Chapter 13
Ekavine was the ultimate no–man’s–land, a quirky little city–state that answered to nobody.
The Lord of the City? A total mystery with power that’d make one’s head spin. Plus, the place was low–key crawling with magical heavyweights.
So, sure, plenty of bigwigs lusted after this prime spot, but nobody had the guts to throw hands and claim it.
Inside the phone shop, Leon was still flying ID–less, so he was mooching off Caitlyn’s citizen card to score a phone line.
This place looked like every shop he’d ever seen, his eyes bouncing around the sleek counters and glowing displays as he shuffled behind her.
Same vibe, same deal–nothing too crazy.
A clerk in a snappy blazer bounced over, her grin brighter than a freshly cast light spell. “Hey, what’s good? Need a hand?”
“Just grabbing a phone card,” Caitlyn said, snatching Leon’s arm as he leaned way too far to snoop at some rando’s screen,
She shot him a glare that could’ve scorched a dragon. ‘Is this guy serious? What’s he, a kid in a candy store?”
Leon winced, his face going pink as he fumbled to fix his rumpled collar. Yikes, caught in the act. He scooted closer to Caitlyn, pretending he hadn’t just been busted for being a total snoop.
The clerk stifled a giggle at their little drama, pointing to an open counter. “You’re good to go at counter three, miss. No line today, so you’re in and out.”
“Nice,” Caitlyn mumbled, tossing Leon another don’t test me look before striding over.
“Hi, what’s up?” the counter clerk chirped, all sunshine and smiles. “What do you need?”
“Phone card.” Leon piped up, peeking over Caitlyn’s shoulder.
“Got it, I’ll need an ID, the clerk said, drumming her fingers on the counter.
Caitlyn kept her cool, pulling her citizen card from her slick crossbody bag
Leon couldn’t help stealing a glance, and holy mana–her ID photo was straight–up gorgeous. Like, somehow even hotter than her usual self, with this vibe that screamed “mystery bombshell”
Caitlyn’s teeth gritted, her patience hanging by a thread as she felt him hovering like a nosy ghost. “Stand up, dude!” she snapped, barely resisting the urge to yeet him across the room.
He was gonna catch these hands if he kept breathing down her neck.
The clerk’s eyebrows did a little dance, clearly eating up the show. “So, this card’s for you, miss?”
“Nope, it’s for this goofball for now,” Caitlyn said, jerking her thumb at Leon. “We’ll swap it to his name once his ID’s ready.”
“Cool beams,” the clerk said, then lit up like she’d just cracked a secret code “Oh, hold up! You’ve already got a card with us, right?
“You could just add a family plan for your boy here Way cheaper, trust me.”
Caitlyn’s cheeks warmed, and she shot the clerk, a look. “We’re not, like, together together,” she mumbled, her voice barely hiding her embarrassment, Her brain screamed awkward as she risked a glance at Leon.
Leon, clueless as ever, just gave her those big, dopey eyes. “I’m good with anything,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal.
Caitlyn sighed, her wallet practically sobbing in her pocket.“Yeah, okay, let’s do it,” she said, already tallying her shrinking Bunds.
1/4
Fine. Cheaper was better.
Her cash was on life support, and Leon? No clue when he’d start paying her back,
Not “helping
[ out” — paying his debt, she corrected herself, shooting him a look.
The clerk was a pro, fingers ripping across the keyboard like she was weaving magic, in minutes, Caitlyn’s new card was set, and they’d switched to a family plan.
Shared data and minutes? Total steal compared to separate plans. Nice.
Leon, meanwhile, was staring at his card, waiting for his new phone.
“Hey, wanna top up some credit?” the clerk asked, leaning in with a sly smile. “throp 150 bucks now, and you score four jugs of siren lotion, an extra 30 dollars in credit, and a beatiful wife.”
She winked at Leon, chuckling. “Bet you two don’t need that”
Leon’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you get a wife for phone credit? This place is nuts!”
The clerk’s grin turned wicked as she pulled a deluxe blowup doll from under the counter. “This bad girl’s worth eighty,” she said, all smooth. “Perfect for when your girl’s, y’know, tied up.”
Caitlyn’s face went nuclear red. “Hard not” she squeaked, bolting upright.
Her heart was doing backflips as she snagged Leon’s arm and hauled him toward the door.
Leon, the absolute chaos gremlin, kept twisting to peek back.
“Man, Ekavine’s on another level, he thought, hall–awed. ‘Phone credit and that? Wild!
Outside, Caitlyn slumped against the wall, fanning her face as the breeze finally tamed her blazing cheeks. She stole a glance at Leon
He was still staring at the card like it held the meaning of life.
“Gimme that,” she said, thrusting out her hand. “You’ll get it when your phone shows up. You’d probably lose it in, like, two seconds.”
Leon dropped the card into her palm, then rubbed his wrist where she’d yanked him.
Caitlyn stuffed the card in her pocket, giving him a side–eye. A weird, warm fuzziness bloomed in her chest.
This is straight up mom energy, she realized; lips twitching.
Like she was the tired mom dragging her kid to the phone store, hooking him up with a family plan ‘cause he was
That was gold to her.
too young to get his own.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and a wicked grin spread across her face. ‘Oh, boy, You’re totally my chaotic adopted kid now.
Leon wasn’t a mind reader, so he had no idea what she was plotting. That grin of hers? Straight–up scherming.
“Where we headed next?” he asked.
“Bank card’s on hold ‘til your citizen ID drops, set you up with a family card for now. Keeps the spending in check,” she said.
Leon scratched his cheek, feeling like something was way off.
2/4
1255 FM, 13 Jun OG
Chapter 13
Ahead, Caitlyn’s smirk was practically doing cartwheels. “Haht One day, I’ll have him calling me Mommy!“.
“Back home?” he tossed out.
_ “Nah, you can if you want. Here’s the keys. I’m hitting Ekavine Academy,“sherp
Leon’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, you’re actually gonna teach?”
Caitlyn slumped, letting out a theatrical groan “Dude, I’m scraped dry.”
Her shoulders sagged, eyes all puppy–dog sad. “Should’ve swiped more cash as Demon Lord. Playing honest? Biggest flop ever!
Years of work, and her savings were a big fat zero.
Regret? Oh, it was eating hot alive.
Istuto
She coasted so hard back then. Too lazy to even skim a little. Now she was stuck pinching pennies.
She spun, pinning Leon with a spooky glare. “Guess who’s been draining my wallet?”
Leon coughed, looking anywhere but her. “I’ll grab some gigs to help out, alright?” He paused, then added, “Why not the Guild of Hunters You’d kill it there with your skills.”
“Ugh, too much work. Hard pass.” Caitlyn waved him off, her tone pure “I’m over it”
She kicked a stray can, her posture screaming done. “Demon Lord days wore me out. No more blood and guts.
“I’m just gonna chill at the academy, snag a paycheck, and cruise.”
Slack city, population: Caitlyn.
She shot him a sidelong glance, smirking “What about you? All patched up and back to your… shady side hustles?”
“Don’t make me sound like a thug, okay?” Leon groaned, rubbing his neck.
Hero, not villain… even though his hands were
bloody.
Back in the Human Alliance, the Hall of Heroes was basically the fight line, smashing into Demons and Outlanders,
“If you’re hitting the academy too, give Kathleen a heads–up. Bet she’s got
got eyes on you,“Caitlyn mentioned.
Leon shrugged, glancing at his scarred knuckles. “Dunno… I’m not cut out for classrooms.”
Teaching? Nah, he was better at slicing
Chap.chca
Ekavine Academy wasn’t far, and with Caitlyn’s wallet screaming empty, she skipped a cab and trudged along, her boots scuffing the sidewalk,
A black sedan roared past, kicking up grit. An Ekavine enforcement car screeched after it, sirens wailing, with a pop–pop of gunfire for good measure
Pedestrians didn’t even blink. Same old, same old.
Leon’s lips twitched, a low whistle escaping. “Damn, Ekavine City’s got some wild energy.”
