up any other information you wanted me to look into?"

Kiyro was silent at what he heard. He wasn't sure how to take it all in. "How am I supposed to get rid of all this?"

"You're able to see the cats?"

"Both."

"Chase the cats and pull out your eyeballs."

Kiyro sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "What kind of answer is that? Is there any way for these shadow people to disappear?"

Sylph began to prune his wings and was silent for a moment. "Well, I can look into that, but we should get this quest over. I'm tired of running out in the wild with all these furballs like crazy animals."

"Well, lucky for you. It seems I'm right on top of the spot." Kiyro stopped and looked around. There were more cats in the vicinity than a couple of minutes ago. Cats were sitting on the branches of the trees; others stopped and sat on fallen logs and rocks. The number of cats he counted was over fifty.

"The number of cats is increasing like rabbits. If we stay around here any longer, we will be suffocating from the cat's hair." Sylph stated with unease towards the events that had been unfolding before him.

"I know." Kiyro hurriedly pulled out the last stone from his pocket, fumbling with it. The stone dropped onto the leaves.

"You did it." Sylph sighed with relief.

A new message appeared before Kiyro relaying the completion of the quest.

The first part of the quest has been completed. Please go to the last designated area on your Alive gear map.

A red blinking light appeared on his Alive gear, showing him the direction towards his next goal.

Multiple cats' meowing got louder and a lot closer than before. Finally, they were right under his feet, calling for his attention. Kiyro had to be careful not to step on any one of them or trip on himself.

"Where are they all coming from?" Sylph said with alarm. "I don't want to be cat food." He cried out in an exaggerated voice.

Kiyro jumped over them and bolted towards the location he was shown on the map. The cats bounded forward and followed him like a wave of a tsunami. They chased him and the shadows he kept seeing in the corner of his eyes.

While running, he noticed that few shadow people could get close to him. Instead, they circled around him like hyenas waiting patiently. Kiyro did not know what they wanted, nor did he stay put. His instinct kicked into overdrive, telling him to run away from these dark shadows.

"I don't think it is a good idea to complete this quest," said Kiyro in between his breath. He did not like the strange events unfolding in front of him. "This is not a dream, right?" He mumbled to himself.

While running, a branch smacked him hard on his face. Then, he realized everything that was happening was real.

"What are you talking about? You need to finish this quest." Sylph was flying closely behind him.

"It's best to survive another day." Kiyro cut in without any remorse at all. He did not want to stay a single minute longer. His instincts told him to run far away from the place and get to safety.

"No." Sylph firmly said, "You need to finish this quest."

"I'll pass," Kiyro replied back in a heartbeat.

"You can't," said Sylph. "I don't want to resort to this, but it seems I have to."

"What?"

"I know you are searching for your brother, and I'll be able to tell you something about him."

"What? You're bluffing, right?" Kiyro stumbled forward and almost fell down onto the ground.

However, he was momentarily distracted by Sylph's words.

"I'll tell you once you complete this quest."

"Are you serious?" Kiyro was dumbfounded by the answer he was given. He did not like where this was going either. "Can't you just tell me?"

"No," replied Sylph with a stern voice. However, he was not budging an inch with his decision.

Kiyro had a difficult time believing in Sylph's words. Sylph had a knack for telling lies and abandoning him when it did not favor him, but even so, the chance of finding a clue about his brother was slim. Missing such an opportunity might not come another time.

Deep in thought, he searched for a different answer to what Sylph had said while running towards his location. But he couldn't get it out of his mind. It felt like a thousand ants were running wild in his head, an itch he could not get rid of.

"If you don't believe me, then you will not have another chance where you could find your brother. So where would you find a better chance than this?"

"Fine," Kiyro said, irritated. He did not like where this was going. "I'll do it. You've got to promise me when I complete this. Deal?"

"Yes. I'll tell you. Let's hurry it along. This is going to be a problem, a bigger problem, if we don't deal with this right away."

Arriving at the destination where the red mark blinked, he stood high on a raised platform overlooking the playground before him. He could not help but stare at the large number of cats that still came out to follow him. Many cats were so extraordinary that he wondered where they all came from.

The final stage of the quest has begun. You have come into a complete circle. Your tracks shall be the line that connects all points towards one another. Please read these words out loud, and the quest shall be complete.

First, visualize yourself being protected by a white light that covers your body like a thick bubble. Then, breathe deeply, and imagine your negative energy leaving when exhaling out.

From the four corners of the earth,

I call upon the winds of the North.

Its calming breeze. Please lend me your guidance and wrap your calming presence like the water cleansing the ground around me.

I call upon the winds of the East.

Its fiery breath burns away all impure energies that mean me harm.

I call upon the winds of the South.

Its stable foundation of peace keeps me safe like mother earth.

Finally, I call upon the winds of the West.

The blessing of the winds brings all the winds together to turn into one.

Let the door from the living and the dead finally be purified from the power of the words. Let there be once more peace on this land.

Thank you, wind from the West.

Thank you, wind from the South.

Thank you, wind from the East.

Thank you, wind from the North.

Let the harmony of the world finally come back to its rightful place.

"Are you serious? I'm supposed to say this?" said Kiyro. He felt uncomfortable saying this weird chant.

"We don't have time," Sylph said hurriedly as he fluttered around Kiyro's head. "The number of cats is increasing as you loiter around."

Kiyro looked up and noticed the number of cats increased, making him more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and straightened his back. He envisioned the cleansing white bubble-like energy around him and breathed out, imagining exhaling the dark emotions and energy back out into the world.

"From the four corners of the earth, I call upon the winds of the North. Its calming breeze, please lend me your guidance and wrap your calming presence like the water cleansing the ground around me."

The wind around him increased its speed, bringing a colder breeze. He shivered from the cold and could feel goosebumps rising from his skin. It was still a summer night. He was surprised that a cold breeze would come during July.

"I call upon the winds of the East. Its fiery breath burns away all impure energies that mean me harm."

The cat meowing grew louder and louder as he continued his chant. Winds kicked up dust and blew around him, making concentrating slightly difficult.

"I call upon the winds of the South. Its stable foundation of peace keeps me safe like mother earth."

Kiyro felt oppressive energy that he had not felt in a long time. If he could give it a name, it was anger, agitation, and the will to destroy. He knew where it was coming from: it was from the dark shadows that stalked around him in a circle. They were not too close to him, nor were they too far. A couple tried to encroach upon him but were stopped short by the cats chasing after them. From black to white, many multi-colored cats surrounded him on all sides.

The cats hissed and spat, and many ran after the shadow people screaming and throwing a fit, stopping the shadow people from encroaching any closer.

"You're almost there!" yelled Sylph.

"Finally, I call upon the winds of the West." Kiyro's voice grew louder and louder.

The shadow people grew bolder, taking the risk to jump in towards him. Even though Kiyro could not hear the scream of the shadow people, he could already feel their frustration towards him. They wanted him to stop. He felt the overwhelming oppressive energy that felt like it could swallow his soul and destroy him in one crushing blow.

Kiyro did not understand why these shadows were so adamant about stopping him. Each time they got closer, they became more solid in form, and different body shapes could be seen. Finally, with cold sweat, he hurried forward with his last few sentences.

"The blessing of the winds brings all the winds together to turn into one."

The howling wind intensified, almost sounding like the screeching yells of the dying. A loud rustling of footsteps appeared on the ground, running towards him at full speed. From top to bottom, the ghastly forms slowly become solid. Kiyro could already see the bottom half become solid as the shadow person came closer and closer. Claw-like hands appeared before him, reaching toward him with the intent to kill.

Kiyro was about to step back, but instead, he braced forward. Waiting to move out at the right moment. He knew he could not stay still; his mind was racing with different thoughts.

"Let the door from the living and the dead finally be purified from the power of the words."

In a giant leap, one of the shadow people that was fully solid rushed towards him with hands outstretched. It swiped its claws, reaching for Kiyro's throat, ready to tear it apart. Kiyro raised his hands up to block the blow and his eyes closed. His feet instinctively moved out to the side.

"Let there be once more peace on this land," said Kiyro hurriedly.

The wind around him abruptly stopped, and even the howling of the cats was no more. Then, slowly opening his eyes in-between his fingers, he saw that there were no more cats nor the dark shadows. Instead, he was alone once again with Sylph.

"They're gone?" said Sylph, appalled at what had happened throughout the ordeal. "I can't believe they just left. I don't know what they were doing, but you should've seen the cats. They're all crazy. I say."

Kiyro was about to ask Sylph, and he remembered his last lines. He put his hand to his side.

"Thank you, wind from the West. Thank you, wind from the South. Thank you, wind from the East. Thank you, wind from the North. Let the world's harmony finally return to its rightful place." Kiyro bowed respectfully in each direction and clasped his hands in prayer. With one final breath, he gave a large sigh of relief. He finally felt truly at peace. No more were there any shadow people walking at the edge of his visions. No more were there any cats surrounding him, making him feel really uncomfortable. The strange occurrence that had happened today has finally stopped, and everything returned to normal.

Words could not describe what he went through today. It was too surreal and supernatural that it made him feel like he was dreaming. But this was not the case. He felt a sharp pain on the side of his cheek. He reached up and lightly brushed his hands against his face. Hot sticky blood covered his fingers, making him realize that everything that happened before him was real.

When did he get hurt? He did not remember nor realize how he had gotten it. All the adrenaline pumping through his body finally settled down, making him feel tired all at once. His muscles felt overused, and in pain, his legs and feet pounded from all the running, and sleepiness started to take over.

Real World Hidden Quest: Alpha Divisions' individual quest has been completed. The Real World Hidden Quest: Alpha Divisions is still not completed.

Total Individual quest that needs to be completed 3333 worldwide. 1120/3333 completed at this time.

The curse is still in effect in the world of Noriene, but the effect has lessened to the point where it does not bother people's everyday lives. The completion of the quest has been added to the rest of the quests. There are more quests out there in the world. Help out the other players to complete their quests. There is a week left till the quest is completed.

Your reward has been sent. A total of $150 were directly deposited into your bank account. All experience points have been sent to your character in Growth. You have leveled up by two levels. Thank you for your help.

A map of the nearest Real World Hidden Quest: Alpha Divisions are shown on your map. You can call out Alpha Division to see the nearest available quest. Please remember some of the quests may have already been taken or have not started.

Kiyro felt too sluggish to care about the other quests and turned around slowly towards his home. He felt completely drained, tired, and sluggish.

"Are you alright?" Sylph asked; he curiously peered towards him, wondering what Kiyro would do next.

"I'm tired." Kiyro bluntly replied. His feet felt like lead, making it difficult to move forward. He had about a fifteen-minute walk back home, and each step was heavier than the next. "You got a promise to keep."

"About that…" Sylph scooted away from him. "I lied."

"You serious!" Kiyro was fully awake in that instant. His anger flared, ready to throttle Sylph by the throat. In the beginning, he should've known better than to be fooled by Sylph's words.

"Look. I had a mission to complete, and I needed you to finish yours. I did my job. So I'll be going now." Sylph flew off his shoulder and disappeared into the night.

"Come back here, you fake bird! If I get my hands on you, I'll destroy you!" Kiyro cussed and stormed.

"That lying bird. I should've never told him I wanted to see my brother. The next time I see him, I'm plucking out every feather off his back." Kiyro silently cursed in his head.

"Does he think this is some kind of joke? Playing me as some kind of fool." He stopped and sighed. He was an idiot to fall for such a simple trick. He was a fool to believe such an easy lie, and he was easily played to complete the quest.

"On the bright side, I have finished the quest and got something out of it. They really paid for the quest. Here I thought I would get more game money than real money."

Kiyro was a little relieved. If there were simpler quests without cats and shadow people, he decided he could do a couple more to gain more money. Then, yawning, sleep washed over him. He looked onwards and sighed. It would be a long walk, especially when he was tired.

Kiyro sluggishly continued towards his apartment, ready to collapse when he arrived home.