Chapter 11: Lying to Grandma
Chapter 11: Lying to Grandma
Jin stood there, grimacing with his eyes closed; pessimistically presuming that he was already dead.
He shuddered in fear, removing his hands from his face.
The first thing he realized was the message on his screen when he did so.
[HP: 4/10]
After seeing that he had lost Health from the jarring entrance of the strange object, he started roving at his body; scruitizing it for wounds. He searched, but to no avail, for he seemed practically unharmed physically.
Apparently, the shock waves brought by the object’s entrance was so impactful that it did Jin harm.
Finally, he decided to look at what he had beckoned to his house. He deliberately looked ahead, focussing on what was between his ankles.
Quickly, he spasmed; darting up from the ground, and rushing towards his bedroom door.
He locked the door in case his Grandmother came budging in and seeing what it was. He certainly could not have her do so by any means.
After locking the door, Jin leaned his back against it, and peered at the object again.
It was a black blade with green accents. It looked like it was called upon, and edged straight out of hell.
By just looking at it alone, Jin could tell that it was insanely sharp and deadly. It looked entirely from another world. The energy it dispersed had filled the room, wafting through the air.
This dark energy was but ominous to his senses alone. This said energy felt like the one that would flow out of a murderer’s body when he finally breathed his last breath.
Jin started brimming with fear, upon hearing it call out to him; sinister, muffled whispering sounding through the room. Standing there, he was stricken by an upsurge of the utmost regret immediately.
The weapon seemed to be calling his name. Calling to him, greedily keeping his undivided attention to itself. He was mesmerized by its presence.
Jin was only snapped out of it after hearing, “JIN!? ARE YOU OKAY!?”
He looked away from the sword, and answered, “Yeah, grandma. I’m totally fine…”
“What happened!?”
“It’s uh…nothing,” he replied.
Her aggressive efforts to open the door were heard clearly by him.
“Open the door, Jin!”
He put his hands on his head, “Fuck, what am I going to do now,” he muttered.
“Jin. Open. The. Door. Now!”
He heard a loud bang coming from the door. This caused his heart to race like a sports car.
“Just a sec, Grandma…gimme a second.”
On an impulse Jin opened the system screen, and went back to the Weapon tab where he had summoned the weapon.
In light of finding an option that would make the sword disappear, Jin, heart pounding like bongo-drums, crossed his fingers; shuddering nervously.
He quickly opened the Weapon screen.
[Weapons in use: Laevateinn]
Jin had no idea what to do from here. But then he got a hunch that he hoped would amount to something.
He pressed on the area where it showed the weapons he was using, but nothing happened. Then, he did the same thing again, pressing on the text, ‘Laevateinn’, this time.
Subsequently, something else came up.
[Are you sure you want to expel this weapon?]
“Jin, what’s taking you so long? Let me in!”
Jin skimmed through the prompt message, and quickly blurted out, “Yes!”
“Who are you talking to in there!?”
The sword suddenly disintegrated, leaving behind particles that in turn disappeared.
There were still things to cover up: the hole in the ceiling, and the damaged floor.
***
Jin opened the door to his room, and his Grandmother promptly burst through it.
The first thing she saw was a rumpled bed, in the middle of the room. She quickly came to know that this bed wasn’t there before.
“Jin?”
“Grandma?”
She looked at him, “What was that loud sound?”
He scratched his back, “Was it that loud?”
“Yeah, I heard it from all the way outside. What happened?”
“I told you already, Grandma, you don’t have to worry about me so much. I’m fine,” he approached her, “I was simply playing GRIM with my game speakers all the way up. When an explosion happened in the game, it almost deaf me.”
“You sure it’s the game?”
“Yeah, I’m telling you,” he put an arm around her neck, “It was the game. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that loud though. Is it something to do with your age? I heard you lose a lot of your hearing when you age,” he walked her out of his bedroom, “But they in school say that an instant of super hearing is a rare symptom and a side-effect of taking the Ability Suppression pills as a newborn at the hospital…”
“For real?”
He simpered, “For real. I’ve got research as well to back it up if you’re that desperate. They say that the pills permanently hinder your body. When you age with these damaged nerves and whatever, you develop hyperacusis as opposed to the more common hearing loss.”
“Grandma,” he frowned, “I’m worried about you. I can’t believe you’re getting symptoms of hyperacusis…it’s the retarded Government’s fault again. Those stupid pills, man. Y’know, I’m pretty sure you even heard loud sounds coming from my room about a day or two ago, didn’t you?”
“I…I did…”
“Didn’t you take the time to ask yourself, ‘how can a skinny, weak, crippled boy like my Grandson be capable of making all that ruckus. And why now of all times, when he never made it before’?”
She chuckled, “I suppose you weren’t so capable. But look at you now—you’re walking, Jin!”
Tears trickled down her face as she sat on the couch; bursting in tears like a cloud on edge.
“Grandma-Grandma,” he cooed, “Why are you crying? I’m on cloud nine today—I woke up walking like Jesus after death!”
“Aren’t you happy for me?”
Wiping her tears, she sniffled, “I’m sorry, Jin.”
“No problem. Now get some rest, alright? I’m in my room if you need me…”
“Okay. Just come sit with me and chat for a while when you’re not busy, okay?”
“Will sure do,” he, back turned, smirked, walking away.
He walked into his room, and locked his door.
Sighing loudly in great relief, he leaned against this closed door, raising his head and looking up at the ceiling.
‘Showing my ability to walk to Grandma now was one major, risky blunder on its own already. Her catching me doing the impossible, or using an ability, is a risk I can not afford to take right now.’
He sighed, ‘There’s no telling what they’ll do with me, knowing that I’ve got this thing in my possession. People whose Abilities cannot be suppressed ends serving a life sentence in jail, regardless of their ages.’
‘I don’t want that for my life. Not until I decide what I’m gonna do with it at least. I’ll get to the bottom of this new asset I have…I will…’
‘And I’ll do my best—best not to get my cover blown…’
When suddenly, another screen appeared before Jin.
[Deception, Deception, Deception]
[+3 Exp]
[Exp: 4/10 | Level 1]
Jin knew that he had only received the experience points because of what he did to his grandmother.
After all there was a conscious usage of repetition in the phrase, ‘Deception, Deception, Deception’. This could only mean that Jin had just deceived someone.
Who other than his own Grandmother?
He approached his bed, and pushed it a meter back, now revealing a cracked flooring, and a hole in this same area. Some of the tiles on the floor were cracked as well, and traces of the ominous energy lingered.
He shook his head, and covered up the damage, by pushing his bed over it again. Looking at the hole in the ceiling, he still had no idea how his grandmother missed it when she had budged into his room.
Thinking about his grandma made him feel guilty. Incredibly guilty.
He felt horrible about what he did to her, he sat on his office chair, peering up at the ceiling.
He felt horrible…yet strangely great at the same time. An ineffable, mixed feeling. Feelings contradictory to each other. A feeling he never had before.
What was this feeling?
A feeling that made him worry about himself.
He used his quick-thinking, knowledge, and his grandmother’s flaw, which was her age, against her.
Should his obnoxious lying keep at this rate for the rest of his life, there was no way in hell he would even get a peek at heaven.
He turned on his computer, peering at the screen. He made up his mind to do a little research, given that he now had a god-like Search Engine in his possession.
He did have his worries about using it though, as it was clearly illegal.
Expeditiously typing the word, ‘Laevateinn’ into the Super Search’s search bar, he smirked.
“Goddamn, I had no idea I could lie like that,” he shrugged his shoulders, “But hey—not complaining. Free Exp after all…”