"I want you to be a member of the Frederik household," Phonzo's voice turned cold.
Naturally, Ammaina was surprised and puzzled by his request. She already had many questions brewing in her mind, such as how he found her, why she didn't sense him until he appeared, and whether that was really his father.
At first, it seemed like a cruel joke, but Phonzo's expression was serious, not comical. The urge to ask him why brewed within her, but she kept it under a tight lid. Without any arguments or retributions, she accepted his offer, her eyes glued to Phonzo's tilting figure, as if he were about to crash to the ground.
Phonzo's gaze remained on Mr. Valkyrie's shop, staring down at it with an expression that was a mix of anger and depression, trying to hide his intentions.
Wasting no time, he darted back in the opposite direction, his cold, bruised fingers gripping Ammaina's soft palm tightly as he dragged her with him, hoping to meet his father halfway.
They both dashed through the city's littered streets and narrow alleys as a shortcut, the gushing winds leaping off their hair and faces. Phonzo dragged Ammaina with an intense force, though he stumbled at times, nearly about to fall on his face each time, that was all the strength his frail body could offer.
Ammaina's eyes hid her pity, her shaky lips covering her protest. Despite how many times he stumbled, she never took the lead from him. A true friend Phonzo could never understand, for he couldn't even remember her birthday.
While in Hora's park, Helbert sat on a wooden bench, watching the joyful playing and chattering of children. The green pastures felt like clouds beneath his feet. It was long since his feet last touched anything that wasn't glass or concrete, but in Tora, people of high class had to maintain their dignity.
Most of the animals had gone extinct due to the increasing mana density, and all plants and trees were taken away from Tora's city and kept in a habitat made only for animals, where humans were not allowed.
For someone of his rank, this was more like a breath of fresh air, if not more. Mrs. Valkyrie, of course, remained still, as she stood frozen behind him, her posture so sturdy one could mistake her for a statue. Her two palms squeezed tightly into a fist, annoyance clearly visible on her face.
Clearly an unspoken agreement existed between the two, which made her angry. Perhaps it could have been about the price at which Ammaina was bought, or...
"Mr. Helbert!" Phonzo's voice echoed from the distance, locating Helbert like a GPS within minutes. His attributes and perception skills had increased within the short span of a day. Running anything more than 3km was a challenge for Phonzo, yet he dashed through 15km without losing much of his stamina, as if he had been amped somehow.
Or at least, those were the things Ammaina observed, her pitying stare slowly mixing with curiosity.
"Hmm?" Helbert turned his head to the voice's direction, met with a disappointed view. "Oh, it's you, um... what's your name again, street kid?" His scowl sharper than his piercing gaze.
Unable to utter a single word more, Phonzo loosened his tight grip on Ammaina, shoving her lightly to the front as he turned his head to the grass in fear. All he could do was talk big, but when the time came, he was still the same, pretty useless.
"I'm happy you know your place, filth," Helbert's scowl lightened as he turned his focus towards Ammaina. Her face furrowed in disgust, clenching her jeans tightly, trying to hold in her rage, her imposing body nearly about to pounce on him.
Her feisty attitude sealed the deal. Helbert became determined to have her at any cost, her wishes no longer holding any weight in the matter. "If you want to attack me, go ahead, my guard's down," he taunted.
Striking a chord in Ammaina, her composure vanished like smoke, impulsively she leapt off the ground to attack, lifting her left leg to launch a strong kick, her movements cutting through the wind like butter.
Luckily, Mrs. Valkyrie intercepted her swung kick, nearly about to strike Helbert's face. At that moment, Ammaina was too consumed by her rage to think rationally. It was impossible for someone of her level to go up against Helbert Frederik.
The mere force of her kick tossed Mrs. Valkyrie across the park, the sound of cracking bones breaking the cheerful vibe that dwelt in the place. The heads and attention of people turned, Mrs. Valkyrie's condition shocking all the bystanders, traumatizing the children as their silence swept the place like a plague.
"Ammaina what have you done!" phonzo yelled in shock though clearly discernible it was pretence.
Obviously he was aiming to accomplish something with his act, though Ammaina seemed aware of what it was in that instant.
Two men sprung into action lifting Mrs. Valkyrie's body above the ground as they cleared a path, trying to rush her to the nearest hospital in haste. Her unconscious body wobbled and swung on his back.
Now was not the time to ask Phonzo his reason for trying to incriminate her, nor to confront Helbert Frederik and pull him from his high horse. Ammaina swung towards the men's direction, tossing her mom on her back and darting at a greater speed than they could ever reach, the wind she left nearly tossing them away like paper.
"Well done, Phonzo," Helbert's demeanor turned eerie. He had been watching with a smirk on his face throughout the entire time, a fairly entertaining display for him, though it lacked the pizzazz of true cinema.
He stood from his seat in satisfaction, coming to Hora wasn't a complete waste, though he deemed it pretty worthless. Helbert read through Phonzo's like an open book. Ammaina was obviously going to decline and ridicule his father, which was why she never uttered a word despite her stubborn nature, thus Phonzo used her impulsive mistake to create an instance where...
"...She'd be forced to leave," an impressed smile stretched across Helbert's face. Phonzo might have been useless as a kin, but his intellect held benefits.
Taking out his hand from his pocket, Helbert stretched out Phonzo's, dropping a handful of gold coins on his palm, its bright glitter reflecting on both their faces.
"Thank you for your efforts. Please keep the change," Helbert whispered, his cold voice overlapped by the clattering coins.
All together, it was about 200-300 gold coins, which was up 200-300M bronze coins if converted. The stench of gold stirred up greed amongst the bystanders, while Phonzo continued to watch the coins fall from his palm.
"I'll send someone tomorrow to pick up what belongs to me," Helbert told his son before tossing the rest of the gold coins towards the crowd, watching them squirm for a piece. "You should be like them, trying to pick leftovers from the ground."
He turned his body once more, ignoring Phonzo where he stood, frozen in place with a stack full of gold coins glittering in his palms. Helbert strolled until his body dissipated in the distance.
"I'll make you pay, Helbert Frederik, even if it kills me!" Phonzo's determined words escaped his lips as he clenched the golden coins tightly in his palms.