Lost Origins: SS Ranked Awakening

"Knew you'd be here!"

Jake's voice announced his presence to Kieran who sat in a meditative stance under the shade of a tree.

Shaking the leaves off his shoulder and head, Kieran turned to face him, inviting Jake to sit with him with a stretch of his hand.

"How is she?"

He asked once he was settled down.

"Good so far. Doesn't seem like she'll go on a rampage anytime soon."

Jake said only to let out a deep sigh under Kieran's persistent gaze.

"I don't know what she's thinking about, Kieran. Uts unnerving, but she's definitely hiding something."

Jake added looking up, letting the sunlight which shone through the gaps in the leaves shine on him.

"Hmm..."

Kieran hummed, his eyes glazing over and losing focus as he went deep in thought.

Their ambush had failed and luckily, Orion hadn't made any more moves, but that wasn't going to last long either.

"So, what did you come up with?"

Kieran probed lightly.

"Tch! Depends. He isn't the actual target after all."

Jake kissed his teeth in irritation, showing signs that he wasn't quite sure about how to proceed.

He couldn't just charge blindly at either of them.

They were doing this for Ruby and it would have lost all meaning if they were to suddenly get rid of both of them, robbing her of her long desired revenge.

Orion had crossed the line, trying to kill her right in front of them and Kieran didn't mind killing him to get rid of an obstacle to help Ruby.

Whoever this Veylan was, it was pretty obvious that he didn't put any of them in his eyes. Letting Orion handle things as he wished.

"Don't think about it too much. You won't be able to kill him even if you tried. If you did, you'd be giving the other the advantage"

"The camps moving, they won't be turning a blind eye as before."

Kieran said lightly.

Derrick had spoken to him for the first time in a while, warning him about the things he had been up to. His words weren't clear but, Kieran got the message.

'Liam, Sabrina's lackey had been sent to drop a message too!'

His eyes moved dully, observing Jake's reaction.

His face had a dull edge to it.

He couldn't be blamed.

He was facing two behemoths in the camp with far more resources and influence than him. He was literally fighting against the tide for Ruby's sake.

"Can't see myself doing that."

Kieran muttered lightly.

"What was that?"

Jake asked, failing to catch those words, but he dismissed them at the wave of Kieran's hands.

'Tch! Schemes and Struggles. I wasn't made from this!'

The thought crossed Kieran's mind, carrying with it a wave of anger which he quickly suppressed.

Orion and Veylan were the smallest obstacles Jake and Ruby were going to face if they wanted to bring down their familes.

Unless they had somehow gained the support of a pillar family and had enough power to wipe them out in a single night like they had done with Ruby's Gale family.

"Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid!"

Kieran said, leaving Jake behind on the mountain top. He was going to need the space to think about all he was about to face.

"Where are you going?"

Jake asked, turning his head slightly.

"I've got a meeting!"

Kieran's voice faded slowly along with his presence.

"I should have thought to ask for her contact information. And she should have thought to ask or offer it."

"Is this how they do business?"

Kieran scratched his head a little, seeing the contact info he needed absent from his watch.

Now that he thought about it, he had only ever got to meet her out of chance.

The last time, Asher, mr powerful and mysterious had told him where to find her, but someone that busy was bound to always be on the move.

"Sigh!"

He paused and took a sharp turn, heading to the only place he turned to when he was in need of information.

'I hope she's privy to this kind of information too.'

He had recently found out from Jake that Leora was more than just a librarian. She also doubled as an information broker which explained how she knew so much.

What he couldn't wrap his hear around though was why she kept helping him and telling him these things for free, letting him off with nothing more than a few complaints and some silly requests. Even the last one had turned in his favor.

Kieran wasn't comfortable with a free meal, but he didn't mind taking advantage of it. He would have been a fool not to.

"Ohh, what is it this time?"

Leora said in a plain tone seeing him walk up to her.

'What's up with her?'

Kieran raised a brow silently.

This was the first time she had felt this sour to him.

"I'm sorry. Some fool just ruined my mood!"

She apologized sensing his caution.

"Don't sweat it. Let me know if I can help."

Kieran responded perfunctory, but what didn't expect was the wide smile that tore onto her face and the stars that appeared in her once dull eyes.

"Thanks! I'll take you up to that soon!"

Leoara spoke with renewed enthusiasm, like a kid being offered a surprise gift.

'What...?'

Kieran on the other hand was at a loss. He had only said that and didn't mean it, but now he owed another person a favor and he had no idea what coukd be asked of him.

'This is why I'm so stingy with requests!'

He coukd feel several lines appear on his forehead, but he let out a small breath, loosing the unpleasant feeling.

He had gained much from her without giving anything i return. It was only right that he did this in return as payment.

'A way to get even. Not too shabby.'

"So, what can I help you with, little one?"

Leora asked, back to the version Kieran was familiar with, even using the uncomfortable term on him.

"I need to find someone."

Kieran said, rolling his eyes at her way if addressing him.

"Ouu, its been a while since I got a request like that. Lost someone on a mission?"

Leora asked, curiosity peeking in her tone.

"No, much easier. Sabrina."

"I need her contact info!"

Kieran said with a straight face.

"Her contact info? Why not just ask for where you can find her right now? What's your business with the Aurora anyways?"

Leora didn't answer his question, but threw him a couple other ones instead.

"Haaa..."

Kieran took in a deep breath. He ckukd already feeling himself reqch his limits with how much he had said already. He was starting to get tired from all the chatter that wasn't the answe he wanted.

"It's my business, not yours. Do you have it or not?"

Kieran ignored her mountain of questions and pressed on with his purpose here.

"Of course I do, but I'm still curious. Why the Aurora? I thought you had it more for the read head."

Leora muttered bringing a frown to his face.

'What the hell is she trying to say?'

Kieran threw the words he was unfortunately too dense and slow to process and stared down on Leora, his silence demanding enough to make her fold.

"There, there now. Here you go!"

She handed the details to Kieran and watched him leave immediately he got what he want, a mysterious light flashing in her eyes as she watched his back move out and away from the building.

'There!'

Kieran stared at the message he had just sent, stepping into the elevator.

"What did she mean though?"

His brows furrowed, maybe from the fact that he still couldn't process her words or because he still thought of it even after leaving the place.

"Tch!"

He kissed his teeth, starting heavily at his watch.

There was no reply yet and Kieran was hit with a slightly awkward feeling.

The more he thought about it, the more he foolish he felt for not doing as Leora had suggested — asking for her current whereabouts.

He had times where he missed the messages sent to him until theybhad stacked high enough to.catch his attention.

'...sigh!'

He dropped his hand, thinking of whatelse he could do now that a hike had appeared in his already planned oyt schedule.

BUZZ!

His watched buzzed and he brought his hand up with a foreign feeling of anticipation.

It was a reply from Sabrina, telling him where to meet her.

Surprisingly, it was the cafeteria, his next destination if she hadn't replied a minute sooner.

"That works. Why did I feel excited though?"

'Or could it just be the effects of that cursed manual?'

Kieran studied his strange reaction, noting how out of character he had been feeling recently while linking it to his practice of < Lost Origins >

Having passed the first level — Mirrored perspective, he was stuck on the second level which required him to refine his mind. A process he had no idea how to go about.

He had read that meditation had some effects on a person's psyche, hence the random meditative state hebjad been found in recently.

"You wanted to see me?"

Sabrina's firm, yet graceful voice snapped him out ofvhis thoughts.

He was already at the the cafeteria, sat right in front of her.

'Yeah, it's definitely weird.'