The engine purred as the car rolled through the futuristic highway, neon lights streaking past like shooting stars. Skyscrapers pierced the sky, and massive holographic billboards floated above the streets like gods watching over the city.
Denver pressed her forehead against the window.
There they were.
Robert the mountain giant, a towering man with skin like stone, lifting an entire collapsed building like it weighed nothing.
Julieta the falling petal, a graceful woman floating in midair, petals swirling around her like a living storm.
And dozens more famous gift user plastered in those massive holographic billboards.
"Could I ever be like them…?"
Her heart stirred with something dangerous, it was hope. From the back seat, Dion let out a dramatic sigh, clicking his tongue.
"Don't tell me you're thinking about becoming a Paladin."
Denver flinched. "H-How did you-?"
"You get that dumb inspirational face whenever you think of something stupid," Dion said flatly.
She turned to him, annoyed. "What if I am?"
Dion immediately launched into a rant, sitting up straight like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment.
"Become a Paladin? You?" He scoffed, but his eyes were glued to the billboard. "Do you even understand what Paladins are? They're not just your average gift users. They're walking natural disasters whenever they fight a whole city gets evacuated."
He pointed at Robert the giant's hologram. "That guy once punched a meteor. A METEOR. Do you know how big meteors are? Because the last time I checked they are VERY BIG."
Denver stared at him. "You really are a nerd aren't you?."
"Shut up" Dion answered instantly. "I hate the government propaganda around them."
He then immediately whispered, "But Julieta's ability is actually insane falling petal lets her control atmospheric pressure using microscopic particles. She can literally walk on air."
Mom blinked at him through the rearview mirror. "Dion, you hated superheroes?"
"I hate society's obsession with them," he replied, looking away, ears slightly red. "Not the heroes themselves, that would be stupid."
Denver smirked. "Sure, fanboy."
He continued, voice rising with passion. "And Paladins aren't even confirmed to be fully human. Some people think they're experiments, some think they're aliens, and there's that theory that they're time travelers from the future-"
"Dion," Mom interrupted. "We are driving."
"Right. Sorry."
He leaned back, crossed his arms, and pretended to be uninterested again.
"…Still, you'd never make it," he added casually.
That one sentence hit harder than a meteor.
"Yeah… right I am cursed."
Denver looked back at the window, the dream fading like static.
'How can I even dream of becoming one… when I received a curse?"
Some time later, the car slowed.
Denver looked up and nearly had her soul leave her body.
The mall stood before them like a floating city five stories tall, endless glass walls, massive digital banners looping sales, idols, and Gift User commercials. The entrance doors alone looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Mom was practically vibrating in her seat.
"Mom clearly drove us here because she's planning something, isn't she?" Denver whispered.
"Well, clearly she is," Dion whispered back.
The car parked, then stepped out and Dion exited last, staring at the crowd pouring into the mall like a tide of ants.
"…This is why I hate going out," he muttered. "There are people... and there are lot of them. Why do humans gather like NPCs in a quest hub?"
"You'll get used to it," Denver said, though she herself felt like an NPC about to be crushed by a raid boss.
Mom clapped her hands, eyes sparkling like she just unlocked a hidden achievement.
"Come on! Hurry up! We have a LOT to buy!"
Dion paled and Denver felt fear. The mall doors opened like the gates of destiny.
"This is bad, mom is in a good mood."
And whatever it was… It would be a tragedy for their wallets and dignity.
They stepped inside the mall, and instantly, the world changed. It was huge, no it was monstrously huge.
It felt less like entering a mall and more like stepping into an entirely new city. Layers upon layers of stores stretched upward like a futuristic hive, neon signs glowing, holographic ads floating midair, and crowds flowing like rivers of humanity.
This place was called Bright Imperium, and it truly lived up to its name.
Mom's eyes shone, no, it glowed like twin stars. The light reflecting off the glass walls almost blinded both Denver and Dion.
"She's in her natural habitat…" Both Dion and Denver thought in horror. "A shopping predator has entered the wild."
Mom suddenly grabbed Denver's hand with terrifying speed and strength.
"Let's go!" she declared, dragging her toward what could only be described as hell the clothing section. Dion was instantly forgotten, left behind like an abandoned child.
He watched them disappear into the sea of mannequins and fashion stores.
"…Ugh. I really shouldn't have come," he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "This is annoying."
Meanwhile, Denver felt her soul being dragged out of her body.
"So this is how will I be turtured… buried under dresses and discount sales."
Mom, on the other hand, looked happier than she had ever been in her life.
"First, casual outfits! Then formal wear! Then accessories! Then shoes! Then seasonal outfits! Then-"
"Mom, please breathe," Denver begged.
"We have no time fashion waits for no one."
"Someone please get me out of here," Denver prayed.