We stopped and parked some distance from the main West Gate area, hiding the Phantom among a cluster of broken-down motorbikes in an open-air car park. I didn’t want to risk losing the bike, or worse, getting stuck without a quick exit.

  We’d changed clothes before leaving and now blended in with the unaffiliated people. But we were armor less. Both Siva’s shirt and my tee were disguised as armor, but I couldn’t afford to look too much like me. We’d also stripped off any magical gear, like my rings of strength and dexterity, and Siva’s beret, anything that might make us stand out.

  I couldn’t shake the feeling of being exposed. For the first time in weeks, I felt vulnerable. I was used to the weight of my armor and the boosts it gave. Now, without any of that, I felt... light.

  I’d rearranged my hotlist before we left, making it easier to quickly equip my [Coat of Invisibility] and [Boots of the Speeding Garrick] if things went south. The only problem was, I couldn’t wear anything else on my feet if I wanted to equip the boots. So right now, Siva and I were both wearing flip-flops as Siva’s boots also allowed him to activate his [Air Walk] ability.

  I knew there was a 7-Eleven inside the shopping center, so the plan was to pretend we needed to activate our systems. I hoped it would give us a chance to interact with some Temple members and get a better read on their strength and abilities. And if I could, also figure out their numbers and the kind of enhancements they had. From our brief interaction a few days ago, I noticed they mostly used regular weapons, except for that one guy with the crossbow fused to his arm. I needed to know if there was more to their skills than that.

  For now, we had a truce with the Rebels, but I had a hunch about the Temple that I wanted to test. That’s one of the reasons we were making this dangerous trip into Temple territory today.

  We hunched and shuffled our way toward the West Gate shopping center. As expected, guards were posted at various points, crossbows aimed at us, but they didn’t stop us. I noticed one of them staring off into space for a moment, and I guessed he was messaging someone. My suspicion was confirmed when a group of more menacing Temple members approached us shortly after.

  The leader of the group raised a hand, signaling for us to stop. “Where are you going?” he asked, his tone firm.

  Siva spoke up, as planned. I didn’t want them recognizing my voice.

  “Sorry, sir. My uncle and I were hoping to head to the 7-Eleven. We heard we could get upgrades there.” Siva kept his eyes down, speaking meekly.

  “Where are you from?” the man asked, eyeing us with suspicion.

  I took the moment to study them. The rest of his group, except for him, looked like they’d stepped straight out of the ‘90s, wearing a mishmash of loose cargo pants, denim & faux-leather jackets with metal studs, and chains dangling from everywhere. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. The look was so over-the-top, I half expected to hear a 'Yo MTV Raps' intro.

  The guy doing the questioning was a Chinese man in his mid-thirties. He was the only one in regular clothes, dressed in a shirt and pants, but there were metal implants peeking out from under his collar and snaking up his neck. I couldn’t tell if they were enhancements or just... weird body mods, and I had no idea what it meant.

  “We were hiding in the house, but we can’t take it anymore. We need help, sir,” Siva replied, his voice submissive.

  The man stepped back, muttered something to his group, and then walked off.

  “Follow me,” said Denim Jacket, gesturing for us to follow him. We did, weaving through the crowds of Temple members lounging around the shopping center. They were dressed like ‘90s street thugs and were just hanging out at the cafes and restaurants, chatting and smoking, like it was a weekend in Paris. None of them even gave us a second glance.

  We snaked our way through the crowd, up the escalator… to Ikea.

  What the actual fuck. Ikea? Really?

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  They’d rearranged the furniture in the middle of the store, clearing out the space where the kitchen accessories used to be. Instead, there were mismatched chairs lined up in rows, facing a makeshift stage with a podium. It felt like I had just stumbled into some weird seminar.

  Denim Jacket motioned for us to sit in the front row, then moved to the back with the rest of the group. Siva shot me a glance, and I could tell exactly what he was thinking… What. The. Fuck.

  It wasn’t long before an older Chinese man in his forties walked onto the stage. He stood at the podium, neat in a light coat, polo shirt, and bermuda shorts. Metal augmentations ran down both of his calves, disappearing into his sneakers.

  I was starting to see a pattern. The higher up the hierarchy you were, the more cybernetics you seemed to have. The thought gnawed at me. Why were these cybernetic enhancements considered better than the spells and abilities we had?

  I was about to find out as the man spoke.

  “Hi, I’m Marcus,” he said with a pleasant smile. “I’d like to welcome you to the Temple. We always welcome new initiates, and I thank you for making this decision.”

  His voice was friendly, almost too friendly, like an insurance agent pitching a policy. It didn’t sound threatening at all. I began to wonder if the group we’d met on our first day here was some kind of rogue offshoot.

  “Let me show you why you’ve made the right choice,” he continued, but was interrupted by Siva.

  “Please, we just need food,” Siva said, his voice pleading. This wasn’t part of the plan, but I decided to roll with it, miming eating by bringing my hand to my mouth.

  “Ah yes… we’ll provide a light reception after the talk,” Marcus replied smoothly. The white wall behind him suddenly lit up with images, though there wasn’t a projector in sight. I glanced up at the ceiling looking for one but couldn’t see any and turned my attention back to him as he began his spiel. And fuck me, did he speak.

  There were moments during his talk when it felt like I was sitting through a timeshare sales pitch, but honestly, it was kind of informative. We got lucky. Really lucky. Today’s objective was information gathering, and we didn’t have to do much of that. Information was practically thrown at us.

  We learned that the Temple leadership, and by extension, all its members, had a direct connection to the system AI. After activating their systems, they no longer needed to visit any 7-Eleven for upgrades or purchases. Instead, they had an interface built into their HUDs that allowed them to directly communicate with the system AI.

  According to Marcus, this was superior to what the ‘filthy rebels’ had, the traditional RPG method of leveling up via shop interfaces and random loot drops. They still had to grind through mobs to get loot and gold, but they could choose their loot instead of receiving random items.

  Once you reached a high enough level, you could upgrade your own body with enhancements. And apparently, this was a better option because, once you were enhanced, no ‘Dispel Magic’ spell or other enchantment could affect you, or stop you from accessing your inventory.

  “They can’t remove what’s already part of you,” Marcus added, wiggling his finger with a grin.

  “But... the system is giving all of this for free?” Siva asked, eyes wide and lips trembling. He was laying it on thick, but Marcus seemed completely unfazed.

  Marcus smiled wider and replied that all they had to do in return was worship the AI and rid the country of unbelievers so it could take over Singapore. Once that was done, the AI would be free to introduce more technology, like time travel.

  For the umpteenth time today, I found myself thinking, What the actual fuck...?

  How was it possible that these people didn’t see it? The AI had already taken over the entire country. This was just another simulation, a game for it to play out. How could these people not see that?

  I was about to ask Marcus a question, but before I could, he added, “Let me introduce our head of security, Faisal.”

  At that, a Malay man walked onto the stage. He had long hair and wore a vest and cargo pants, with a crossbow fused to his arm.

  Fuck. It’s him. Crossbow-arm guy.

  Faisal nodded at Marcus, took the podium, and placed his hands on it. He smiled and was about to speak when he froze, his eyes locking with mine. A wide grin stretched across his face. I heard the chairs scraping behind us as Denim Jacket and his friends stood, likely preparing to kill us.

  Chris: Time to go.

  Time seemed to slow as Faisal raised his crossbow arm, a bolt magically slotting into place. I kicked off my flip-flops, triggered my [Boots of the Speeding Garrick], and grabbed Siva around the waist. Without a second thought, I dashed out of Ikea, moving faster than humanly possible. The crossbow bolt hadn’t even left its rail when we bolted for the exit.

  I was moving too fast. I crashed through the glass barrier of the fourth floor of the shopping center, hoping that Siva would activate his boot’s [Air Walk] ability before we turned into human pancakes.

  I glanced down at his feet as we fell, and he was still in flip-flops.

  Fuck...

  Cambion’s Awakening — [A Lite-RPG Progression Fantasy Romance]

  by Rauxon

  Orphaned at six years old, Projo was raised as a blacksmith’s apprentice. Strange occurrences growing up led him to believe he may be cursed, until a reckless act of heroism nearly kills him and he discovers he may be half demon.

  Cambion’s Awakening is a Progression Fantasy adventure with a unique magic system. Come with Projo as he learns to control his abilities, discovers the dark secrets behind them, and achieves it all through love and violence.

  What to Expect:

  - Single-POV Storytelling: Journey with Projo as he unravels the mystery of his own existence.

  - A Unique Magic System: Magic isn't just fireballs. It's a mysterious, biological force that the characters work to understand.

  - Lite-RPG World-Building: No EXP or stat growth shown, but there are plenty of progression focused training moments. Each quest and every coin matters and they are meticulously tracked. Armor needs mending, every fight has consequences, and the sky is the limit on what Projo can achieve.