Jacob treaded down the stairs lightly, his brown hair left in a disheveled state from the other night. His muscles felt tense and rough with every step, but the aroma of a meal was urging his body to move forward. When he reached the dining room, everyone appeared to be awake and patiently waiting for Maria and Jacob to join them for breakfast. Jacob couldn’t help but notice a subtle tension that veiled the gaze of Slimo and Lidia.

"Good morning, everyone. Sorry about the noise this morning. Just a bad dream."

Jacob took a seat next to Harold and Abby who were already halfway done with their meals. Jacob didn’t realize it, but Doc was giving him a strange stare across the table. He met his grandfather’s gaze with a confused look.

"Is everything okay, Doc?"

Doc rubbed his chin before answering.

"That look in your eyes seems familiar. Are you feeling okay, Jacob?"

Jacob patted himself down and studied his feelings well before giving a response.

"Just a little hungry and sore. Other than that, I feel pretty normal."

Doc hesitantly nodded before continuing his feast. Maria sat across the table from him and dove into her food like a wild beast. After a short, quiet breakfast, Lidia and Slimo called out to everyone in the house.

"Attention, everyone. Me and Lidia will be doing work in the palace today, but we will be making a trip with Sarah and Squabee to some enchanter first. You all still have to go to school. Afterwards, I am going to meet with you all individually for an important assignment. All you need to bring is yourself."

Lee raised his hand and spoke loudly.

"What kind of assignment?"

Slimo cleared his throat.

"I’m going to create preparations for any upcoming threat we may encounter, but to do that, I need to get a handle of how strong everyone is. I’ll be doing the same with everyone in the other house as well. Maria and Jacob, I will have special assignments for both of you when the time comes. Any more questions?"

Jacob was curious as to what Slimo meant by special assignments, but he assumed it was nothing drastic enough to waste time talking about before school.

"Very well. Everyone, start making your way towards the school. I’ll go get the others to follow you."

Without any objection, people around Jacob started swiftly preparing their belongings and putting on their armor. Jacob copied their initiative and led the group out the door.

Slimo and Lidia walked up to the other house and knocked gently. After the first knock, the door slammed open with a loud bang. Zoey was puffing her chest out proudly with many people standing behind her.

"WE’RE READY FOR SCHOOL!!"

Slimo smiled and patted Zoey’s shoulder.

"I love to see the enthusiasm. Everyone else already left. You should be able to catch up to them in time."

Zoey grabbed Serena’s arm and sprinted forward towards the education center.

"Come on, everyone! We have to hurry or we’ll be late!!"

Lucy started rubbing her hazel eyes as she calmly strolled along the stone street in pursuit.

"She has way too much energy for being up this early."

Everyone else followed at their own pace. The only people left in the house were Sarah and Squabee. Sarah seemed to be carrying a plate of fresh food. Lidia walked up to them and put her hands on her hips.

"So, what’s this place called again where you found this enchanter?"

"It’s called Super Charms... I think. He spelled the name of his own store wrong so it’s a bit hard to remember. You can follow me. It isn’t a long walk in the slightest."

They all walked down the open street with confidence. Slimo still pondered why the creator of the charm wished to see him so eagerly. Needless to say, his guard was on high alert for any possible threat to himself or his friends. The closer they got the front of the gate, the stranger the shops seemed to become. It felt as if they were walking backwards through time the further they moved from the center. They were such small details, such as cracks or discoloration, but Slimo was able to pick them up immediately.

’Was it always like this? I wonder how I didn’t notice that before. Perhaps the stores towards the wall get less business and are poorer.’

Far on the right side of the street, a familiar voice was ringing out into the air.

"Come get the best charms in the kingdom! They are made by the one and only, ME! Hurry up before I sell out of them!"

It was the same person that Sarah had bought the charm from. They were covered in thick, colorful robes with intricate patterns once more. Their demeaner was anything but threatening. In fact, Slimo couldn’t sense their presence at all. It was as if they were staring at an illusion rather than a person. His senses started to tingle as they walked closed. Sarah was the first to approach them.

"Enki! Remember me?"

Enki turned around to see who was calling their name.

"Oh, yes! I think I remember you... Elizebeth?"

"Close enough. I brought this for you as well as some new customers for your shop. Just as I promised."

Enki stared at the platter of food wistfully before grabbing it. Suddenly, the platter, along with the food, disappeared into the thin air. The glowing yellow eyes in Enki’s hood seemed to brighten.

"That was delicious! You are quite the cook you know! Now, would you all like to see my shop?"

Sarah looked back at Slimo and Lidia for confirmation. Both of them nodded with zero hesitation.

"Lead the way."

All four of them piled into the run-down shop once more. Unlike yesterday, there seemed to be many more charms littering the shelves of the store. Sarah looked at them with glimmering eyes.

"Did you restock your charms or something? Where did all these come from?"

A high-pitched giggle sounded from under Enki’s hood.

"Well, I had to prepare a selection for our new guests! I mean, you all brought a celebrity with you!"

Enki’s yellow eyes looked at Slimo. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Isn’t that right, Slimo Kin? Or should I say, murderer?"