A job from the son of Corgi

The Blendbreed with violet eyes stared at Marina for another moment before the darkness of the Interworld enveloped him. Shirei reappeared at the Thirteenth House and took the opportunity to relax. He was lying on the bed, flipping through a notebook, when someone knocked at the door.

"Hello, I'm Chris," said the stranger from outside. "I need a favor from a son of Cragar."

The boy waited for a response, but none came. He turned back, intending to ask where the Blendbreed of House Thirteen were, when he noticed the door slightly ajar. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered. Shirei, initially distracted, closed his notes. He had recognized the Blendbreed immediately—it was a son of Corgi he had noticed at lunch.

"What exactly do you need?"

"Ah, so there was someone. Well, I need a favor from you," the boy replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "You can travel to the Underworld, right?"

Shirei nodded. "Depends on what you need."

"Flames. You know, from the affluent," the son of Cragar didn't respond. "Your father governs it; you can't tell me I know it better than you! The Vaverli!" he added.

Chris realized he had mispronounced the name, but he overlooked the mistake, irritated by the overly calm attitude of the Blendbreed with violet eyes.

Shirei got up from the bed and made a slight grimace. "Lyceum forbade me from making journeys to the outside."

The son of Corgi froze. "Ah."

Dahlia entered the house with a radiant smile and greeted the Blendbreeds. She had overheard the last sentence and was well aware that her half-brother was lying; she only wondered why. Shirei was always mysterious, and in the few days they had spent together—although Cragar had mentioned his arrival months ago—Dahlia had learned to fear the convoluted way he preferred to do things. Few people in the world would choose the harder path if presented with a crossroads, but Shirei saw the "difficult method" as a personal challenge to improve himself. Cragar's daughter still didn't fully understand the reasoning behind his logic, but she couldn't deny that it bore fruit. The Blendbreeds struggled to cope with his presence, and the aura of power he unleashed in moments of rest was enough to make the inexperienced tremble. Dahlia 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 the same powers, in part; it was natural that she wanted to better understand how to use them.

The girl pushed those thoughts from her mind and greeted him. "Good morning! I didn't think you had a new companion, brother. What's your name?"

"Chris," the boy quickly replied. "It's not my real name, but call me that."

Dahlia observed the son of Corgi in front of her with a gentle smile painted on her face. Chris appeared with a lively look. His dark eyes, deep as dark chocolate, emitted a mix of curiosity and warmth. A simple gaze that revealed his nature. His curly hair, a distinct reddish-brown color, formed what looked like a crown of ringlets. He wore the orange t-shirt of his house, which perfectly matched his relaxed style. A playful smile was stamped on his face. He carried with him an aura of vitality, a stark contrast to the place they were in. It wasn't the same aura emitted by Shirei or the Lyceum, it wasn't power, yet it seemed to have an effect on the girl. Dahlia's mind suddenly wandered back in time, to about a century ago or a little more, when she first faced the outside world.

A fleeting, nostalgic smile crossed her lips.

"Chris," she repeated, echoing the name the Blendbreed had chosen. "It's a great pleasure to meet you."

"Look, we already know each other, we see each other practically every month," replied the son of Corgi, shaking her hand.

Dahlia's eyes widened suddenly, and she realized. "I deeply apologize!" she feigned a laugh full of embarrassment. "I'm aware that we've met often for the house assembly, but I've never properly introduced myself."

"Don't worry, the same goes for me."

The raven-haired girl threw herself onto the bed, still full of embarrassment. "So… what are you discussing?"

"Travel to the Underworld."

Dahlia's eyes suddenly lit up. "I can give it a try, if needed."

"I haven't refused yet," the son of Cragar turned toward his conversation partner. "I'll go."

"Can I accompany you on this short trip?" asked the raven-haired girl with her arms crossed.

A glance between the two Blendbreeds was enough to make her lose hope.

"Sorry—…" the son of Corgi lowered his voice until it became silent. He had been so focused on the idea of the flames of the Vaverli that he had even forgotten the boy's name.

"Shirei."

Chris nodded. "Shirei, but didn't you just say you can't?"

"I said that Lyceum forbade it," implying that it wouldn't stop him from doing it anyway.

"Got it, Mr. Ghost, I thought you were a model Blendbreed."

The boy with brown hair flashed a mischievous smile and raised his voice slightly above normal. "So let's say that if you happen to find lava somewhere, by pure chance…" He raised his hands as if someone were pointing a gun to his head. "Then let's say it could come in handy for me, so take it to the Ninth House. Always by pure chance, of course."

Shirei shook his head. "A favor for a favor."

"I don't have money, buddy. I can forge you a weapon if you need one."

"No need," the Blendbreed with violet eyes said these words, clenching his hand in the air as if an invisible blade was right there, then added, "I have something else in mind."

"That's a way to scare him, brother."

"Yes," nodded the son of Corgi multiple times, "I'm scared."

"You need to get me into Didreus' laboratory," Shirei explained.

"Dude," Chris involuntarily opened his mouth, "you want to enter the laboratory used by the children of the god of science. Are you for real?"

"Yes, like I said, a favor for a favor," the son of Cragar nodded.

"How do I get you in?"

"That's a problem you need to solve on your own."

"Can't you just make a puff and reappear inside? But then, what do you need it for?"

"I can't, I've already tried. The laboratory is protected by Didreus' influence," the boy said, the detail seeming to annoy him. "I just need a little time, nothing more."

Chris scratched the back of his neck, perplexed. "Are you getting me the flames?"

"I'll keep my part of the deal."

The idea was too tempting to pass up, and Chris knew it. With that material, he could craft objects capable of repelling monsters and strengthening the defenses of the park—a new category of weapons, not yet invented by any of his predecessors. They would acclaim him as the father of Vaverli-infused rifles, and maybe his father would even call him to the Highworld, pleased with his invention. All these thoughts made him tremble with energy; Shirei had convinced him.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay, you've won. I'll find a way to get you in, Chris' word."

The two shook hands for a few seconds, sealing the deal, before Chris instinctively withdrew his hand. "Your hand is freezing, what the hell!"

The son of Corgi handed Shirei a bronze ring with a button in the center. "Here. It's an Ammir ring. You know how they work, right? You even have one already."

The Blendbreed with violet eyes shook his head after glancing at his index finger.

"You're messing with me… alright, listen up. Ammir rings are tied to the spatial magic of the god of travel. They're like a dimensional wardrobe just for you! Press the button, and the barrel pops out. Don't worry, it's heat-resistant—I designed it myself!"

The son of Cragar simply nodded without showing the slightest reaction.

Dahlia, having remained silent for most of the conversation, immediately seized the opportunity. "Chris… Can I make a request too?"

"Go ahead, shoot" replied the brown-haired boy, raising his hands and adding, "Not at me, please."

"Can you make a weapon for me?"

"See how she negotiates?" said the son of Corgi, turning to Shirei. "Now we're talking, what kind of project are you referring to?"

Dahlia tapped her hand on her cheek. "Nothing too complex, I had in mind a simple common blade."

"Details, material, length, handle. Give me information, girl."

"However you think best," she smiled, "I trust your craft."

"Mm, thanks for the completely unwarranted trust. It'll take me a few weeks," Chris replied.

"Yes, that's fine, perfect!"

Chris gave a thumbs-up before pointing at Shirei. "And you, make sure you bring me my flames, emo-guy!"

Turning towards his stepsister, the son of Cragar said, "Well, I might as well take my leave. If Liceo comes looking for me, tell him I'm in the garden." He then made his way to the hatch in the center of the room.

"Sure, I'm an excellent actress," his stepsister reassured him.

Shirei opened the hatch before Chris' confused eyes.

"Wait, there's a garden down there?"

The boy with violet eyes nodded, and with a slight hop forward, he let himself fall into the darkness.

"You guys are strange, even more than usual," the Blendbreed concluded on his own. "Anyway, back to the blade, I think I can handle it."

"Really? You can have whatever you want in exchange… even my car."

"You," he pointed at her, "you have a car."

"Yes," Dalia smiled.

"How old are you, 14? And then—…" Chris paused, probably in shock. "Okay, never mind, I'll do it for free."

"I can't. Believe it. You're a gentleman, really. Thank you!"

"Yeah, not news," he replied with a pleased smile. "Now I really have to go find the representative of Didreus' children and figure out how to convince him to give me the keys to the lab."

The boy began to head toward the exit of the house, hoping to leave the place as quickly as possible and never deal with Cragar's children again in his life. "See you. I'll have your weapon delivered once I finish it."

"Alright, thanks!"

Chris left, heading straight for the Corgi children's forge. Dalia threw herself onto the bed, filled with euphoria. She would finally have a weapon, one step closer to her candidacy for the elite group. It was a desire that had come to her over the past year; she longed to join the team that traveled all over Italy, escorting new Blendbreeds to the Lilies Park. More than the desire to help others, the daughter of Cragar craved adventure and the thrill of fighting for her life like a true heroine.

After about ten minutes in the underground, Shirei finally reached Kore's garden and, without even looking around, performed a spectral travel downward. Shadows enveloped the boy until he found himself in freefall through the void. The earth rushed quickly in front of his focused eyes. He knew that if he lost control, he would end up pulverized by the rocky material of the Otherworld. A slight smile formed on the son of Cragar's face at the thought of returning to the Underworld; being there strangely made him feel at home.

Finally, the earth gave way to a greenish light that swirled, blending with black and white. Looking down, the Blendbreed saw a colossal five-pointed star, the five rivers of the Underworld. The boy was once again enveloped by shadows and emerged standing in the void, like a mole coming out of its hole.

The son of Cragar quickly scanned the area and recalled the first time he had woken up there.

He remembered how his sight was immediately struck by the eternal twilight, a dense and palpable darkness that seemed to absorb the very light, tinted in scarlet. The air was thick with a harsh, putrid stench, a mix of sulfur, burnt flesh, and rot that infiltrated the nostrils and clung to the palate. Shirei had often wondered what would happen if any Blendbreed were to enter this world alive; the sense of suffocation would likely make them so weak that surviving would be impossible. The atmosphere was frigid, but a different kind of cold—not the cold of wind or snow—that pierced the skin, caressing the bones and sinking into the soul. In the distance, he heard ominous and sinister sounds, an echo of laments, anguished whispers, and desperate screams, a choir of suffering voices that seemed to come from every direction.

Looking up, he discerned the illusory, slimy ceiling, almost alive, while the ground was uneven, as if it were the imperfect skin of a giant being. A bitter, metallic aftertaste filled the air, as if even breathing were a taste of pain. The landscape was desolate and terrifying, where perception itself seemed to be subject to distortion. It was not a place for the faint-hearted or uncertain souls; this, Shirei had learned the hard way.

The Blendbreed ventured deeper into the heart of the Underworld, walking through the dim light until he reached the great infernal lake, where the five rivers of the afterlife converged. The lake was an extraordinary place; its waters flowed restlessly and noisily, driven by currents that represented the very essence of torment. In the center stood the imposing Cragar Castle, a palace that seemed to rise from the very bowels of the underground. With a steady step, Shirei made his way toward the mouth of the river of flames: the Vaverli. The fiery torrent bubbled with fire, shimmering ominously. The son of Cragar glimpsed some goblins in armor waiting for him, a sign that his presence had not gone unnoticed. He imagined this must be the welcoming committee his father had chosen to put him to the test.

The Blendbreed with violet eyes extended his hand into the void as the small group began to charge at him. A black blade with green acid-like patterns, the Blade of Discord, materialized from the Interworld into the palm of his hand, allowing him to wield it; then, Shirei sprang toward the enemies. If it was a fight his father wanted to observe, then he would satisfy him.