12 USER/THINGS_GET_COLORFUL/AGAIN.txt

"Ahhh, give it back!" The girl beside him got up and screamed. 

Steven, rubbed his head. It felt like he had dislocated his one and only neck. A task notification popped up in the corner of his vision. [Task: Prevent Death. Reward: $400]

4:53…

4:52… 

"Hey, you can help me, right?" The girl looked at Steven. "Ugh, we all know those people from the Shang sect are the absolute worst!" 

"We're the worst? You come from a backwater sect."

"It-it was not a backwater sect until you guys stole FROM US! WE HELPED YOU OUT AND THIS IS HOW You repay us?"

[Dieze: "This girl is about to die." X]

What. 

Steven: <You said this already.> 

[Dieze: "Oh, did I?" X]

The girl in front of the two guys smirked and walked over. "You can't blame us. Honestly, it's been us constantly doing your Xia sect-"

"W-wait," Steven interrupted her, throwing a puzzled look back at Li Hua, "So you want me to help you? How?"

Xia Li Hua looked at him, "Isn't that obvious? Hold Seren's lackeys back!"

Sidekicks, in unison: "WE ARE NOT LACKEYS."

"I'd be happy to help," Steven gave a slight grin, his gaze lingering ahead. "But how about we switch? You hold the lackeys, and I'll hold her." 

"EXCUSE ME?" Xia Li Hua snapped her face around. Her rosy eyes twitched.

[Dieze: "Exception: Unexpected_User_Behavior. Query: Shame_Module_Active?" X]

"Hold me?" Seren smiled, a playful smirk playing on her lips. With a flourish, she extravagantly tossed her dark purple hair over her shoulder, "See Li Hua? This is what you don't get." 

Steven shifted his attention back to Li Hua, "Oh sorry. That was quite rude. As an outsider, I shouldn't have meddled…"

"Name's Steven," He turned back to Seren, his warm eyes glinting in the light. With a slight tilt of his head and a soft smile, he playfully said, "If you'd let me in, we could get closer."

Seren rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say."

"They? Who's they?" Steven feigned shock, grabbing his chest like he was hurt, "You mean I have to compete with others?" He leaned in slightly, closing the space between them.

"Of course."

Steven's smirk grew into a confident, charming grin. He brushed his hair back nonchalantly. "Then it won't be much of a competition," he replied, his voice low and playful.

Seren's laughter, light and melodic, filled the air. "You're confident," she teased, her eyes twinkling. 

"Confident? Maybe." Steven nodded, a playful yet sincere expression on his face. "But I'm confident I've seen you before. In a magazine, maybe?"

Her chuckle was soft, carrying a hint of surprise. "Oh? Which?"

Steven racked his head, looking at her. "'Yogue', right?"

"You read 'Yogue'?"

"No, well," Steven blushed a warm tint of red, "When I'm hanging out with my little cousins, maybe a little." 

"Ooh," Seren teased, "Big boy reads magazines."

He stared at her, his lips parting, speechless. 

"Hey," Steven said, his voice lowering slightly. He rubbed his neck, a gesture that somehow managed to be slightly coy, yet endearing. "That's a secret. Don't tell my friends. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Y-" Some girl tries to interrupt, but the two of them are too busy trying to find the stars in each other's eyes. 

"Are you just going to ignore me?" Xia Li Hua demanded, frustrated. 

"Huh…" Steven looks at Li Hua and blinks, "Oh… yeah. Sorry."

Back to Seren, "But.."

He took a step closer. Just so they could hear each other a bit better. 

In a quiet moment, his eyebrows furrowed, a hint of concern on his face as he looked at her, "You have a…?" As he reached out, barely brushing the edge of her beauty mark with a finger… 

They looked at each other, a stolen moment in the screams echoing through the gym. 

Strange. Seren felt her face warming up. Why was it so hot? She didn't know why, but it was probably because the smoking-hot gym had caught on fire behind her.

"Oh," He laughed shyly, ignoring the smoke, "that wasn't…" The last part of his sentence trailed off, his voice barely a breath. 

It was then, the previously silent sidekicks finally erupted. 

Sidekicks: "Hey-hey-hey, you're getting too close!"

Caught off guard, Steven took a step back as one of the sidekicks lunged towards him. 

But as fate would have it, his shoelace had come untangled. He stumbled over an untied lace, causing him to narrowly miss the sidekick's reach. 

"Grrr…" The other sidekick tried to grip his leg, but the momentum of the situation pushed Steven back and he accidentally caught himself… on one hand. 

The unexpected pain of the sudden jolt caused him to throw himself backward. He landed on his feet coolly and felt eyes on him. 

Nearby NPC's: "Nice…" 

"No... um..." Steven mumbled, blushing furiously as he regained his footing.

Seren finally had enough. "Enough, all of you!" she commanded, a frosty tone in her voice. "I didn't ask you guys to interfere!"

She glared at her lackeys, annoyed. "Honestly, you guys are more overprotective than my mother. If he wants to compliment me, let him. It's not like he's a threat." 

Silenced, the sidekicks sheepishly stepped to the side. With a huff, Seren turned her back on them, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Turning back to Steven, she asked gruffly, "So… you got 'Pinstagram'?" 

Steven nodded silently. 

"Here," Seren said, handing over her phone. "Make sure to add me."

Nodding, he accepted the phone from her and entered his user.

"I-" The other girl beside them started to speak. "You-"

"How…" Li Hua, who hadn't managed to get many words in, finally pursed her lips, like she had so many words to say, but only said one: "UGH!" 

Unable to stand this ridiculous scene anymore, she angrily stomped away. Her orange hair ran away with her. 

Seren gazed at Li Hua's silhouette. She offered Steven a parting smirk and a wave before walking away as well.

…0:00

As the timer ticked down to the very last second, a task completion notification popped up: [Task Complete! Reward: $400]

[Dieze: "Neutral Ending: Delayed." X]

[Reward will be transferred now…]

Steven blinked, utterly confused. <What does that even mean?> he asked, but Dieze offered no explanation. Instead, with one fluid motion, the AI wired the money into his bank account. 

[Recalibrating likeability… X]

Steven: <Okay, please don't show that.>

"Wow…" A girl beside him spoke. 

He turned around again… to see Mayo. Was she standing there the entire time? She had the most impressed look on her face… okay, you didn't need to look that impressed… Beside her, Zero stood, with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. His eyes seemed to flash blue in the lighting of the gym, but he simply turned around.

Steven awkwardly looked at Zero's back, wringing a shoulder around Zero. He hoped the white hair boy didn't mind. "Hey,"

Zero turned around.

It was a question that was on his mind for a while now. His voice grew low as he whispered into Zero's ears: 

"How do you..." Steven paused, "Cultivate?"

Zero tilted his head away, staring at him. "You… close your eyes."

Steven looked at Mayo for confirmation, but for some reason, she was heading towards the captain in the front. She motioned: 'bath-room'. Guessing there was no other choice, Steven followed Zero's instructions.

He closed his eyes and saw his eyelids.

"There's a lot of energy around us.' Zero continued, his voice sounding a bit rough, "We want to keep energy inside so it doesn't leak out. But, I'm not the bes-" 

"So, what do I do now?"

"Try to see the world in a new light." His voice came out, a bit deeper than normal.

"I can't, my eyes are closed," Steven told him.

"..."

"So am I supposed to see energy?" Steven asked.

"Visualize it," Zero answered, staring at him. "Try... to feel the world around you. The movement of heat that dances inside you, the flow of air that surrounds you, or the waves of sound that vibrate in your ears… feel that energy and draw it in."

Steven breathed in, and then out. A long gust of wind followed: "I'm full."

"..."

"We just ate," Steven explained. "I'm full."

Zero stared again, "Try again."

Steven closed his eyes, not expecting much. He breathed out.

All he could feel was his skin against his clothes...

"Take that off."

"Wait, what?" Steven asked, puzzled.

Zero gripped his shirt, gently tracing the collar of his shirt. "The necklace. It's eating all the energy around you."

"But-" Steven started. He touched the necklace that hung directly over his chest and tightened his hand over it. It was something he kept under his shirt so that it wasn't visible except for the faintest imprint. It was always there, but somehow, the mention of it made it feel ever more apparent on his skin. 

Steven tugged it out, but Zero motioned for more distance. 

"What..." Steven muttered, handing it to Zero.

He shut his eyes again.

For a moment, Steven just sat there. 

He didn't feel anything. Like before, he felt nothing. But just for a moment, and then… something happened. It was like the gears within him suddenly jump-kicked into action, finally creaking and moving after years of disuse. 

The pits of his stomach burned, and the air he breathed thickened. With that, the peripheral nerves of his body finally awakened, and waves of electricity began to fire off…

As the action potential reached his pupils, he felt his eyes coming to life in the darkness. His vision started to dance in flickering spots, before fading away. That was when he realized that he could see with a clarity he had never had before. Despite his closed eyes, he could tell where everything was. New, strange sensations… 

…that jumped on his skin like cold rain showers.

Pitter. Patter…

…Like mellow drops of rain.

The sensitivity allowed him to taste his breath as it drew nearer.

Milky and warm, it tasted familiar, reminiscent of an early morning's tranquility. He could see the waves of air particles as they bumped into each other and touch the vibrant colors that swam near. He could smell the movement of heat as it drifted away from his body… and hear the ever-changing song of carbon as it shifted from being alive to the lattices of a diamond.

With one deep breath, all the energy that threatened to leave his body fell back inside.

"No way..." Steven slowly opened his eyes, blinking. It was then he noticed something else, something off. 

He squinted at Zero, a bit of incredulity creeping into his voice, "...Why's your hair blue?"

The loud gym bell rang.