Code Collector

Clank. Clank. Clank.

Silence.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

"Why do women need to wear heels?" Allen narrowed his eyes as he let Stacey walk around the house carrying a bow that he crafted. She was the supposed ranger of the group and now that Allen started to train himself to control them for combat, he realized that Stacey was the hardest to control.

All because of her heels.

Stacey was an assassin and she needed to be agile. However, due to her heels being the only shoes that were available for her, Allen was having the hardest time making her run and actually do something assassins would do like swerve midway or jump in a nick of time.

Oliver and Vince were standing beside him, not doing anything as he focused himself on Stacey. Her combat abilities were at the level of an average Hunter like the two, but she looked like she's a newbie since Allen couldn't control the heels.

The door opened, prompting Allen to look to the side and saw Jeremy enter the room. "She looked better than she did before I left. You really are a fast learner?"

Allen crossed his arms and deadpanned, "Tell me the truth. There's only two of us here."

"She looked as bad as before," Jeremy didn't hesitate to speak. He shook his head after seeing the pout on Allen's face. "Oh, come on. Don't look so down. You're doing well considering that controlling someone on heels isn't an easy task."

"Yeah," Allen sighed. "How was Hilda and her store?"

"Steady growth," Jeremy replied. He took out a clipboard from his suitcase and read the report from Hilda. "Being a secretary isn't so bad after all. I finally get to use the knowledge I took in college. Only a degree in economics was available in San Fernando, so I took it and then went to police academy here."

Allen tasked Jeremy to handle the situation regarding the logistics. After seeing how much Jeremy could do with sorting things, he laid all the responsibilities to the man. He also told him that he has a higher chance of getting Codes from the rest of the Hunters, that was why he has the surplus in Codes.

Jeremy, who fully knew that this was all a lie, believed him. He already entrusted his job to Allen, what more could he offer? The only thing that he wanted was for Allen's assurance that he'll survive and grow even stronger.

"Hilda is a very sweet old lady," Jeremy noted. "How come you don't get to see her more often?"

"I'm busy," Allen replied with a sigh. "Do you know how hard it is for women to wear heels? Let alone a man controlling a woman how to walk on these shoes."

"Should I call Gwen?" Jeremy asked. "That woman wears heels even at work. And we chase quite a lot of people here in Haven. Maybe she can give you advices."

"Let's have dinner," Allen said. "Call her and Gary. I think those two are getting closer than we think."

With those words, Allen deactivated the Bodies and slouched on the couch. He let Jeremy call their friends while he took a quick nap where he drifted into a dream that he never thought he'd visit.

-

Whoosh.

Allen opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a clearing. The large trees that surrounded the bald patch of forest grass were too tall and looked like they were exuding malicious aura around them.

The boy looked around. There was nobody there but himself. His curiosity got the best of him and he approached the edge of the clearing where a faint sound of people screaming was heard.

"Hello?" Allen called out, but nobody responded. "Is there anyone there?"

"Don't go there!"

Allen spun after he heard the voice. He couldn't believe his eyes when he landed his eyes on the person who called out to him. "Y-You are…"

"I believe you know me," Drake Nelson said with a smile. "Your Code allows me to connect to you."

"But you're dead," Allen said. "Then this must be a dream. I must be dreaming."

"Your dreams are realities from where you got the Snake," Drake said. "Whether it was from the past or present, your dreams are not just dreams anymore. All Bearers are like that."

"Anything could be said and done by anyone in my dream," Allen said. "You're just a figment of my imagination that I'm trying to make into my reality. You're not real!"

Drake laughed lightly, "My death was planned by someone closer to me than you think. The Codes also tell the future, but there is a condition for that. If I tell you now, the future will be changed. And for that to not happen, and make sure that the best possible future is in the odds of the right, I'll just tell you one bit of a secret."

"This is scary," Allen whispered. "You're dead but you can still talk to me."

"Mainly because of the connection between Codes," Drake replied. "It goes way deeper than just physical worlds. Isn't that right, miss?"

Whoosh.

Another swirl of breeze passed through, and Allen's eyes got even wider after a woman stepped out from nowhere. She was wearing a cleaner and more formal clothes than the last time Allen saw her, but he couldn't be mistaken.

"Drafara?" Allen gasped. "You're also here. Does that mean…"

"I was the owner of the Primordial Dog Code before Remy," Drafara said. "I was her team captain before I left as a Hunter. Speaking of Remy, her life is in danger."

"I heard," Allen whispered. "The Hunters who were attacked by the unknown person was Remy, Kenneth, and Bernard. Even Bernard was attacked. That man was strong as hell. He could solo kill the Fire Dragon if he wanted."

Allen remembered the news that Jeremy told him after the boy eavesdropped in the market. The three Hunters were back in earth to investigate on Drake Nelson's death when they got attacked. Luckily, the news said that nobody died but there was an complication that was brought upon them.

Allen was yet to know about what the complication was, but he just knew that it was serious.

"Boy," Drafara said. "Not all Primordial Beast Bearers are alike in terms of potential."

Allen tilted his head to the side, confused as to what was the woman talking about. "What?"

"Not all of them are equal. Some are stronger than the others," Drake replied. "Like the weapon Codes' integrity, the Primordial Beast Codes also have their own integrity. The more the Code is being passed down to other people, the more it is weaker."

"What?" Allen gasped. "That means Bernard's Code has been worned out?"

Drake and Drafara nodded at the same time with the latter answering, "The worn out effect is just too great that if it has been passed down two times, it will be just like a high tier Sacred grade Code after it has evolved."

"W-Woah," Allen was speechless. "Can you tell me which Bearers are the first users? Maybe I can narrow it down and find out who the culprit is."

"Only Lin and I are the first users," Drake replied. "But Lin has a support role, so even when we have the same level of power, she was less likely to win a fight against me."

"But you also have to remember that you were alone while the attacker was with a lot of people when they attacked," Allen said. "Or do you trust her that much?"

"I believe it's not from the Primordial Beast Bearers," Drake said, cutting the conversation short. "I trust every single one of them. It must be from the ones in Eternity who have created a faction against us. Allen, you have to know that we're always watching you. If you ever feel the need to talk to someone, just look at the skies and know that we're there, listening. The fate of the world hangs in a balance and you're the only one who can tilt it to the right direction."

"Wow, thanks for the pressure," Allen chuckled nervously. This made both Drake and Drafara chuckle. "But I will do whatever I can to save the world. Also, Drafara, may I ask what led you to misery?"

The woman paused for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the question. "What do you mean, boy?"

"You lived in the jungle for some reason, may I know why?" Allen asked to which Drafara looked at Drake and chuckled.

"You'll know if you look at the right path," Drafara replied. "You can look up my name in a library somewhere. Maybe a database?"

Allen opened his mouth to ask more but he felt himself plunged to the ground. The boy felt suffocating as he opened his eyes and found himself in his room with Jeremy looking at him with worry.

"What happened to you?" Jeremy asked. "You took a five-minute nap and you suddenly feel like you've been drowned."

"I-I'm alright," Allen said as he gulped. "I'm really alright."