[You have found a Store.]

  [Do you wish to learn more about Stores?]

  I remembered once, when I installed a game app on my cell phone. It had quite the simple mechanics, with some puzzles and tons of distinct characters I could chose to complete my daily missions. The main issue most players had with that game, however, was its gacha system.

  The initial characters were bland with lacking designs, and the scenarios players had to complete with them got repetitive after a few months.

  Wanted stronger, cooler characters? Had to spin the roulette.

  Wanted awesome skins and exclusive character-weapons? Had to spin the roulette.

  New and fun scenarios?

  Spin the roulette.

  It didn't help the algorithm was unfair and rarely gave the best prizes. The developers forced users to become slaves to the game, dedicating their entire week just to get one character they wanted. Me, included.

  In the end, it was simply not worth it. I had better things to do with my time and if all I was seeking was a way to distract myself, there were other games I could, and did, play.

  However, I remembered my frustration and anger with every spun roulette where I got the same trashy character and boring scenarios. I actually broke my cell phone screen that way; it was a really embarrassing memory I hated to recall.

  Yet as I stood at the Store, all those memories came rushing back to me.

  In front of my eyes was a giant gacha, with a few categories I could choose from. Armor, Weapons, Cards, and Consumables. It even had in display the best items: an incredible full-set golden armor, a breathtaking ice spear, potions with the most powerful and vivid colors, and at last, purple and silver cards with beautiful covers.

  Yet they could be giving me a fucking black, flying unicorn for free, with gold fries on the side—

  It was still a gacha system.

  "If you could see the look on your face..." Hal's voice brought me back to reality, the boy fighting for dear life to hold back a laugh. And failing.

  I passed my hand through my hair, trying to lessen the rage. They couldn’t settle for a boring, NPC-owned store, could they?

  No, it had to be a damned gacha.

  "How does it work? Do you have to exchange your points here as well?"

  Hal opened his mouth yet Hildr jumped in front of him. "You choose the type of item you want, then you say how many attempts you will make and the system makes the conversion!"

  "If your Coin status is high, you can get better items." Hal's head popped up on Hil's shoulder, resting his arms on her.

  As I recalled, the Coin status meant 'Luck'.

  Hah.

  Was that system with me?

  "Did you try to get anything yet?"

  Hil gave a spin while Hal took out a small knife from his pocket.

  "Hil got the dress, I got this knife. But we increased our Coin status before trying."

  How could a kid like that hold a knife in such a carefree way?

  Better question; did he know how to use it that well, enough to do tricks with it?

  "My dress protects me against fire spells!"

  I raised my eyebrows.

  Maybe it was worth it to invest a bit in 'Luck' to try and get a nice armor. My clothes were like a tutorial equipment, they granted me no bonuses, protection, or skills whatsoever.

  At that moment, I wanted ever-lasting items that could give me an advantage not only during the next trial but throughout the entire game.

  I tried to open the menu without speaking out loud and it worked; the icons popping up in front of me. Going to the Status window, I clicked on the Coin icon.

  [Do you wish to spend 75 points to increase Coins by 3?]

  Oh? It was cheaper. Interesting.

  I confirmed, then repeated the transaction a couple of times. By the end, I had spent 710 points.

  [Coins: 10]

  "Wait, are you seriously going to try?"

  "Oh, what are you trying to get, mister?!"

  They spoke almost simultaneously, getting closer to me as I approached the gacha.

  "An armor."

  "You should try some potions, too. A guy came here earlier and left with two full bags."

  "He also got a cool coat."

  "Was not—the coat was pretty dull."

  "It cool." Hil reaffirmed, which only got her an annoyed look from her brother.

  Cool coat or not, I was wondering who was the person who decided to invest that much in potions.

  I pressed the 'Armor' button, ‘1’ for number of attempts—

  And then almost choked when I read the system’s notification.

  More and more I got convinced the thing who created and controlled that system was a demonic spawn, or its closest kin.

  [Do you wish to expend 1500 points for 1 attempt at the roulette?]

  ONE

  Yeah, I really wanted to know who was the maniac who spent points enough to leave not only with a coat but two full bags of potions.

  Damn, should I really spend so much just for one item? No matter how I looked, it was a heavy investment.

  Hal appeared at my side, impatience showing in his voice. "What are you waiting for? Are you getting something or not?"

  "You know, kids like you should act cuter."

  His eyes got so dark. "Bite me."

  "Hal, language! My brother is really cute, mister. He just doesn't express himself well."

  "Yes, I do. I mean exactly what I say."

  A soft chuckle escape through my lips, forcing me to avert my gaze.

  Somehow, seeing how the two interacted and supported each other... It reminded me of me and Hana.

  She was the cute, wonder child who stole attention the same way she stole people's breath away. Our parents doted on her as if she was a national treasure.

  And my mother...

  I shook my head. No need to let memories of that woman haunt me in this place. Not after I finally freed myself from her. A freedom I wanted to keep it that way.

  "Okay! Let's do this. Hope I won't regret it."

  I confirmed, the entire gacha trembling and shaking.

  I saw thousands of colored ampoules turning and moving from the inside until, at last, a single one began its descent in a spiral. When it finally reached the end, the sound of trumpets echoed around us.

  The twins widened their eyes briefly, exchanging glances.

  "What? Something wrong?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

  "Just see what item you got, already."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Yup, Hal—not a cute kid at all.

  My hand reached for the ampoule. There was a strange, starry liquid inside.

  "What do I do now? Do I drink this or—"

  Hal took the object out of my hands and threw it on the ground.

  A dense, purple and glowing mist came out of the glass, going up and condensing itself in front of me, taking a shape. After only a few seconds, there was a silver breastplate facing me, an eerie glow surrounding it.

  [You received 'Warrior's Protector'!]

  I clicked on the descriptions.

  [Warrior's Protector - B Class Armor]

  [Once owned by a powerful warrior; It shall protect its user from physical attacks.]

  [Increase Wands by 2]

  [Rarity: Uncommon]

  I raised my eyebrows, touching my chin. That was not bad at all, when I thought about it. Especially the status increase, it should be extremely helpful.

  Noticing a '+' icon at the top of the description, a small window appeared the moment I pressed it. With one sentence only.

  [This item possesses a hidden trait. Meet the requirements to unlock it.]

  I must have pressed that button a thousand times, trying to see what the requirements were. Apparently, the system was not really fond of telling me. Perhaps it heard me calling it a demon spawn.

  Perhaps I had hurt its feelings.

  Still, a hidden trait…

  My curiosity was picked.

  What I had to do in order to unlock the mysterious trait? I kept trying to remember everything I knew about these kinds of games, as well as the fantasy stories I read from time to time. Yet I liked strategy games best and usually read thrillers and suspense novels.

  There was a game I really loved; .

  It had quite a unique system for invading and conquering planets. There was a rule where players could not enter planets they knew nothing about and to increase their knowledge, they had to study the planets’ atmosphere, gravity, and classification; if it was a gas or ice giant, terrestrial worlds, and so on.

  Players also had to reach a minimum level depending on the planet they wanted to conquer, and levels were based on players' knowledge regarding planet type.

  Maybe my current situation was similar? Still, it was hard to know. Especially when the system would share nothing more regarding the item's requirements.

  "Pick the item already. How long it takes for you to read the descriptions?"

  "Mister, what does it say?! Is it a cool item?"

  "It looks pretty ugly."

  "C'mon, Hal, it cool!"

  I left the twins to their own discussion, reaching for the breastplate. It disappeared for a moment, materializing on my chest two seconds later.

  Huh, didn't look so bad.

  "So, what does it do?"

  Although there was annoyance in his voice, I could see curiosity shining on both their gazes. They children, after all.

  "It says it protects me against physical attacks. It also has a hidden trait."

  I wished I had a camera to take a photo of their faces.

  "I bet he doesn't know how to unlock the trait." When he saw my expression, Hal grinned; a smile so wide it could swallow his face. "Wait, you don't know?! Maybe the system thinks you are stupid t—"

  Hildr pushed her brother to the side, giving him a nasty look. When she turned to me, she was back with the seraphic smile.

  "Mister is smart! You will figure it out in no time."

  Her cuteness hurt my heart.

  I patted her head, despite myself.

  "Well, thank you for sharing what you knew. I'm sure this item will come in handy," I said, knocking the breastplate a few times, the metal vibrating on my chest. "Are you guys hungry?"

  They both nodded.

  "Do you know a place where we can eat?"

  And the look they gave me was priceless.

  I was truly shocked. Not only for the fact that there was an actual food court, as rustic and Renaissance-like as it could be, but by the fact the twins preferred choice was crepes.

  [Welcome to 'Oh my Crepes!']

  [To order, choose an item from the menu]

  1- Crepe with cheese..............100

  2- Crepe with meat................100

  3- Crepe with meat and cheese.....180

  4- Crepe with sweets..............150

  ....

  …couldn't they be less lazy with the names?

  "Which one do you want?"

  They raised their heads to look at me, and I had an inkling I would be able to hear their stomachs rumbling if I payed attention.

  "Will mister pay for us?!"

  "You rich or something?"

  "I'm older, and also you helped me earlier. I also gained a lot of points for saving you, so consider this a payback." It was not a lie, per se. I did gain quite a lot of points for surviving the tracks.

  "Option 4!"

  They shouted at the same time. I glanced at the menu, a smile playing on my lips.

  "Sure thing, wait for me at the table." There was quite the crowd here, more people arriving by the minute—didn't want to wait for tables just so I could enjoy my first meal here in peace.

  The twins slapped their hands together, their eyes glowing like stars as they laughed and ran toward the tables and chairs.

  Apparently, even Hal could act cute sometimes.

  I glanced at the barbecue restaurant across the court, wondering how much more expensive it was.

  I bought the twins' sweet crepes and a meat one for me, joining them a couple of minutes later. Their eyes popped as they saw the chocolate filling, their mouths wide open.

  As soon as I put the food on the table, their hands grabbed the crepes in a desperate gesture, brother and sister staring at the cooked dough in their hands for long seconds before taking a big bite.

  I watched as their eyes exploded, holding back a chuckle, the joy, surprise, and pure excitement flooding from their faces as they chew.

  I tried my best not to laugh as I asked, "Is it good? Did you guys like it?"

  They nodded their heads several times, their mouth full.

  "Then eat up! Next time you kids pay, deal?" They kept nodding, and at that point I wondered if they were even listening to me.

  Somehow, this made me think and ponder of my childhood, once again. My memories of that time were fuzzy, filled with moments not really worth remembering and others that were plain painful to recall.

  However as I watched the twins and their innocence and childlike behavior, it simply made me think... Made me want to remember something that joyful and precious, either a moment I shared alone or with Hana. Yet my memory kept failing me and at some point, I stopped forcing it to recall days that may not have ever existed.

  When I gave the first bite of my crepe I widened my eyes.

  Did the system know it was my favorite?

  "Mister, this is so good! What is this cream?" Hildr asked with her crepe half eaten, while Hal was busy licking his fingers.

  I blinked a few times in order to control the surprise in my voice.

  "Are you talking about the chocolate?"

  Hildr stared back at her crepe in awe, whispering back the words as if she had never heard of it before.

  "We didn’t have that. From where we came from." Hal answered a question I hadn't even asked yet, making my heart stop for a few seconds, my mind processing his words.

  That shouldn't be possible, right? I didn't know from what part of the world they were, but with their physical traits and their names—they had to be from somewhere in west Europe. Countries like Sweden, Germany, or Denmark.

  How come they had never seen or heard of chocolate?

  Before I could ask them, an unfamiliar voice called them out.

  Turning my head, I saw a man accompanied by a small group. There were two men and two women in total—the women appearing to be mother and daughter.

  I witnessed all joy and excitement perish from Hildr’s smile, Hal clenching his fists while one hand went to his pocket.

  "What do you want, uncle?"

  "Hal, just let it go..."

  Hildr whispered in a shaken voice, yet the anger glistening in Hal's eyes did not fade. It burned even brighter.

  It was safe to assume the group was acquainted with the gacha Store. The woman had a bronze bracelet on her wrist, her daughter and the men wearing different colors of the same cape.

  However, the cape from the man who first spoke was a bit different, something in the odd way it reflected the lights as he moved.

  "Is that how you talk with those older than you? You should show respect, kid. Your parents should've taught you that much."

  I saw Hal rising from his seat, grasping something in his pocket. It was then that I remembered; he had a knife.

  "Didn't parents teach you how pathetic it is for a man your age to talk this way with a child?" I stood up from my chair, putting my hand on Hal's shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze, my heart racing faster against my chest.

  The man chuckled, his eyes shifting their focus to me. He gave me the same impression as Giorgio—only stupider.

  "And are? Don't really recall anyone being chummy with those two back at the cabin."

  "Mister was an operator! He is way better than—"

  Hal rushed to cover Hildr's mouth, a hint of fear in his gaze. A shadow crossed over the stranger's eyes, a different tension weighing in the air as the group shifted in their places.

  "You were one of those guys?" The man took two steps forward, standing only a few breaths away from me.

  "Any problems with that? Why, don't tell me you are going to bring some classicism bullshit right now?" I replied with a cynical smile, giving another bite of my meat crepe.

  The man’s left eye twitched a few times, his mouth half open.

  "You know our points changed depending on what you chose, right? I lost a lot of points because you guys from the first cabin kept fucking up."

  He grabbed my collar with one hand, a part that was not covered by my armor.

  We were not even colleagues.

  I gave another bite, shrugging. "Not really my fault. You should've tried harder if all you wanted was to score more points. Think about all variables, scenarios, and such."

  "You shitty bastar—"

  "But hey, don't worry." I grabbed his hand—the one holding my shirt—glaring at him with a quiet fire burning within my gaze, twisting the hand until he let it go. "I killed the asshole who was messing with your points."

  He got paler, staggering back as he stepped away, rubbing his hand. I could see he was uncomfortable, maybe even embarrassed, as he kept looking around and fidgeting in his spot.

  “If you are done, uncle, leave. Me and my sister want to enjoy our meal, and I will get indigestion if I look at your face too much.”

  I almost choked by Hal's words, managing to control my laughter as I finished the crepe.

  He clenched his jaw, trying to take one step toward Hal. I placed my hand on his chest, standing my ground.

  “You heard the kid. We want to finish our meal .”

  The man sneered, stepping back again before spitting his words at me.

  "Don’t forget to wash your mouth after this—your breath stinks."

  I cleaned my hands on his shirt, without ever breaking eye contact.

  “Then you should probably take a shower. Though I’m not sure it will remove this rat stench.”

  The older woman grabbed the stranger by his wrist before one of us threw the first punch, practically dragging him back. He kept staring at me until there were a few good meters separating us, finally turning away and disappearing amidst the mass.

  The moment the group left, the twins relaxed—their shoulders dropping, their breathing lighter. I felt it was not the moment to ask about their relationship with the group, so I asked something else instead.

  "Do you want another crepe? I'm still quite hungry, to be honest."

  Hildr opened the cutest smile, the glow coming back to her eyes as she nodded. However Hal shook his head, his gaze a bit distant. When I followed the direction he was looking, I saw small a clock tower in the middle of the court. Time was almost up.

  It was difficult to acknowledge that, as far as any of us was concerned, that could've been our last meal.