"Wait, you're hiring us?"

Daniel asked, looking up at the stoic man before him.

Nier sighed, his voice laced with irritation.

"Yes, or if you prefer, I can retract my change of heart and wipe your memories clean. The choice is yours after all, I would so much love to go with the first option."

Nier said sarcastically.

"No, no, we want to remember!"

Sam argued, his voice quick and desperate.

Neil nodded vigorously.

"What he said."

Daniel, the most sensible of the three, furrowed his brow, pondering.

"I see. So, what are we even supposed to do for you? We still have online school and other stuff to attend to, so this can't be full-time, right?"

Nier's eyes narrowed, as he fold his arms, and began to spoke.

"I'm not dumb, kid. I know you all have your mundane lives to go back to. For now, I'll let your crimes slide, but bear in mind, I've placed a curse on each of you. Talk, and you'll die. Look on the bright side, though...I'm offering you boys a taste of true freedom when you start to work for me. Come back to my house tomorrow evening, and we'll discuss business. For now, you brats are free to go."

"Just like that?!"

Daniel asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and lingering fear as he stared at the stoic man before him.

Nier's lips twitched into a faint smirk.

As black smoke rise from his body, and he absorbed it, the fear of him was delightful. For more chapters visit N0veI.Fiɾe.net

And he soon replied.

"Just like that."

The boys exchanged glances, their eyes flicking nervously between each other before settling back on Nier.

After a moment of silent agreement, Daniel nodded, speaking for the group.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Mr. Augustus."

"Yeah, now get out your asses off my properties brats."

Nier said, his tone sharp with irritation.

"I still got things to do today."

With that, Nier turned and strode back to his Sian, the skinwalker slithering silently at his heels like a grotesque shadow.

He slid into the driver seat, the engine roaring to life, and drove off, leaving the boys stunned in the drive way. They stared after the car, its taillights fading into the distance before turning to each other, their faces a mix of relief and confusion.

Neil let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair.

"Thank God."

He muttered.

"So guys, can we just go home now?"

"Yeah, Im with you on that one Neil."

Daniel said, his brow furrowing as he kicked at a charred twig.

His mind wondering further, as he questioned.

"Still what made him change his mind? I know for a fact Mr. Augustus could've wiped our memories clean. Why take the risk and let us walk away?"

Sam then shrugged, his voice quieter but no less uneasy, as he replied by saying.

"Does it even matter? All that matters is we survived our first Flux encounter. But… do you think he is a human?"

Daniel's eyes narrowed, his mind racing.

"I don't think so. I don't even think he is a Hesta to begin with as unsettling as that might sound. If you were paying attention, Ms. Rita called him Kindred I am no idiot, it is clear he is a Flux, or at least has some connection to them. I heard their are people with Flux objects called the Corrupt Given They can use the supernatural Flux object as a source of power to perform the impossible."

"Right."

Neil chimed in, his voice still shaky.

"But do you know any Flux that can shoot fire, turn into a bird, bulk up like a beast, and have superhuman strength?"

Sam scratched his chin at this question, his expression thoughtful.

"Several, to be honest, if my dad's journals are anything to go by. But no, not like him. Most Fluxes feed on human aspects of despair, and they're vicious. Mr. Augustus… he doesn't seem like that."

Daniel scratched the back of his head, frustration creeping into his voice.

"Human or not, I am glad he dealt with that thing. Still it begs the question, what do we do now?"

Neil sighed, his face etched with exhaustion.

But he gave his opinion on the matter atleast.

"What can we do? The guy said he cursed us. If we talk, we die. I don't even want to test that. Honestly, I say we just go along with this weirdness for now. There is nothing we can realistically do, you know?"

The boys glanced at each other, the reality of their situation sinking in. Daniel turned away, staring at the path leading out of the oak forest.

"Let's just go home for now, guys. I could really use a shower."

"Yeah."

Sam muttered, glancing at the drone tucked under his arm.

"I got this thing back, but after what happened here, I don't even want to touch it anymore."

With that, the boys trudged out of the forest, heading back home.

"Any idea on what it might be?!"

Nier asked, as he sat down on his couch, the black box he got from Kayland who explain that this thing was the last thing his mother left for him.

A voice echoed from his house speakers, it was Lisa, who began to speak.

[No, I have never seen your mom with this box before]

"I see."

"Sigh How do you even open this?!"

Nier asked himself, the thing had no lock, it was perfect black box with weird cryptid marks that Nier could only assume was runes.

But at the same time Silence began to speak as the veins in his hand started to move, and the message form on his hand. As Silence said to him.

"I see, master this thing is conceptually lock, with your blood, what I am trying to say is that with it, you can open it up."