Runecraft Volume 1: Takeo's Beginning [12.4k Words]

Takeo Yuudai's Beginning- Part 2

The students left through the pristine metallic school gates of Tottori High and out onto the main road. The Sidewalk outside of their school was an orange-yellow colour and it bordered the road on either side. Cherry blossoms dispersed themselves from the trees during April. Often they would pile up in the midst of the paths, Takeo forced himself through a large pile on his skateboard as they turned a corner. Thus undoing the hard work of the cleaner who had just tidied them up. “These leaves piss me off,” he muttered to himself.

The cleaner grunted in frustration as he witnessed all of his hard work undone, knowing that he would have to redo it.

Keisuke turned another corner, almost as if she was guessing.
“Where are you going? The turn for the government facility isnt for another two miles… in this direction."
Keisuke turned to Takeo.
“ I Know a Shortcut, my mum used to take me to the nursing home where she worked, and those were the days they had no one else to take care of me. The government facility is near there”
“Good Grief, I did not need an anecdote. You could have just said you know a shortcut. “

Keisuke led the way as she looped around the busy town centre and into the outskirts of the main city. Passing by all the office buildings that were not lucky enough to bask in the afternoon sun, the ones that sat on the side lanes and roads that had little traffic on.

The Pair passed by a row of market stalls on their new route. Empty and abandoned, broken and discoloured. The homeless often take refuge in them. They began to move swiftly as the evening drew near, consuming the horizon as they walked. Keisuke took her phone from the hip pocket on her blazer. The case was a light pink that nearly matched her hair.
“I’m just messaging my mother to tell her I may not be back until later tonight.”
Takeo rolled his eyes.
"Your mother won't worry if you are 20 minutes later than usual."
"She will though, she's nothing like what ive heard of yours. My mother is very punctual and hates it when people are late to pre-organised events"

They turned another corner and stood in front of them was the government facility. They were back closer to the main city now.
It was a small silver door with blackout windows and a large steel door sat comfortably in the base level floor of a tall building that presumably had offices above. There wasn't a significant roof, not that the pair could see at least, as it was so high in the air.

They Approached the site. Takeo walked confidently up to one of the security guards on the front gate. Keisuke was overwhelmed with a sensation of nervousness almost suddenly.

Takeo nodded at the guard and they were straight in. Keisuke hadn't even seen his lips move.
The security guard escorted the pair of highschoolers through the first door. The pair followed his instructions, taking note that he may have a weapon. Inside the building seemed rather peculiar but had what most would expect a government centre to have. In front of them was a reception desk. They approached to check in with the receptionist.

The receptionist did not say a word, instead she just pointed at the door to the right of them. The receptionist did in fact have a rune, it was subtle and sat around her eye, a small yellow crescent shape. Her actions were unnoticed and she'd analysed the pair and read them like a decently detailed book before they had even opened their mouths. She knew what they were here for before they could express it.

The pair opened the door, the receptionist pointed to, above them a single light dangled, flickering on and off repeatedly, it was clear to see it was dying out quickly and no one had been bothered to fix it.