209 FEED THE CHICKEN
As the guards' stunned bodies hit the ground, their wallets inexplicably lifted into the air, gravitating toward Sujira. With a casual wave of her hand, she claimed them, tucking the spoils away before walking towards Leo, her expression as composed as ever.
Miwe screamed and protested but nobody bat him even an eye.
Grammers' jaw practically hit the floor. "You're not planning to split the loot, are you, Sujira?"
Sujira didn't even blink. "No. I did everything myself. This silver is mine."
Leo's smile widened, a mix of amusement and intrigue lighting up his face. Sujira was full of surprises, she was an almost peak-tier Svad battle-mage with a character.
"She'll make an excellent bully guard," Leo murmured under his breath, "as long as her loyalty remains intact."
Grammers, sensing an opportunity, walked up behind Sujira, positioning himself as the loud counterpart to her silent menace. Together, they were a perfect duo: Grammers with his foul mouth and Sujira with her deadly strikes.
They were the perfect accompaniment to every bully.
Leo stepped forward, his sharp gaze settling on Sujira. Casually, he offered her a crisp handkerchief. "You look better without blood on your face," he remarked, gesturing to a faint streak marring her cheek.
Sujira took the handkerchief, her movements precise and deliberate. Her expression betrayed no emotion as she wiped the blood away. "Thank you, master," she replied evenly, her voice as steady as her hand when something seized her mind.
A cluster of coin-shaped icons shimmered into existence before Sujira, visible only to her. These were her Greed Counters, the manifestation of her sin.
A message appeared in her mind: "Message: Time to feed your chicken."
For the first time that day, Sujira allowed herself a small, fleeting smile.
In her mind's eye, she selected one of the glowing Greed Coins. It transformed into feed, which materialized in the hands of an imaginary version of herself tending to a chicken inside her thoughts.
The chicken clucked happily as it ate.
"Message: Feed chicken completed."
"Why are you standing there smiling like that?" Grammers' voice jolted her back to reality.
Her expression instantly hardened as she returned to her stoic self. Without a word, she resumed her place behind Leo, her usual air of discipline restored.
Grammers shrugged and fell in step behind her, unaware of the strange mental ritual she had just completed.
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[Earth year 2014- Outside the City of Suex]
"Look what I found!" Kimee exclaimed, her voice echoing through the sorting yard as she plucked a peculiar object from the heaps of trash.
Among the endless mounds of discarded items brought in from foreign countries, treasures like this were rare but not unheard of. For the children of the city, scavenging for hidden gems was a daily adventure.
"What is it, a phone?" Faree asked, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She was smaller than Kimee, though only by a year or two, and just as eager to see what the older girl had discovered.
"No, it's an egg… with a screen!" Kimee said, her excitement mounting as she turned the strange toy over in her hands.
She pressed a button, and to her astonishment, the egg's cover flipped open, revealing a glowing screen. Despite its battered exterior, the device still had power.
"Please feed the chicken," the screen prompted.
Kimee's fingers danced over the buttons until she found the one that worked. On the screen, a tiny chicken appeared and pecked hungrily at the food she dispensed. She giggled delightedly.
Faree frowned. "It's just a Tamagotchi. I thought you found a phone or something cool."
"I like it," Kimee replied with a grin, already engrossed in the game.
"Suit yourself, but we're going to be late for school!" Faree reminded her, tugging at her arm.
The two girls raced toward the nearby missionary school, dodging the bustle of workers hauling trash and recyclables. By the time they arrived, the bell had already rung.
"You're late again," the teacher snapped as they slunk into their seats, still giggling. "Pay attention."
Kimee's attention drifted back to the egg. She snuck glances at it under her desk, pressing buttons to feed her digital chicken. It clucked happily on the screen, oblivious to the world around her.
Then, chaos erupted.
The door to the classroom burst open, and a group of masked men stormed in. Gasps and cries filled the air as the teacher stepped forward, demanding answers. "Who are you people? There are children here!"
"We are from Buku Garam," one of the men growled. Without warning, he raised his gun and fired. The teacher collapsed as screams tore through the room.
Buku Garam—the name struck terror into everyone. The militia was infamous for kidnappings and violence. The children were rounded up, herded like cattle.
Kimee while trembling crawled under her desk, clutching her Tamagotchi to her chest.
"One's missing," a voice barked. Footsteps drew closer. A man overturned her desk, revealing her hiding spot.
"Found you, little rat!" he sneered, reaching for her.
"Please!" Kimee sobbed. "Don't hurt me!"
"No one can help you now, not even your God," he spat.
Suddenly, the ground shuddered. A tremor rippled through the room, and the man lost his balance, hitting the floor hard and knocking himself unconscious.
Kimee's eyes widened in shock. She clutched the Tamagotchi tightly, her fingers trembling against its smooth surface.
Before she could process what had happened, everything went black.
------
When Kimee opened her eyes, she was somewhere else entirely. She blinked, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It looked like a bustling canteen filled with children her age. Plates of food lined the tables, and the air was thick with the aroma of bread and stew.
"Is this heaven?" she whispered.
"No, far from it," a voice replied.
She spun around to find a chicken standing before her, its feathers glossy and unnaturally bright. "This is the Realm of sins."
Kimee's stomach growled, the hunger gnawing at her insides. Without thinking, she grabbed a piece of bread from a nearby plate and devoured it.