Chapter 3: Coffee

Chapter 3: Coffee

Inside the coffee shop. Lina hops from her position and she lands on Trifa's spread arms. Trifa shakes her head as she moves her eyes down to Lina's eyes.

Lina's eyes are fixated on Trifa's eyes and they're sparkling. "You're such a strong woman! You caught me on time."

Trifa exhales upward, causing her bangs to move aside. Hence she laughs softly. "I already feel earlier that you're going to do that once again. I can also catch your feelings, you know?"

Lina inhales deeply as she rolls her eyes. "Yes, but only my feelings for you are as a friend only."

Trifa closes her eyes as her eyebrows meet and her nose scrunches. "Ouch! You hurt me right in my heart."

Somewhere far away, a young man can be seen wearing a grey coat and its length is reaching his waist, he wears a white t-shirt inside yet it has a few small holes in it.

His bottom clothing is deep dark trousers with silver patterns on each of their sides, and for his feet, he is wearing dark grey boots.

Anarkion utters a low, continuous droning sound, and he is walking on a sidewalk. He speaks to himself. "Where can I find them? How much will it take for the awakening to arise?"

A hand hits his chest hence Anarkion shifts his attention beside him and sees a young man, smaller than him, and his eyes are fixated forward.

The young man speaks calmly. "I do not mean harm, yet if you continue to walk in that kind of way, it will cause you harm."

Anarkion shifts his eyes away from the young man, his eyes witness the red light on the pedestrian light. The young man beside him moves his hand down.

"The name's Helkrias," the young man speaks, and he remains calm, "it seems that you are lost."

"Lost?" Anarkion moves his eyes beside him, "I am pursuing people, so how am I lost?"

"What I mean is your mind," Helkrias smiles slightly and raises his hand at Anarkion's forehead, "you are thinking of something, and that caused you to be distracted from pursuing your right path."

Anarkion blinks twice. "Well, your words are deep but I have to go."

Helkrias nods and then Anarkion turns his attention forward. Anarkion begins to move with haste. Helkrias moves his eyes down as he shakes his head with a slight smile forming on his lip.

He says, "That man doesn't know what 'fair trade' is. He surely isn't from here."

He feels the air blow gently over him. He slides his hand inside the pocket of his dark coat and brings out a necklace, and it has a pendant that has the same shape as a sword.

He moves his eyes away from the pendant. His eyes witness many people walking around on the sidewalk and some swiftly moving vehicles on the paved pathway.

"We achieved drastic changes in our city, but what about the poor regions? "he inhaled deeply and moves his eyes upward, "Are the people of the impoverished regions eating properly? Or have they eaten any food?"

Anarkion remains running on the sidewalk, then he jumps from side to side avoiding the civilians that are walking in front of his eyes. He can hear their voices when he steps into their place.

"Watch it kiddo!"

"AH!"

"DANG IT! STOP RUNNING OR YOU MIGHT GET INTO TROUBLE!"

Anarkion didn't halt or turn around and say his apology, he continued to run and jump from side to side. Then he halts beside a structure that releases a strong aroma of nutty and herbs that can be perceived by the nose.

"Wait," he turns his whole body beside him and sees a short-haired young woman with a striking mug, "what can I do for you?"

The young woman raises her trembling hands and it has a round plate with a red mug on top of it that is releasing thin smoke.

"C-Coffee?" she asked as she could feel her breath getting faster.

"Excuse me, what is coffee?" Anarkion asked.

"Really?!" The crystal spoke through Anarkion's mind.

The young woman shifts her eyes aside while a red hue appears on her cheeks. "A-A coffee is the... A drink that aids people in driving their drowsiness away."

"You stuttered. Are you okay, miss?" Anarkion asked.

"Y-You're just cuddly," she extends her hands to Anarkion, "accept this coffee, please."

Anarkion extends his hands on the round plate, and gently, picks it up along with the red mug of coffee from the woman's hands.

"Oh, thank you for this warm drink," Anarkion tells the young woman, "may I know your name... Beautiful miss?"

The young woman puts her hands on her mouth as she screams whilst Anarkion takes a sip from the red mug.

The young woman puts her hands down from her mouth and looks directly at Anarkion's face. "My name is Lina Julianna Patriatria. C-Can you be my date this upcoming Heart's Day?"

"A date?" Anarkion moves the mug from his lip, "I am confused. Do you mean I can be February, March, April, or any of the dates on the calendar?"

"You utterly foolish man!" the crystal within Anarkion speaks through his mind, "A date that she's asking you is to be her special friend that can go out with her and do romantic things."

"Romantic things?" Anarkion speaks through his mind, "what even is that? It sounds sweet but with a bitter taste."

"I-I! Just go out with her if you want to!" the crystal replied with a sharp tone of its voice.

Lina moves her eyes down as she plays with her index fingers. "S-So?"

"Nobody has invited me to date. Yes, it's a total yes for your invitation." Anarkion smiles slightly.

Lina bows her head, hence she turns around and runs away leaving a dumbfounded Anarkion.

"Wait, do girls do that?" Anarkion asked himself.

"Of course they do," the crystal spoke through Anarkion's mind.

"Oh, so you're a girl?" Anarkion asked the crystal.

"Sometimes... I ask myself," the crystal speaks through Anarkion's mind, "why am I destined to be a companion of an idiot like you."

"Thank you," Anarkion laughs softly, "I'm grateful for your compliment. But I have a question, how can I find the other champions?"

"First of all, an idiot is not a compliment!" the crystal explains to Anarkion, "Second, you can find them by these two methods which are: number one if you'll sense a strong pressure on a person, then congratulations! You finally found one of them."

"How many champions exactly do I have to pursue?" Anarkion takes a sip from the red mug, "If they're like 20, how will I finish this job?!"

"Calm your ass!" the crystal demands to the panicking young man, "Anarkion, am I done explaining the second method? No, right! So please, let me finish my explanation!"

"Okay then." Anarkion shrugged his shoulders.

The crystal begins to explain to Anarkion. "So, the second method is: if there will be a case of a disheartening event that will happen to them.

"For example, the death of loved ones or any events that will cause them an emotional impact.

"That will serve as the trigger to awake their hidden power."

"So wait!" Anarkion tells the crystal, "if they have a hidden power within them, does that mean that Piez doesn't need to pursue them and bestow them their power?"

"Who told you that insanity?!" the crystal replies in a sharp tone of its voice, "if he will need to pursue them, then you are not needed for this task. Moreover, you'll be on the other side if you are not required for this mission."

"This mission?" Anarkion takes a sip from the mug and empties the coffee in it, "Why am I chosen for this mission? Why are the other champions like me have powers hidden within them?"

"You'll find it out soon," the crystal speaks through Anarkion's mind, "what's crucial for now is that you must find the other champions to prevent the awakening."

The clouds begin to move slowly along with the people around the road. Anarkion turns his whole body everywhere thence everything that moves stops.

Anarkion says, "How can this be? Does the time itself stop? Is this the awakening?"

"No, it is not," the crystal speaks, "listen, I can feel a heavy pressure of power nearby and it might go here."

"W-What?!" Anarkion shook his head.

"Listen to me boy! If anything bad will arise, don't hesitate to use my power," the crystal told Anarkion.

Anarkion grits his teeth and speaks through his mind. "Of course, I'll use your power! What else will I use to fight this unknown creature?"

A person is walking on a flat upper covering of a structure in the same region that Anarkion is in. the person is wearing a smiling mask, and a scarlet hoodie. She's also wearing dark pants that have the red stripe of x on each of their sides.

"It's time to die!" the unknown person began to run swiftly, "I won't waste this opportunity."

Anarkion felt something that pushes his shoulders down, causing his knees to fold on their own. He grits his teeth and moves his face upward.

His eyes grow wide and immediately roll aside, hence he evaded the strike of the unknown person. Then Anarkion stands up and smiles widely.

"Well then, I can freely control my body," he said.

"Back to the main course," Anarkion narrows his eyes at the unknown person who's standing near to him, "who are you?!"

"I am your peril!" the unknown person jumped onward to Anarkion.

Anarkion jumps backward avoiding the swings and thrusts of the unknown person's clenched hands. One of the thrusting fists of the unknown person hits Anarkion's face. Anarkion falls to the ground yet he's kicked in his abdomen by the unknown person.

Anarkion bounces on the ground, hence he puts his hands on the paved ground and pushes himself; he straightens his whole body while rubbing his arm.

Anarkion speaks through his mind. "Aren't you going to help me?"

"All I can lend to you is my power, channel it," the crystal replied through his mind.

A light appears on Anarkion's back, hence it extends and disappears revealing a long sword. Anarkion holds the handle of the long sword and pulls it from its sheath.

Anarkion swings his long sword using his hand and points it at the unknown person. "Just like my fight against that humanoid beast, I'll bring you down!"

Anarkion jumps and the force of his jump creates a small crater on the paved ground. The unknown person jumps aside avoiding Anarkion, hence before landing on the ground: Anarkion shifts his whole body to the other side and sees the unknown person standing in front of his eyes.

Anarkion grits his teeth as he swings his long sword yet its handle slips from his hand, a strong force manifests and explodes in-between Anarkion and the long sword.

Anarkion was thrown by the force towards the nearest building; his whole body deepens on its wall. The long sword continues to fly swiftly, its blade scratches deeply on the sleeve of the unknown person's jacket.

The long sword disappears and appears in front of Anarkion's raised hand. Anarkion puts his hands on the wall and pushes himself from it.

Anarkion folds his upper body and extends his hand down to the handle of his long sword. Ergo, he grabs the handle of his long sword and lifts it from the paved ground.

Anarkion fixates his eyes forward and his eyes grow wide. He shifts his eyes everywhere and sees people, vehicles, and clouds that are now moving.

Anarkion turns his whole body around and the crater on the wall has already been removed as if nothing occurred.

"What happened?" Anarkion asked himself.

He moves his eyes down to his hand and his eyes cannot see his long sword. Anarkion closes and opens his hands, thence he moves his eyes upward as he moves his hands down. Even the unknown person is gone.

"I am so much bewildered about what happened to me," Anarkion told himself.

"I am also confused," the crystal tells Anarkion, "I don't know how that happened. What I can see is what the attacker has performed, it is a type of field ability; it is more likely a powerful one."

Anarkion moves his eyes downward. "Maybe, maybe, this is just my speculations. Maybe, the attacker is attempting to prevent me from finding the other champions?"

"Wow!" the crystal yelled at Anarkion through his mind.

"Why?" Anarkion asked.

"I didn't know that you can be a genius sometimes. At least now I know," the crystal said.

"Know what?" Anarkion speaks through his mind.

"It's a secret," the crystal replied.

Anarkion turns his whole body to the other side, hence he begins to move his feet alternately. The sun is beginning to shrink from the horizon, and the orange hue from the sun is filling the skies, its light is streaming through glass windows and it is reflecting on the ground.

Inside the coffee shop, Trifa and other people who are wearing the same attire as her, are watching the news on the wide hanging television.

The female reporter speaks, "The reports of people getting murdered are arising tremendously.

"As of now, any of our surveillance cameras cannot see the murderer, even our identity sensors are useless at this moment."

Trifa inhales deeply as she's rubbing her forehead, she looks at the other people besides her. "Guys does anyone of you have seen Lina?"

One of them, a man with a mustache, looks at Trifa and shakes his head. "Boss, from what I've known is that she's mourning the death of her grandmother."

"Oh, what a poor girl," Trifa extends her hands toward her back, she untangles the knotted line of cloth on her back, "Carlos, I'm trusting you the duty to lock this place, I'll be going to her house."

Trifa carelessly throws her apron, thence Carlos, the man with the mustache, raises his hand and does a salute at the running Trifa.

Trifa remembers a fragment of her memory with Lina. On that day, Trifa is only a kid. She's walking around the playground. She's alone and holding a cup filled with a warm liquid that has a herby smell.

She sits on a wooden bench, and the pile of dried leaves beside her explodes. A girl of the same age as her looks at Trifa whose eyes are staring at her in shock.

"D-Did I... Disturb you?" the young woman asked.

"No," Trifa slowly puts her cup beside her, "my name is Trifa. What's your name?"

The girl looks at Trifa and shifts her eyes at the cup beside her. "What's that? Is that a hot tea?"

Trifa's eyes go wide in shock, then she looks beside her and lifts her cup. Trifa turns her eyes along with her cup towards Lina.

"Well, this is a pure hot coffee," Trifa extended her cup toward Lina.

Lina looks at it, her eyes narrow as her head moves back a bit. "Yuck, if you're going to show me

coffee—Wait, what is coffee?"

Afterward, Lina and Trifa are sitting on the wooden bench. Trifa and Lina are laughing, and the cup of Trifa is settled beside its owner.

Lina tells Trifa. "I didn't know that there are so many methods of making coffee a fine drink or a dessert."

Trifa rolls her eyes as a wide smile forms on her lip. Hence, Lina lifts her hand and extends it toward Trifa whilst Trifa moves her eyes to her hand.

Lina tells her. "I would like to be your friend."

Trifa moves her eyes up to Lina's face; she witnesses her smile and her eyes which are imitating a smile.

Presently, Trifa halts in front of a structure. There are lights everywhere, and lines of houses; ranging from small to tall, and ugly to adorable.

Trifa speaks as she walks. "Lina, Lina, are you home?"

A person wearing a sad mask, dark grey hoodie, and thick white trousers land in front of Trifa's eyes.

Trifa's eyes go wide, she slides her hand inside the pocket of her bottom clothing. The person in front of her brings out a knife from his bottom clothing.

Trifa's eyes go wide, she moves her eyes up as she moves her hand towards the hand of the person in front of her.

The person in front of her pulls his knife from her abdomen. Her blood wraps around the long blade of his knife. Then Trifa falls to the ground, and the person in front of her raises his foot and stomps her belly again and again.

More blood comes out from the small hole on her abdomen, and some flies everywhere. Trifa's eyes are beginning to close while more blood is flowing from her open lip down to her cheeks.

"STOP THAT!" a young man threw his long sword toward the person who was wearing a sad mask.

The person who's wearing a sad mask turns his whole body to the other side and begins to move at full speed from the scene.

The long sword lands on the person's back causing him to fall to his knees, but the person who's wearing a sad mask stands up immediately and continues to sprint from the scene.

The long sword flickers a bright white light and then it disappears. Anarkion kneels beside Trifa, and he lifts her in a bridal style.