Tinkle

Chapter Eleven

"Get off of me!", I  wriggled my arms off of his tight grip.

He loosened his grip, as I snatched my own arms away from him. I heard him sighed. "Yah, Seoji. I'm just helping you!", he slightly yelled. "Why are you treating me like this?", he scolded and rolled his eyes.

His pointed nose was distracting me. Not in a bad way.

Anyways, what does he expect from me? My mom taught me not to interact or even talk with a stranger. It's childish but it has been part of my defense mechanism to not easily interact with strangers.

Was he expecting me to let him drag me along wherever he's going?

"I don't know you! How do you know me anyway?", I asked and crossed my arms.

"You're the hottest topic on the realms, who wouldn't know the troublemaker Seoji?", he crossed his arms as well.

Just like what Sean said, I'm causing a chaos for the other deities. Now I feel so guilty.

"So you came here to make me feel guilty? Perhaps, are you the deity responsible for making someone guilty?", I asked, guessing who might he be. 

He just laughed and even hit his own leg as he laughed. I didn't sound funny, did I? I'm being serious here.

"I'm Al. I kept a low profile so I am not going to disclose anything about me. But all I can say is that I am a son of a deity.", he shrugged. I squinted my eyes at him.

"By any chance,", I paused as he raised an eyebrow, "the son of destruction deity?", I asked, shivering just from the thought that he's really that son of deity.

When he absorbed the words I said, he laughed as if it was the last time he would.

There's even slight hint of tears on his eyes. He stopped from laughing and then his face became serious.

"Yes, I am.", he said. I froze in my place as I took small steps away from him.

Then he laughed again. No way.. He can't be it. Or was he playing jokes with me?

"I'm just kidding! You should've seen how funny you looked.", he said, continuing his laughing fit. I hope he'll choke on his laughter.

"Anyways, I can say I am responsible for regulation in the realms, along with the others. I can also say Sean and I were allies.", he explained, looking around for no apparent reason.

"Speaking of Sean, have you seen him? He's with the others guys earlier.", I said. Now I am worried. Where have they gone that even Sean and David were involved?

"That's, why I am taking you with me.", he said, as he dragged me towards the nearest building.

A hotel?

"What are we going to do here?", I asked. We stopped at the elevator.

"We're going to the realms.", he said as he pressed a few buttons with some pattern. For a second I was amazed.

The elevator stopped at the 4th floor. This guy's kidding me, wasn't he?

We just arrived in a normal 4th floor of a building.

Wait, this is a hotel, right? It looks more like an office. There's no hotel units or rooms here. It looked like a wide-spaced office, like the whole floor, was an office.

Busy people with their paper works, computers, and calls. Why would he bring me in a call center?

I looked at Al who's talking with a middle-aged looking man, chuckling a bit.

Then I saw a boy, a little bit younger than me. He's handsome, he looked like a younger version of that guy from Front street guys.

"What does a young boy doing here?", I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Wasn't he too young to be here?

"Oh, you're Seoji?", he asked me. I awkwardly nodded.

I guess the gossiping doesn't stop at the realms—if this was the realms. Or does Al gossip around about me?

"I am Seoji. But why are you here? You're too young to be here.", I said. He just chuckled.

"I'm older than you think I am.", he shrugged.

Then I saw Al walked beside me.

"Oh, good afternoon, Sir.", Al suddenly bowed. He gasped at me and made me bow, "Bow.", he whispered, so I did.

"It's okay. Anyways, the he's already waiting for you.", he said as he looked at his wrist watch.

"Oh, I need to go.", he said and smiled at us before leaving the scene.

"Tell me, Al.", I faced him and crossed my arms. "Are you putting a prank on me?", I asked.

"If you do, please stop already. I am freaking out right now for no reason.", I said, wiping my invisible sweat.

He's suspicious.

"This is the realms, Seoji. Why are you freaking out? I'm serious.", he said and chuckled.

"It's the realms? But there are computers and such! The people here are human-like!", I said. I was a bit panicking.

"Calm down. We have the right to adapt to technology, too. We can finish our work faster this way. Anyways, how do you think we would look like? Monsters? Let's go.", he dragged me to somewhere I don't know where.

"Who's that young guy back then?", I asked, confused as to why we needed to bow at a kid.

"So that's why you're talking casually at him? You don't know him? He's Sean's father.", he nodded, realizing.

I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. He's joking, right? He looked back at me.

"Al, don't kid with me.", I warned him.

He sighed, "I'm saying the truth! I'll bet my nose whether I'm lying or not!", he yelled a bit.

What the actual fudge. He's Sean's father? He looked over a decade younger than Sean, oh my gosh.

I let him drag me to somewhere while still thinking about Sean's father.

"Are you sure he's not a younger brother instead of Sean's father?", I asked, still hesitant.

He sighed, "I told you already, I won't repeat anymore.", he said. How many sigh did he heave today?

---

"We don't like~", Ben sing-song his words as he was busy with his arcade.

It was my nth time of asking them to go home already.

Their parents must be worried.

My mom doesn't know I was here, too. I just said I'll hang out with the guys but here I am now, going against her first forbidden rule: Never ever ever ever lay a foot inside the realms. Not even a single step. How many "ever" did I use there?

And now I am here for the first time.

I needed to make it up to her when I get back.

I was thinking of dramatic scenes such as that they are somehow captured and tied while the realm guards surround them with sharp weapons and such. I thought a lot out of nothing. 

But this got beyond my imagination.

"Ruben! You're the older, you should tell them to go back now.", I scolded him as if I am older than him.

Ruben nodded, "Yeah, later.", he said as he played his own arcade.

I looked at Al, hopeless. "I think we should meet someone before going.", he said.

Oh, right. He brought me here to pick up the boys and to have a meeting with someone.

Al said it was the head regulator of the people, or should I say, the deities here. Like, a leader, I think?

"But get yourself ready.", he said as we walked towards an office inside the big office. I don't know what to call it anymore.

"He's a bit harsh, scary and his temper,", he didn't finish his sentence and shook his head as he shivered.

That made me anxious for a moment.

to be continued...