Carmine's POV

Wrong.

Everything was just wrong.

The most significant part of the history are the two realms. It was a result of a spell cast by an anonymous wizard with the knowledge and permission of the King in order to distinguish the weak and poor from the powerful and wealthy.

We were banned here just because of our worthlessness in value.

Well... certainly the King of this era is trash, and the villagers need to be treated with more respect, they should not just be treated as peasants because they lacked money and power.

That aside, there is no such thing as common man in the history of both the Labyrinth and the City. But irregulars on the other hand, are simply put - the worst type of people according to Serena.

None of them cared about the lives of people in both the Village and City. They just absolutely did wherever, Damien was the most insufferable of them all. He did literally whatever he wanted to and once tried to kill the King and his entire row of advisors before.

Confliction best describes what I feel now. The two old men had said Damien even though he had his flaws, was a very good man. The opposite of what is in the written history. It makes sense that the Villagers react to me the way they do, I would too after reading all these nasty things about myself.

And even if it isn't the truth, does that mean... someone corrupted and changed the history? Rewiring the memories of the villagers?

Sucks to be me.

Even if I were to try and persuade them into believing I'm not a bad person, they'll only look down on me like gum beneath their shoes, or like a bug meant to step on and squash the living daylight out of it.

Does it really hurt them that much to see my face in public?

Can they really not let by-gones be by-gones and move on with their lives?

So I remain locked up.

The more I learn about this world, the more I never want to come out. Even though the history had nothing about the other irregulars past their prime age, I bet the villagers had been mean to them all through their existence.

I spend days - nights, planning, taking notes, jotting, compiling notes, taking even more notes, marking days off and trying to keep track of time. At the end of all this, three weeks has gone by.

That was to be expected.

A bunch of metal noises come from my door, Peyton. She has been dropping food in front of my door nonstop for the past few weeks, I know she must work her butt off to feed both me and her. I appreciate her doing all these for me even though I won't say it right now. I'm kinda in the middle of something.

Ugh... what is that offensive smell?

Looking at my armpit worriedly, I haven't had a bath in like what - weeks? I strip off my clothes and step into the bath. The water hisses down my body as I feel the warmness spread inside me. I've forgotten how the feel of warm water on my body was like. I decide to wash my hair too, I haven't been really keen on hygiene lately but I'll make up for it today... might as well get a hair cut while I am at it.

There's nothing more freeing and relieving in a game than self-service. A situation where I do things for me by myself, though horribly done, but free of charge. A win-win-win. I draw out a small knife from a cupboard nearby and sit by my table.

This could go two ways,

Elegant, stylish and well-done. Appealing to the eyes.

Or,

Haphazard looking, end up having to shave my head and unevenly trimmed. Repulsive to anybody with eyes.

I certainly hope for the former. The latter could lead to serious damage to my non-existent social reputation, well I'm working towards it, okay?

I would advise you to dry your hair first before cutting it.

"Geez, you scared me." The knife drops from my hand. "What, are you spying on me or something?"

It's not so much as trying to warn you from heading down the wrong path.

"Which would be..."

You'll end up looking like a monk.

I giggle. "Since you can sense my distraught, mind lending a helping hand?"

How may I be of service, young warrior?

"Do you perhaps, have a book on how to cut hair?"

That would be... affirmative. Downloading... 100%

I click the book open and read a few tips on how to trim my hair properly, I hold the hair evenly at shoulder length and snap everything at once, I watch as my ginger red hair falls onto the ground.

Sheesh was that the right thing to do?

I brush my hair, removing excess strands and finishing up the look. I am without a mirror to see if I'd turn out as elegant or the latter so I open the door to go get one. Probably Peyton would have.

A towering figure has their hand up about to knock and the other hand about to twist my door open, making me wonder if they actually considered knocking in the first place. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing here?"

"..." Who answers a question with a question? Black Hood, that's who.

"We're going somewhere." He states, clearing up the awkward atmosphere. I only stare at him from the safety of my room.

"Where?"

"You don't need to know." He says, grabbing me so I have to teleport with him. We've been teleporting for almost a cycle when he glares at me then his gaze subtly shifts to my hair curiously, before they shift back to my face. "Did you do something to your hair?"

He noticed. "It was too long so I cut it... does it look that bad?"

"It does. Terrible, even." He spares another glance at my hair then flips some strands. "But it's good to have it out of the way. Wouldn't want your hair to get stuck in an arrow or anything." Although sounding very concerned, I can't help but feel he is mocking me. And why would my hair get stuck in an arrow?

"An arrow? Are you taking me somewhere secluded to kill me? Like in the forest?" He looks at me, annoyed and I flinch back away from him. "You can't do that! You promised not to attack me!"

"However entertaining your suggestions might be, I'm not trying to murder you. We are going into the forest but not for the reasons you might think."

His response is surprisingly calming.

Well that is what I should expect from him... except with Keanu, you can't really tell what is to be expected. What if he uno reverses his already affirmed promises and my life becomes in danger? Maybe I should have had him do a blood oath with me. But wouldn't it be reckless to waste my blood like that?

"It's amazing how much you can overthink with that peanut sized brain of yours, irregular." A monotonous voice remarks, too cocky for my liking.

"One phase is all I ask for. Can you not be mean for like one phase? You won't die you know."

"And is that certain?"

"Is what certain?"

"You just said I won't die for not being mean. Is that an established fact? How did you come to that conclusion, Miss Horiental?"

I'm not only shocked that he calls me by my last name when he doesn't even call me by my first but by the fact that he even knows my last name when I don't expect him to possibly know any of my names. "You know you act like a stalker sometimes. You just happen to know things about me, but you won't tell me how." Or maybe he just looked at my profile and saw my surname, but saying that out loud would make me look like an idiot. "But now it's fine, because I know more about myself than you could ever know about me."

"I act like a stalker but you are the definition of ignorance." We stop teleporting only to end up in a way too familiar side of the Forest. Ah... this is just cycles away from the stream where I fell in and embarrassed myself that day. What could he possibly want to show me here? "If you think you know everything about yourself then kick me. Right now."

I raise a brow. This again?

"Go ahead. Do it."

I try to kick him but he moves out of my way and I withdraw my leg only to have a figure loom behind me and tap my shoulder. "Are you even trying?"

"Yes I am. If you aren't just some metaphysical human and also a high rated criminal, MAYBE I would have gotten ONE scratch on you."

"You're nothing like the irregulars I've read about." He proceeds to walk in front of me, signaling for me to follow after, which I do.

Trying my best to sound confident. "And what could it be that you read about them that I lack?"

"Personality, talent, skills, manpower... I could go on for days and days." He stops suddenly which causes my face to jerk into his hard muscular back. "But what I simply cannot ignore you inherited, is the infamous short fuse. Must be handed down from generation to generation or something."

I take a step back from the impact and he turns to give me a weird look which makes me scoff. "Mr Black Hood, you're awfully cheerful today. Is it because I'm being lead to a slaughterhouse right now?"

He tilts his head to the side. "Well something like that."

If that isn't the biggest red flag I've seen in days, I don't know what is.

"You shouldn't tell your victim so calmly that you'll end their life in such solemn and remorse places. They might break down crying."

His glare intensifies. "I'll have to beg you not to indulge in highly obnoxious activities like that." He sounds like he is reaching his breaking point, exactly what I need.

"Then tell me. What the hell are we doing in such a ghost-quiet side of the forest that feels like a sealed off quarantine area?"

He considers this for a cycle. "Well I wanted you to see for yourself. But seeing as you are so impatient... might as well not make it a sur-" He catches himself talking off guard and immediately readjusts his glare and his voice becomes even colder. "What did - whoever explained your pathetic story of existence - say to you?"

That's one way to put it. "Something about my Bloodline being natural born fighters and that we cause mayhem everytime we enter the game."

"Not just in the game," I hear him mutter under his breath. "Well that's true for the most part." He points at me. "You however, don't measure up to 1% of the usual irregular manpower." He squints his eyes, "I'd say 2% with the nunchuks."

"Follow me." He says nonchalantly, I doubt he'd notice if I don't actually follow him. He suddenly turns back to look at me when I don't follow after. "Irregular,"

This time my brain reacts instantly. "My name, as you might be well aware of," I take in a deep breath and exhale, "is Carmine."

He raises a brow, "So?"

"So," I grit my teeth, "address me by my proper name."

"I don't want to, irregular."

"Hey listen to me-"

"I already said we don't have time to waste."

With that he starts walking, leaving no room for argument. I follow him up until he stops walking and my forehead flies into his hardened vertebrae again. Lord, help me so I don't have a concussion. I grab his hood and pull him down to my eye level. He doesn't have time to react so he just stares into my eyes, awaiting whatever movement comes next.

"I'm sorry Mr Keanu but next time you WANT to stop like that, signify." I keep talking while he looks at me rather amusingly. "Not everyone is around the same height as you so I INSIST that when you walk, make sure to consider other people around."

"Did locking yourself up all alone make you grow bolder?" He pries my finger off his hood and rises to his normal height. Looking at me from the boundaries of his eyelashes, as though I am a speck before his eyes. Arrogant bastard. "Regardless, I'll try to make note of that."

I manage to break off the unspoken staring contest between my heated gaze and his cold one. My eyes flicker to the surrounding ahead of us. It is a completely different scene than I'd conjure up in my head.

See, in my head I'd make up different weights of handcuffs and chains and a table full of different surgical instruments.

And no it wasn't a BDSM room like you may have first guessed, I was expecting a slaughterhouse. Like the types where they ram and shackle and severe people's heads off in horror movies.

I was wrong.

I was so wrong.

It is a vast, luscious, green field. Full of fighting... equipments. Arguably the most beautifully carved ones I'd ever seen. Different arrows and knives are stacked in a farther side of the field, while ahead of me... are targets. Tons of targets lined up horizontally, painted white, deep blue, light blue, red and the bullseye, yellow. With all those arrows I'd seen earlier... this has to be where Keanu trains.

"You... this place... this is yours??" My voice, way too high-pitched for my liking.

"I should be humble and not take credit for everything but..." He looks around briefly before walking towards me. "The easier answer would be yes. Of course, I couldn't have done this without the help of those you'd call... partners."

He doesn't reach me before walking around and watching me from a distance while I do the same, we are both watching each other closely, and walking in circles. Well, I'm only walking in circles because he started it. "You have other partners?" I don't know why I sound so disappointed and surprised, but I do. "Apart from me?"

"Is that so unbelievable, irregular, that I would have other people I work with?" He raises a brow before smiling, so tiny it could be mistaken for a grimace. "Well I do."

"I have to meet them!"

He rolls his eyes. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"Why not? You've met my friends." I eye him.

"And I don't like them."

"Well that's a problem from your side." I hold back my laugh when I see the disgusted look on his face. "You have to let me at least see their faces! You know, so I don't hurt any of them ignorantly in the future."

"Then put your mind at rest," His voice, mocking. "You won't be able to. Besides, that's not why I brought you here."

"Oh you think watching you train would be a much eventful activity then."

"I knew irregulars were dense but you are just on another level." He groans while rubbing his eyes in circles. "I brought you here to train. I'm going to be training you. Your fighting skills are horrible, your aim is terrible, you are nothing without your nunchuks, you have no clue how to use them and I can't teach you about that anyways. I don't want to get close to those instruments of death. But what I do know a lot about is arrows."

"Ehm," I raise my hand. "Hate to break it to you but I can't touch an arrow to save my life. I literally cannot hold the thing, it goes the opposite direction of where I want it to. Meaning, if you stand too close when I aim, you might end up with an arrow stuck in your foot."

He chuckles. "Thats why we're having this... training sessions. If you can even hit the white ring, that's more than enough precision for an irregular."

I laugh. "Are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious. We're training until you can hit the white ring."

I roll my eyes. "I know I'm bad, but not that bad. I can definitely hit the white thing-"

An arrow is up in my face before I can conclude my humble bragging. The tip is without a head, now how the hell is this supposed to hit anything? "I think you're forgetting something." I gesture at the top of the arrow.

"Ah, for now you're training with headless arrows. I don't want to have to be on guard the entire time for fear of my life. Just try not to hit any major organs."

I roll my eyes at him and he puts the arrow in my hand before I can snatch it from him. He nods at the target and I bring out my tongue then turn to face my third archnemesis, yes the second is someone else, in case you were wondering.

I pick up the bow and plant my boots firmly in the ground, drawing the string up to my face level and close one eye shut. I had aim for the blue ring, so it would hit the white when it landed. But even I could tell that is NOT where the arrow went. "Where..."

"I believe you lost something." An annoyed voice growls behind me.

"Ah..." I turn slowly to Keanu who is holding the arrow up in front of his left eye. "Sorry." I eventually say when I see how firm his grip on the arrow is, almost like if he had not made it in time, there would be a bleeding hollow hole in place of his eye.

"Try not to aim for the eyes, those are essential for aiming, maybe somewhere lower." My eyes remain fixed on his hand. "Perhaps, you need me to show you before you can do it at least decently?" He suggests, harshly grabbing the bow from me. He is not letting my attempt to crush his eye go any moment.

I watch from the sidelines as he hold the arrow close to his eye and a metal head forms from the arrow with a note attached to it. Woah. How does he do that?? The arrow and note hits the bullseye effortlessly. He puts the bow down to look at me and then points at the note. That's how you do it, it says.

"How did you do that? The note?" I stare back at the note, too curious to notice him walking up to me briskly.

"It's part of my abilities."

"Abilities?"

"When you get to level 20, you'll understand. Don't worry about it."

He pulls my hand and drags me right in front of the target. "Give me the bow, let me try again."

"I'm not risking any more organs." He says, annoyed. My lips form a tight grimaces as he looks at me hopelessly. "Well what do you want me to do?" Comes my reply as he continue to bore holes into my soul. Suddenly, he forces me to look ahead and he places the bow and arrow over my head.

I just notice... he's standing behind me. Holding me tightly so I don't escape. The space between us is little to none, and this is when my cheeks decide to burn scarlet red. Perfect timing. "W-what are you doing?"

"If showing you isn't enough, surely assisting you has to be." He says as he tightens his hold around my torso and pulls my upper body into his. "It's no use if you can't aim well and try to use nunchuks."

Wait a damn cycle!

Why is all the blood in my body rushing to my face?? Stop! I don't think it's stopping.

I turn a bit to look at him, hoping he won't notice the hotness of my face. "Can you not-"

He uses his index finger to push my face forward. "Look straight ahead, don't ever take your eyes off the target."

If I thought his hold on me was tight before, it wasn't. Because now I can literally feel the heat emanating from his body. "Focus," he growls in my ear. Shivers run through my spine and my vision zooms in on the target before me.

"Breathe."

Pretty difficult to do that when you're literally breathing down my neck.

"Now aim," he raises the bow to my eye level, I just notice that he's standing lower than usual to be the same height as me. I breathe in once and focus on the white ring. "Let go." And I do just that, to my surprise, the arrow hits not the white ring but the edge of it.

"I almost hit it!" I nearly choke on my own excitement. "Did you see that?!"

"Technically, you used my help to almost do that." But a little smile of approval forms on his lips. "Although, that wasn't so bad for a second try."

Ha! In your face!

We keep training till I can efficiently hit the white ring, but as soon as I start to hit it I can't go further than that, the deep blue ring becomes my new third archnemesis.

"Next time we'll be doing something different. Wear exactly what you're wearing now."

"And what will that be?"

"Fist-fighting." He opens up his inventory and passes a purple-liquid potion to me. "You'll need it to teleport."

"A teleportation potion? I thought those are extremely hard to get."

"They are. But I have an unlimited supply of it."

I could keep asking questions like this tirelessly but I should get home soon. I bet Peyton will be looking for me right now, the sun is starting to set. Then again, she doesn't know I was kidnapped by Black Hood. Also, I've been inside my room for weeks without seeing her, she must be worried sick.

Keanu's back is turned to me but I wave before drinking the portion and end up in front of the Motel. It is still open, I see she is as busy as ever. I manage to enter without overweight costumers crushing me against the wall. When I see Peyton, I jerk her over the counter.

"You are really busy nowadays, huh?"

"Carmine! When did you come out of your room? I thought you were gonna be in there forever!" I laugh. "I'm serious, you just ate my food and never said anything to me." She pouts.

"Sorry," I pat her head. "My life was too much of a mess to talk to anyone at the moment."

"And you're okay now?"

I nod. "Totally." Then I think about my little adventure with Keanu. "I trained with Black Hood today."

Her eyebrows raise as expected but they go back down surprisingly and rise back up in an oddly faked manner. "Really?"

"Yeah..." I thought she'd be more worried. "But it's fine! It's training for me to become stronger... just like I wanted!"

"I still don't trust him." Her brows crease. Now that's a more sincere reaction, quite expected and understandable. "Make sure to watch out in case he makes any sudden moves."

"I will." Some men and women start yelling. "I think they need you." She sighs as she stands and jogs towards the source of the noise and I quickly slip away to my room.

I notice Serena has been quiet for quite a while.

"Are you asleep?"

No.

"Okay." I don't really need anything from her right now but knowing she is still active is enough.

I fall asleep, waking up the next morning with Black Hood about to knock on my door, before disappearing into the forest with him for another round of training.

This became my routine for weeks... our training sessions. Each time my strength increasing and my aim improving. One day Keanu had given me a thumbs up and said: "If you keep improving at this rate, one day you'll be able to be as strong as me. Well that would be impossible, but an irregular can dream, can't she?"

My motivation to kick him in the nuts also improved drastically after that statement. But I knew one thing was constant, and that was how much I kept changing with each day.

And then one evening,

Manpower: 25.

"I think you're ready." Keanu says after we've trained severely.

"For what?"

"For me to use 10% of my power on you."

You mean all of that was not even up to ten percent??? Well, at least I know what is going to be on my grave sign.

Here lies the irregular who died from being overworked by an overpowered unregistered.

Wouldn't that be something?

A/N:
Ah yes, I'm finally back to uploading Glitch. Sorry for disappearing like that without credible excuses. Can't wait to read all your awesome books!! 🤩🤩😇