Chương 16: A task from Corgi’s son pt.1
The demigod with purple eyes stayed still another second looking at Marina, before the darkness of the Interworld enveloped him. Shirei reappeared in the thirteenth house and took advantage of the free time to relax. He was on his bed, leafing through a notebook, when someone knocked on the door.
"Hello, I'm Chris," said the stranger from outside, "I need a favor from the son of Cragar."
The boy waited for an answer which did not come. He turned back with the intention of asking where the demigods of house thirteen were when he noticed the door slightly ajar. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered. Shirei, distracted at first, closed his notes. He immediately recognized the demigod, it was Corgi's son whom he had noticed at lunch.
"What exactly do you need?"
"Ah, so there was someone. Well, I need a favor from you," replied the boy with a hint of annoyance, "You can travel to the Underworld, right?"
Shirei nodded, "Depends on what you need."
"Flames. You know, from the tributary," Cragar's son didn't answer him, "Your father rules it, you can't tell me I know better than you! The Vaverli!"
Chris realized he had pronounced the name with the wrong accent but overlooked the problem, unnerved by the too calm attitude of the purple-eyed demigod.
Shirei stood up from the bed and grimaced slightly, "Lyceum banned me from outward travel."
Corgi's son froze, "Ah…"
Dalia entered the house with a bright smile and greeted the demigods. She had heard the last sentence and was well aware that his half-brother was lying; she just wondered to what end. Shirei used to be mysterious, and in the few months they had spent together, Dalia had learned to fear the twisted way he preferred to do things. Few people in the world would choose the harder path when faced with a crossroads, yet Shirei saw the 'hard way' as a personal challenge to improve. Cragar's daughter hadn't yet fully understood the motivation behind his logic but she couldn't deny that it was paying off. The demigods struggled to handle his presence and the aura of power he unleashed in his moments of rest was enough to make even the most inexperienced tremble. Dalia had always been curious to see him fight, intrigued by the strength he still kept hidden. The two, after all, shared the same father and some of the same powers; it was natural that she wanted to better understand how to use them.
The little girl pushed those thoughts out of her head and greeted: "Hello! I didn't know you had a new friend, brother," then she turned to the demigod with a smile, "Who are you?"
"Chris," the boy responded quickly, "It's not my name but call me that."
Dalia looked at the son of Corgi in front of her with a gentle smile on her face. Chris showed up looking lively. His dark eyes, as deep as dark chocolate, exuded a combination of curiosity and warmth. A simple look that revealed his nature. His frizzy hair, a distinct reddish brown color, formed what looked like a crown of curls. He wore his orange house shirt, which suited his laid-back style perfectly. A playful smile was on his face. It carried with it an aura of vitality, in complete contrast to the place where they found themselves. It wasn't the same aura that Shirei or Lyceum gave off, it wasn't power, yet it seemed to have an effect on the little girl. Dalia's mind suddenly wandered back in time, to about a century ago or so, when she first faced the outside world, a place where she was welcomed only by using a name other than her own.
A fleeting nostalgic smile crossed her lips. She could call herself whatever she wanted, but her real name had to remain secret; if she were discovered, she would be returned to her family immediately. She was a fugitive hunted by the entire city of Palermo, but that made her feel free, even if only for a few days. Sadness touched her gaze, but Cragar's daughter quickly pushed those memories away, returning to the present with an air of lightness.
"Chris," she repeated, echoing the name the demigod had chosen. "It's nice to meet you."
"Look, we already know each other, we see each other practically every month," replied Corgi's son, shaking her hand.
Dalia's eyes suddenly widened and she realized, "Sorry!" She faked a laugh full of embarrassment, "I know we met often for the house meeting, but I never introduced myself properly."
"Don't worry, it's the same for me."
The raven-haired girl threw herself on the bed still full of embarrassment, "So... what's are you discussing?"
"Journey to the Underworld."
Dalia's eyes suddenly lit up, "I can try if my brother refuses to."
"I haven't refused yet," the son of Cragar turned towards his interlocutor, "I will go."
"Can I come with you?" The raven haired girl asked with her hands crossed.
One look from the two demigods was enough to make her lose hope.
"Sorry-..." Corgi's son lowered his voice until he remained silent. He was so focused on the idea of obtaining the Vaverli flames that he even forgot the boy's name.
"Shirei."
Chris nodded, "Shirei, didn't you just say you can't?"
"I said that Lyceum banned it," implying that that wouldn't have stopped him from doing it anyway.
"Understood, Mr. Ghost, I was thinking of you as a goody two shoes."
The brown haired boy smirked and raised his voice a little higher than normal. "So let's say that, by pure chance, you happened to find lava somewhere..." he raised his hands as if they were pointing a gun at his head, "Always by pure chance, of course. So let's say it might come in handy, so take it to the ninth house."
Shirei shook his head, "A favor for a favor."
"I don't have any money, man. I can forge you a weapon if you need it."
"It's not necessary," the violet-eyed demigod said those words, shaking his hand in the void as if an invisible blade was exactly there, then added: "I have something else in mind."
"You're scaring him, brother."
"Yes," the son of Corgi nodded several times, "I'm scared."
"You have to let me into Didreus' laboratory," Shirei explained.
"Dude," Chris involuntarily opened his mouth, "You want to go into the lab used by the sons of the science god, are you for real?"
"Yes, as I said, a favor for a favor," Cragar's son nodded.
"How do I get you in?"
"This is a problem you have to solve yourself."
"Can't you take a nice puff and reappear in it? What do you need it for?"
"I can't, I've already tried. The laboratory is protected from Didreus' influence." the boy said, that detail seemed to bother him, "I only need five minutes, nothing more."
Chris scratched the back of his neck in amazement. "You take the flames for me?"
"As much as you want."
The idea was too tempting to pass up, and Chris knew it. With that material he could work on weapons capable of repelling monsters and fortifying the park's defenses, a new category not yet invented by any of his predecessors. They would have acclaimed him as the father of the Vaverli infusion rifles, perhaps his father would have even called him to the celestial world, pleased by his invention. All those thoughts made him quiver with energy, Shirei had convinced him.
Finally, he nodded, "Okay, you win. I'll find a way to get you in, Chris's word."
The two shook hands for a few seconds and sealed the deal, before Chris instinctively withdrew it. "Your hand is freezing, what the hell!"
Shirei looked at his hands, as if he was searching for snow on his hand,
The son of Corgi handed Shirei a bronze bracelet with a button in the center, "Anyway, put the flames in here, press the button and it transforms. Don't worry, it's heat resistant, after all I designed it!"
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