Heir of the Forgotten Realm

Breakfast Blues

Ryo was already regretting the start of his day. He sat at the small dining table, staring at the remnants of yet another failed breakfast attempt. His eggs were somehow both burnt and runny, the toast was blacker than a villain's heart, and the coffee tasted like despair.

"Ryo, why do you hate food?" his younger brother, Kenji, asked as he cautiously poked at the breakfast disaster with a fork.

"I don't hate food," Ryo said, sighing. "Food hates me."

"Food doesn't hate you," Kenji said, taking a bite of his own perfect-looking sandwich. "You just have the culinary skills of a brick."

"Thanks for the support, little bro," Ryo muttered, glaring at Kenji's smug face.

At that moment, Sakura burst into the apartment like a hurricane, carrying a large box. "Morning, losers! We've got work to do."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "She's still breaking in without knocking?"

"Don't encourage her," Ryo said, standing up. "What's in the box?"

Sakura dropped the box onto the table, scattering Ryo's tragic breakfast. "Plans for your first big mission as the Chosen One."

Kenji perked up. "Big mission? Does it involve food? Because my brother could use a side quest in cooking."

Sakura smirked. "Nope, but it does involve stealth, strategy, and possibly not dying. So, fun times."

---

The Plan That Wasn't a Plan

Sakura opened the box to reveal a map, a few magical trinkets, and what looked suspiciously like a snack pack of gummy bears.

Ryo picked up the gummy bears. "Are these part of the strategy?"

"They're for me," Sakura said, snatching them back. "Planning makes me hungry."

She unrolled the map on the table. "Okay, here's the deal: there's a minor Obsidian Order base just outside the city. We're going to infiltrate it, gather intel, and get out before anyone notices."

Ryo squinted at the map. "It looks like a warehouse."

"It is a warehouse," Sakura said. "But it's heavily guarded and full of magical traps."

Kenji leaned over the table. "And you think my brother can handle this?"

"Of course," Sakura said confidently. "With my guidance, Ryo will be an infiltration master."

"Right," Ryo said skeptically. "Because I'm so good at blending in."

Sakura ignored him and tapped the map. "Step one: we sneak in through the back entrance. Step two: disable the magical traps. Step three: find the intel. Step four: escape. Got it?"

"Sounds simple enough," Ryo said.

"It's not," Sakura said flatly.

---

The Stealth Mission That Wasn't Stealthy

That evening, they arrived at the warehouse. Sakura had dressed in a sleek black outfit that made her look like a ninja. Ryo, on the other hand, was wearing his usual hoodie and jeans.

"Do you even own stealthy clothes?" Sakura asked, eyeing him critically.

"Stealth is a mindset," Ryo said confidently.

"It's also not a hoodie," she muttered.

They crept around to the back of the warehouse, where Sakura expertly disabled the first magical trap. "See? Easy," she said, smirking.

Ryo stepped forward, immediately tripping over a loose brick and landing face-first in a puddle.

"Stealth is a mindset, huh?" Sakura whispered, barely holding back laughter.

"I'm testing the puddle for depth," Ryo said, trying to salvage his dignity.

"Great job, Aquaman," she replied, helping him up.

---

The Magical Security Fiasco

Inside the warehouse, Sakura led the way, expertly dodging tripwires and motion-sensitive glyphs.

Ryo followed closely, doing his best not to touch anything. "This isn't so bad," he whispered.

He immediately stepped on a pressure plate.

A loud alarm blared, and glowing runes lit up the walls.

"Ryo!" Sakura shouted, grabbing his arm.

"I panicked!" he shouted back as they ran deeper into the warehouse.

"Do you have any survival instincts?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Barely!"

---

The Vault of Doom

They found the intel in a locked vault at the center of the warehouse. Sakura used a spell to disable the lock, while Ryo stood guard.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, nervously glancing around.

"It's the only idea we have," Sakura said, opening the vault.

Inside, they found a glowing orb surrounded by stacks of documents.

"Jackpot," Sakura said, grabbing the orb.

Ryo picked up one of the documents, frowning. "What's this?"

"It's probably classified," Sakura said. "Don't read it."

Ryo ignored her and skimmed the paper. "It's a memo about coffee machine maintenance."

"Great, the Obsidian Order's real weakness: caffeine addiction," Sakura said dryly.

---

The Escape Disaster

As they made their way out, they heard footsteps approaching.

"Guards!" Sakura hissed, pulling Ryo into a supply closet.

They waited in silence as the guards passed by, their conversation oddly mundane.

"I'm telling you, the new coffee machine is terrible," one guard said.

"Really? I thought it was an upgrade," the other replied.

Ryo stifled a laugh. "They're really passionate about coffee."

"Focus," Sakura whispered.

Once the guards were gone, they slipped out of the closet and headed for the exit.

Unfortunately, Ryo tripped (again), knocking over a stack of crates.

The crash echoed through the warehouse, and the guards immediately turned back.

"Run!" Sakura shouted.

They sprinted toward the exit, dodging spells and shouting guards.

"Why do I always have to run?!" Ryo yelled.

"Because you're bad at sneaking!"

---

The Great Gummy Bear Escape

Just as they reached the exit, a group of guards blocked their path.

Sakura cursed under her breath. "We're surrounded."

Ryo rummaged through his pockets, finding nothing useful—except for the gummy bears Sakura had stuffed in earlier.

"Are you serious?" Sakura asked, watching him pull out the candy.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Ryo said, flinging the gummy bears at the guards.

The guards paused, confused, as the glowing gummy bears stuck to their armor.

Sakura seized the moment, casting a spell that detonated the sticky candy in a burst of harmless but blinding light.

"Move!" she shouted, dragging Ryo through the chaos.

---

Back to Safety

They finally escaped, collapsing on a park bench several blocks away.

"I can't believe that worked," Ryo said, panting.

"Me neither," Sakura admitted. "But let's not make gummy bears our go-to strategy."

Ryo grinned. "You have to admit, it was genius."

"Genius? No. Lucky? Absolutely."

He leaned back, staring at the sky. "So, what's next?"

Sakura pulled out the glowing orb. "Next, we figure out what this thing does. And you try not to ruin breakfast again."

Ryo laughed. "I make no promises."