'Run. Run. Run.'
There was no stopping him once he got going.
He could feel the wind whizzing past; splashes of rainwater splattering around him -- the water dampening his socks.
His breaths were a few steps behind -- the utter pace exploding through his body not adapting at all.
The action itself was hard.
'Faster!'
[Duration Remaining: 0.9 seconds]
The time was right there, hovering in the corner of his vision.
At this point, he'd blitzed out of the Warrens; a streak of a vague figure darting.
There was still no sound... nothing could be heard due to the Coin's effect, but still, he felt the wind rushing across his earlobes.
[...0.7]
He felt so light.
He felt so... free.
Yes, that would be the term to describe the faint warmth digging through him inside.
Or maybe that was just his nervous system in overdrive.
What power does this Coin truly hold?
To have someone of his stature:
Not overly thin, but by no means big.
Not completely rigid, but by no means fluid.
To be moving this quick, and manipulating the sound around him, or maybe sound itself?
Time would only tell.
Darting.
[0.4]
Building after building.
Gut-wrenching smells across flashing images.
Bast's eyes couldn't keep up as he seemed to push himself quicker -- taking twists and turns as the threat of 'The Cage' weighed on him.
[0.2]
Time was almost out -- each millisecond passing longer. His body lunged over a few railings, jumping atop a crooked roof. Bast's legs pushed off, as the metal sitting below him caved an inch lower.
'There....'
A little balcony sat a level lower than him, its edges surrounded in darkness -- a perfect sanctuary.
He dove.
[0.0]
The warmth he felt vanished instantly.
His stomach lurched.
Silence shattered also; sound exploding back all at once.
A tidal wave of noise crashed over him as he slammed onto the balcony floor. His palms scraped against rough wood as the world roared back to life: the shriek of distant sirens, the faint shouts running in the air, the rain hammering against metal. It all hit him.
"Ghh--!" breath tore from his lungs like he'd been submerged underwater.
His limbs felt... wrong.
Heavy.
Clumsy.
"Fuck....ghhh!" it felt like the strength and lightness he'd borrowed seconds ago, had been ripped away mid-air.
His vision wavered immediately -- his hands clutching to his face.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded violently, but before he could adjust:
[Effect Complete....]
[Cost Collection Processing.]
[Warning: Cognitive fluctuation detected...]
"Y-yeah right it is..." he muttered, back laid across the floor. His vision truly was hazy -- the words flickering overhead unclear.
'What is this....?' Bast thought as he covered his eyes, chest rising sharply.
'I've never felt that quick before a day in my life...' he clenched his hand as it sagged on his forehead. It didn't make sense.
"Haa...."
[Cost Evaluating....]
His eyes began to steady as he moved his hand lower; cold stone gracing his back as his head lay sweaty. 'What exactly.... are you?' he thought, but it was interrupted:
[Cost: Memory Fragment Forfeit (Pending)]
'Huh...'
A cool sensation filled his head. Something cool, that soon transformed into a sharp prick, deep inside his brain.
"Grrh--" he grunted at the pain, but it disappeared as soon as it came. A faint ringing stayed as the sensations whiffed away.
It wasn't sound. It was something deeper. Something pulling.
'M-memory?' Bast wondered at the words up ahead. They had changed slightly:
[Cost: Memory Fragment Forfeit -- Processing]
His breath hitched.
"What's processing?" he questioned with a rising look. That looked disappeared instantly, as a sudden pressure bloomed behind his eyes -- surrounding the very front core of his brain.
Something... had slipped.
Quiet, almost gentle... but it was clear. A page had been torn from a book. He blinked. Once. Twice.
"...What was...?" he moved his hands back up to his face, this time clutching over his amber eyes, as his fingers danced between his dark brown messy hair.
"Why does it feel like... I'm forgetting something?"
[Cost Complete.]
Bast's breath trembled as he tried to steady himself.
The coin warmed faintly in his palm.
A new message slid into view.
Slow this time.
Almost as if the relic itself was... tired.
-------------------
[Flip Data Updated
-- Flips Used Today 2/3
-- Daily Limit: 3 Flips
-- Cost for both Flips: Collected (Memory Fragment Removed)
-- Current Strain: High]
--------------------
Bast stared at the information with shallow eyes. "W-what does this even mean?" he asked, trying to understand it all. He wasn't clueless, but the clues the Relic had given...
As if on cue, a change of text appeared.
This one cleaner, the words stacking up concise.
---------------------
[Relic Title: The Beggar's Coin]
Type: Memory/Echo
Tier: I I (Woken)
- Relic Principle: Choice or Chance:
"The Beggar's Coin activates through a wager. Every flip must offer one of the two:
1. **Choice** -- A deliberate intent.
Example: "If I flip this coin, I bet..." The Coin obeys the intention. The result is proportional to User conviction and the risk taken.
2. **Chance** -- Surrendering outcome to the Coin.
Example: A flip made with hesitation or no clear stake.
The effect becomes unpredictable: sometimes miraculous, sometimes catastrophic.
Relic Rule: Luck Is Not Given. Luck Is Taken.
A few more blocks appeared, each rising in tone.
[Strain & Threshold Limit]
- Each flip increases strain on the User's mind and body. If strain exceeds Coin threshold:
* The Coin will auto-lock.
* User may lose consciousness.
* The next flip may trigger catastrophic cost.
---------------------
The faint sting still lingered on Bast's head. Some long needed answers were right there, right in front of him. But something burned within... climbing up his throat.
"Okay, you took something right?" He was sitting up now, expression darkening. "What did you take..."
For a moment, there was nothing.
What was it? What had been ripped from him?
Was it something simple like what he'd eaten yesterday? A face? A name? A rare fond memory? Or a dark regular occurrence?
His eyes unfocused, trying to chase it... but nothing came.
Only a hollow space in his thoughts remained, quiet and cold, like even his own mind had joined in, losing track of more than one thing.
His mind constructed multiple scenes, multiple silhouettes blurring in and out. What was it?
'Where is he?'
"...Tov?" he whispered.
The boy's face came to him immediately -- a head shorter, messy hair, tired eyes, that small stubborn frown... before it bloomed into a tiny smile.
Bast exhaled, tension bleeding out of his shoulders.
"Okay... okay. He's still there."
His palms ran along the stone of the balcony -- a type of therapy.
The Coin didn't respond.
It didn't need to however.
Some memory was gone....
But not that one.
Not that person.
For now, that was good enough.