Melon Encounters

Lala's PoV:

I stand at the edge of the bustling metropolis, my body trembling slightly in the cool breeze. The city thrums with life, a constant flow of energy that both fascinates and overwhelms me. My eyes scan the urban landscape before me, taking in the towering skyscrapers and the endless stream of people rushing about their daily lives. The noise, the smells, the sheer magnitude of it all - it's almost too much for my senses to process, yet I can't look away.

Above, flying cars zip by in organized chaos, their sleek forms darting between towering structures. Higher still, massive ships crawl across the sky, their engines pulsing with vibrant hues that paint the the sky with toxic fumes.

A thin, shimmering barrier arches over the main city, muffling the cacophony to a tolerable hum.

At ground level, I spot a few lumbering transport vehicles, but mostly, it's just people walking, their forms creating a living tapestry of motion.

My gaze is drawn to the heart of it all – a colossal skyscraper that dominates the skyline. It's like a magnet, pulling the flow of people towards and around it in mesmerizing patterns. Lysium, the pulsing heart of Ebber.

I sigh, my breath fogging the air. That's not where I'm headed. That gleaming tower and its surrounding area? It's for the elite. The wealthy. There's even an entrance fee, for crying out loud.

I look at that area with determination in my eyes. We might be struggling right now but I refuse to believe that teacher will allow the situation to stand.

What we need is time to adapt to this world, and that is exactly what cultivators have an excess of.

Peeling my eyes away, I take a sharp turn from the main highway and towards the lower district, my footsteps echoing off the crumbling concrete beneath me. The stark contrast between the glittering skyline I'm leaving behind and the dilapidated structures ahead is jarring, to say the least.

This whole city is a piece of art that makes any immortal wonder I've seen before seem tiny and insignificant. Ebber's Ridge, they call it. It's a thin and long strip of land where, for whatever reason, someone decided to call home a long time ago, slowly giving birth to this place. The sheer audacity of it all still amazes me.

As for the rest of the moon… On one side it's a frozen purgatory while the other side a molten hell. It's a miracle of engineering and stubbornness that this place can exist at all, sandwiched between two extremes.

Making my way through the countless small alleyways, I face the less savory part of the town. The air here is thick with the stench of desperation and decay, a far cry from the sanitized atmosphere of the main strip.

The rich live on the highway. Closer to the shields, the filth of this world gathers. It's a tale as old as time, repeated here on this impossible moon just as it has been everywhere else.

In reality, I don't hate this place. From what I've seen so far, most living here just try to make ends meet with what they have. Decent people, living a heavy life. Their resilience in the face of such adversity is admirable, even if it's born of necessity.

But there are also so many situations I've seen and encountered that make my skin crawl. The depths of depravity that sentient beings can sink to never ceases to shock me, despite all I've witnessed.

And from the looks of it, I'm in the middle of such a situation right now.

At the corner of my eye, silhouettes can be seen moving, growing ever closer. It's not like they're discreet. Their heavy breathing and the occasional clink of metal betray their presence long before they come into view.

I watch as a lone figure emerges from the shadows, his approach deliberate and menacing. The dim light catches on his metallic limbs, revealing a body more machine than flesh. He's decked out in what passes for military gear in this world - a mishmash of high-tech armor and weaponry that stands out among the usual rags and scraps.

My eyes quickly scan his form, cataloging each piece. It's become second nature to me now, assessing what's valuable and what's not. And this guy? He's a walking goldmine.

He moves towards me with an arrogant swagger, clearly savoring what he thinks is fear in my eyes. I let my shoulders slump, my posture becoming meek and submissive. It's all too easy to play the part of the helpless victim.

Inside, though, I'm fighting back a smile. This overconfident piece of shit has no idea what he's walking into. He sees a frail, sickly girl - an easy target. What he doesn't see is the decades of cultivation hidden beneath my skin, the power that could reduce him to scrap metal with a swing.

As he draws closer, I can practically feel the weight of the credits that'll soon be lining our pockets. It's almost comical how he's strutting about, thinking he's the predator when he's really just delivering himself gift-wrapped to me.

I keep my eyes downcast, playing my role to perfection. But in my mind, I'm already tallying up our soon-to-be windfall. Those cybernetic limbs alone could fetch a small fortune in the right market. And that military gear? It'll keep us fed for months.

It seems our financial woes are about to get a significant boost, courtesy of this foolish retard. I struggle to maintain my facade of fear, knowing that in moments, the tables will turn so dramatically it'll make this thug's circuits spin.

As he reaches me, I finally look up, taking in his appearance. His face is mostly human-like, but that third mechanical eye on his forehead is a dead giveaway of his augmented nature. His arms are grotesque things, longer than they should be with an extra joint above the elbow. They're mostly metal and circuitry, barely any flesh left.

With a sickening sound, his right arm splits open, peeling back to reveal a razor blade. The edge hums to life, coated in a thin layer of contained laser arrays. It's a nasty piece of work, designed to cut through just about anything.

I remember the first time I saw a weapon like this. It terrified me then, the sheer destructive potential of it. But now? Now I know better. No matter how sharp that blade is, no matter how advanced the tech, it's useless if it can't hit its target.

And I have no intention of being hit.

The idiot leers at me, clearly savoring what he thinks is fear in my eyes. "Well, well," he drawls, his voice a grating mix of human and synthetic. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?"

I don't answer. Instead, I let my body language do the talking. I hunch my shoulders, make myself look smaller. Prey, that's what I want him to see. Easy pickings.

He takes another step closer, that grotesque arm raised. "No answer? That's alright. You won't need to talk for what I have in mind."

I can't help but smile then, just a little. It's too perfect, really. He's so caught up in his perceived dominance that he's completely missed the trap closing around him.

I can't help but grin as a tiny array springs to life at my feet. Dense fog rolls in, blanketing the area and ensuring no prying eyes or security cameras catch what's about to unfold.

My fist moves in a flash, piercing the cyborg's chest. It bursts through the other side, a mix of blood and oil coating my hand. The self-cleaning functionality of my robe kicks in immediately, leaving no trace of the gruesome act.

Through the heavy fog, I lock eyes with the fool. His face is frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. He topples backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

The others around me are clueless. They have no idea their boss is already dead, and I have zero intention of letting a single one escape. More arrays flicker to life, boosting my speed to inhuman levels.

What follows is a symphony of terror. Screams and desperate cries for help echo through the alley as I tear through the group. Limbs fly, cybernetic implants short-circuit, and bodies crumple.

One by one, they fall. Some try to fight back, their augmented bodies giving them a false sense of security. But against my cultivated strength and speed, they might as well be standing still.

I stand amid the carnage, barely winded. The alley falls silent, the last scavenger hitting the ground with a dull thud.

'Clap clap clap'

The sound echoes through the fog-filled alley. I whirl around, my body tensing for another fight. A figure emerges from the mist. Thin body, glasses, short black hair. He's dressed in official-looking attire, but what strikes me most is the complete lack of cybernetic augments. He's as human as one could be.

No, that's not right. I have no idea what race he is. But he's without a doubt a Type 7, just like me. A human-like race that follows the Universal Prototype.

"You are even more impressive than the rumors claim," the man comments, a thin smile on his face.

Despite the heavy fog, I can feel his eyes on me. He sees me clearly, unhindered by the mist.

"I expect my payment in the provided account," I say, ignoring his comment. "Since you're here, you can take care of the cleanup." I move past him, ready to leave this mess behind.

"You know," he adds, his voice a mere whisper, "a psiker as strong as you could easily make ten times this amount in Lysium every month."

I pause for a moment, his words hanging in the air.

"Not interested."

Leaving those words behind, I burst forth with speed, disappearing into the bustling city. The fog swirls in my wake, obscuring my path as I melt into the crowd, just another face in the endless sea of Ebber's Ridge.

********************

I approach the towering skyscraper, its weathered facade a stark contrast to the sleek, modern buildings surrounding it. "Ebber's Salvation" flickers in neon above the entrance, a beacon of familiarity in this chaotic city. It's been my home for eight months now.

At 50,000 credits per month, it's a steal for its location. But getting in? That's the tricky part. You need a recommendation and the owner's approval. Luckily, Elder Soul's tricks made impressing the owner a breeze. As for the recommendation, well, that was all me – a bit of luck and a lot of patience.

I push through the entrance, the familiar scent of aged wood and polished metal greeting me. The lobby bustles with activity, a mishmash of species and cultures all coexisting under one roof. I feel a few gazes lingering on me as I make my way to the elevators, but they quickly avert their eyes. Everyone knows the rules here – cause trouble, and you're out on your ass faster than you can blink.

The elevator doors slide open with a soft chime. As I step inside, I catch my reflection in the polished metal walls. I look tired, my violet hair a bit disheveled from the day's activities.

The elevator ascends smoothly, carrying me away from the bustle below. I lean against the wall, letting out a long breath. Hunting is the easy part; dealing with the two freeloaders at home is far more difficult.

I step out of the elevator onto the 207th floor, my footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway. The familiar path to room 20732 stretches before me, a journey I've made countless times over the past eight months. As I approach our door, a sudden chill runs down my spine.

My body freezes, every hair standing on end as if electrified. An overwhelming fear grips me, an icy fist clenching around my heart with merciless force. I can't breathe, can't move, paralyzed by a dread so intense it feels like a physical weight pressing down on me. My mind races, desperately trying to make sense of this sudden, inexplicable terror. Something's wrong. Very wrong. The air itself seems to thicken, heavy with an unseen menace that sets every instinct screaming in alarm.

Instinctively, I expand my senses to their limit. It's not much – a foundation establishment cultivator like myself can only do so much – but it's enough to pierce through the door and catch snippets of what's happening inside.

"No way!" Teacher's shocked voice cuts through the air, striking in its intensity.

"I can't believe it," Elder Soul follows, his usual smugness replaced by genuine astonishment.

"This can't be real!" Teacher adds, his words tinged with disbelief.

"I can assure you it's as real as it can get," a young girl's melodious voice resounds.

"W-what is that on her face?" Elder Soul asks, his voice a mixture of wonder and fear.

"I think... It's... a... a... smile?" Teacher says, his words surprising even himself.

I can't stand the humiliation any further and I burst through the door. There, in the center of the room, a large hologram of myself can be seen. Dressed in a simple white dress, with matching shoes and a simple silver necklace. High above myself, the sky is lit with fireworks. I look at them like a country girl that has never seen such wonders before, a large smile on my face, eyes beaming with joy.

And just like that, my carefully crafted persona over the past 20 years went out in a poof of smoke.

I stand there, frozen in shock, my eyes darting between Teacher, Elder Soul, and the damning hologram. The room falls silent, the only sound the soft hum of the projector.

A small figure rushes me, but I make no attempt to dodge.

"Lala!" she exclaims as she buries her head in my chest.

I'm quite average in height, but the girl before me is so small that her head barely reaches my shoulder. Like a bunny. Tiny and cute.

But don't let her size fool you. She is a devil in disguise. She wouldn't have made it as an Urchin if she didn't have it in her. Not to mention she is obviously at fault for ruining my image and showing those two something I tried to bury as deep as possible.

Despite my body almost shaking from rage mixed with embarrassment, my hand moves almost instinctively, patting her tiny head.

I struggle to maintain my composure, fighting the urge to push her away and demand answers. The warmth of her embrace contrasts sharply with the cold dread settling in my stomach. My fingers twitch as they rest on her head, torn between the instinct to comfort and the desire to strangle.

My eyes dart to Teacher and Elder Soul, gauging their reactions. Their expressions are a mix of amusement and genuine surprise, which only serves to fuel my mortification. I can feel a flush creeping up my neck, threatening to betray my carefully cultivated image of cool indifference.

The hologram continues to play, my past self beaming at fireworks with childlike wonder. Each second it remains active feels like an eternity, chipping away at the walls I've built around myself. I want nothing more than to smash the projector, to erase this moment from existence, but I remain rooted to the spot, one hand absently stroking the head of the girl who's single-handedly dismantled years of careful façade-building.

"W-when did you come back, Eve?" I ask, my voice trembling slightly against my will.

"Just now," she answers, pulling herself away from me. Her face is the picture of innocence, but I know better. There's a glint in her eye that speaks volumes about her mischievous nature.

"You didn't mention your dad woke up, so I didn't bring any gift," she adds, pausing for dramatic effect. "But I made do with what I had on hand," she continues, gesturing towards the hologram with a flourish.

I feel my mind going blank completely. This is a rare occurrence for me, always priding myself on quick thinking and adaptability. I have no idea how to react, how to act, or what to do in this situation.

My eyes dart between Eve's impish grin, Teacher's bemused expression, and Elder Soul's barely contained laughter.

In the end, I just sigh, resigned to my fate. Without another word, I make my way towards my room, feeling the weight of their gazes on my back. It's a tactical retreat, I tell myself, but deep down, I know it's more of a surrender.

Behind me I can still hear their voices.

"Thank you for showing me this" dad's voice can be heard, genuinely grateful "I really thought my daughter was a psychopath." he adds

I don't know what "psychopath" means, but I guess I was a pretty good one for father to describe me as such.

"Don't mention it" Eve's childish voice resounds "now, would you like to see Lala sing karaoke ?" she asks

Realising that the worst was not over, I rush back into the room, pick up the troublemaker and drag her into my room.

"Have fun you two!" dad's voice resounds once more but I ignore it.

This was one hell of a day!