Talia's eyelids fluttered as she slumped against the counter, her words slurring. "Why'm I so... tired?" The coffee cup slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor in slow motion.
Ding ding!
[System Alert: Host has reached daily stamina limit. Mandatory rest cycle initiated.]
[Estimated downtime: 7 hours. Sanctuary protocols activating...]
Before she could protest, her knees buckled. The last thing she saw was Xander lunging toward her, his golden eyes wide with rare alarm - then darkness.
Jasper barely managed to catch himself on a chair. "Wha's happenin...?" His glasses slid down his nose as he collapsed face-first onto a table.
The white cat observed the scene with unnatural stillness. When the last employee's breathing evened out, it stretched - bones cracking, fur melting into pale skin. Where a feline once sat now stood a statuesque man with moonlight hair and mismatched eyes (one gold, one blue), his bare feet silent on the wooden floor.
"Honestly," his voice resonated with layered harmonics, "you'd think the system would warn them before initiating hibernation mode." With a flick of his wrist, the OPEN sign flipped itself to CLOSED. Outside, the café's edges blurred like a mirage dissolving in desert heat.
As the first stars pierced the apocalyptic smog above, Haven Brew vanished from the ruined cityscape - leaving only an empty lot where three dreamers slept safely in the void between worlds.
---
The mechanical hum in the air grew louder, the faint echo of digital whirs filling the space around her. Talia's eyelids fluttered once more, the comforting pull of sleep gradually giving way to the cold bite of reality. Her limbs were heavy, sluggish as if her body was protesting the new day. She let out a groggy groan, rolling her neck as she slowly roused from the deep sleep the system had mandated.
Ding ding!
[System Alert: Host's rest cycle completed. Recovery at 87%. Awakening sequence initiated.]
Talia's eyes snapped open at the sound of the chime. The world around her was still blurry, but as her vision cleared, the familiar, warm glow of Haven Brew greeted her. The faint scent of coffee filled her nostrils, grounding her back into her role. She rubbed her eyes, groaning softly. She'd barely had time to rest—again.
Xander was already standing near the counter, efficiently preparing the station, his sharp golden eyes flicking over to her with only a brief acknowledgment. He didn't seem bothered by the abrupt awakening, though his expression was as unreadable as always.
"You're up," he said softly, his tone even, as he began arranging the cups and equipment. "Time to open."
Talia pushed herself off the counter, still feeling the weight of the system's hold on her. "I'm so tired..." she muttered, but there was no room for protest. The system wouldn't allow it.
Ding ding!
[System Alert: Task Assignment - Host: Talia. Daily Objective: Open Café and Serve Customers. Time Remaining: 7 hours. Energy consumption will be monitored.]
Her eyes flicked to the screen that materialized just above her, a cold reminder of what was to come. The café's operations were her responsibility, no matter how exhausted she felt.
Across the room, Jasper was still slouched in a chair, his glasses precariously perched on his nose as he groggily lifted his head. "Huh? What's goin' on...?"
Jasper blinked a few times, his mind sluggish as he processed the situation. "Are we open already?" he grumbled, dragging himself upright and stretching with a yawn. "I feel like I just blinked."
Talia gave a small sigh, feeling the pressure of the system and the responsibility hanging over her. But there was no time to dwell on it. She quickly grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist, the weight of the café's expectations settling into her bones.
And then, a soft meow echoed in the room.
The white cat, now transformed back into its feline form, sat watching them with its unsettling mismatched eyes, the gold and blue gleaming in the dim light. It stretched languidly, its sleek fur rippling with an otherworldly energy before its voice, deep and layered, filled the space.
"Honestly, you'd think by now you'd be used to the system's schedule. There's no such thing as rest for the chosen one," the cat said, the sarcastic edge unmistakable. "Your café, your rules. But time waits for no one."
Talia barely spared it a glance, already moving to the counter. "Tell me about it," she muttered under her breath, focusing on getting everything ready for the first customers of the day.
---
Talia squinted at the air above her, swiping at the lingering fog of sleep.
"Show me the quest update," she muttered to the system.
Ding ding!
> [Quest Update: Serve 5 Unique Customers]
[Reward: Café Expansion – Reading Nook]
[Progress: 2/5]
"That's right... I've only served two so far," she sighed, rubbing her temple. "Feels like twenty."
She leaned on the counter, arms crossed. "I wonder who the next customer will be…"
Ding!
> [System Alert: The café has relocated to a new area.]
Her eyes widened. "Wait—what?"
Outside the windows, the scenery began to shift, warping like watercolor on wet paper. The ruins they'd grown used to faded into unfamiliar silhouettes — distant buildings shaped like leaning towers, vines pulsing with soft bioluminescence, and smoke rising from somewhere just out of sight.
Jasper, still half-asleep, peeked through the window. "Uh… was that neighborhood always glowing?"
Xander didn't even look up. "New location. Probably means new problems."
The white cat yawned. "Don't sound so excited, Stabby."
Talia pulled her apron tighter around her waist. "New area, new faces… hopefully not new monsters."
She glanced at the golden sigil above the door, still faintly glowing.
"Alright, Haven Brew," she whispered, placing her palms flat on the counter. "Let's see what this new map has to offer."
The café's door chimed—not the usual soft ding ding, but a deep, resonant toll, like a bell echoing from another world. The air itself seemed to ripple, and for a moment, the lights flickered.
Talia's head snapped up. Customer.
The door creaked open, revealing not some battle-scarred wanderer or cryptic elder, but… a kid.
A small figure, barely taller than the counter, shuffled inside. His clothes were patched and oversized, his dark hair a mess of tangles, and his eyes—wide, curious, and old—glowed faintly in the dim light. He couldn't have been more than ten, maybe twelve in Earth years, but something about the way he carried himself felt… ancient.
Ding ding!
> [New Customer Detected]
[Race: ??? (Temporal Anomaly Detected)]
[Status: Lost / Displaced]
[Potential Café Utility: ???]
Talia blinked. A lost kid? In the middle of nowhere?
The boy sniffled, rubbing his nose with his sleeve before looking up at her. "I'm… hungry," he mumbled, voice small but carrying an odd weight, like it had traveled through time to reach her.
Xander's golden eyes narrowed. Jasper adjusted his glasses, squinting. The white cat's tail twitched.
Talia exhaled. Alright. Kid. Food. Easy.
She forced a smile, feeling the [Charm (Passive)] skill nudge her expression into something warmer. "Welcome to Haven Brew," she said, leaning down slightly. "What'll it be, kiddo?"
The boy frowned, scrunching his nose. "Not a kiddo," he muttered. "I'm…" He trailed off, as if trying to remember.
Talia waved a hand. "Right, right. So, uh… hot chocolate? Milk? Juice?"
The boy's eyes flickered—literally, like twin candle flames sputtering in wind—before he shook his head.
"No. Something… special."
Talia's eye twitched. Oh great. A picky lost child.
She turned to the counter, rolling her shoulders as [Café Management] activated, her movements sharpening with practiced efficiency. She grabbed a cup, poured steamed milk, added a swirl of honey, and dusted it with cinnamon—something sweet, comforting.
She slid it across the counter. "Here. Special house special."
He stared at it. Then, with the full judgment of a thousand-year-old soul crammed into a child's frame, he pushed it back.
"...No."
Talia's grip tightened on the counter. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
The boy crossed his arms. "It's boring."
Jasper choked back a laugh. Xander sighed. The cat's voice slithered into her mind: "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Talia groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "How do I please a kid?! I ain't no mom!"
The boy blinked. Then, slowly, his lips curled into a tiny, mischievous smile. "Make it… magic."
Talia froze.
Ding ding!
> [Hidden Quest Unlocked: "A Child's Whim"]
[Objective: Brew a drink that satisfies the ??? child's request.]
[Reward: ???]
[Failure: Café reputation -10% (He'll tell everyone you're boring.)]
Talia's eye twitched again.
Oh, you little gremlin.
She cracked her knuckles.
"Alright, kiddo," she growled, reaching for the rarest ingredients in the café's hidden stash. "You want magic? Fine. But you'd better drink it all."
The boy's grin widened.