Back in the village, the baby Lucius soundly slept upon his mother’s bosom, not knowing what his birth had brought to existence.
His mother, having grown weak from giving birth to him, stayed bedridden. By the village’s standards, she was a beautiful woman, with a plump body and hair that flowed down her back. Unlike the men, her hair was kept clean, unstained by mud and blood that most villagers had. She wore animal skins as the weather had gotten slightly hotter at this time of the year. She was in her thirties but her sickness had aged her to the point that she had wrinkles.
His father was a hunter. He was usually only home a couple of times a month, but because of the recent deal with the draconians, he was never home most of the month anymore. He was also in his thirties, but being part of the hunting team allowed him to have a body brimming with youthful energy. In return, it was filled with scars and marks, each accompanied with a story.
His brother, Marcus, was constantly training, trying to catch up to the village head’s son, Kyle or whatever his name was. To do so, he had let go of his pride and actually asked Caelus to train him.
"What a sad and simple family.” Delton sighed as he watched on the family.
Because of his father and brother being busy most of the day, Lucius spent the most time with his mother. Delton watched on as Lucius was coddled by his mother. The more he watched on, the more refreshed he felt.
Delton woke up after that uneventful dream. Seeing that the ceiling had not opened up to show the sky, he checked the time and found that he had awoken an hour before his alarm.
He tapped his temple once, and the familiar voice spoke,
"You have awoken, Delton. Your next appointment is in one hour and fifty-six minutes. Shall I prepare your breakfast now?”
Delton shook his head, then turned over his bed, closing his eyes shut and trying to sleep again. After a couple of minutes of having his eyes closed, he frowned, and tapped his temple again, saying, “Perform a quick body scan.”
A light ray, emitted from the corner of his room, passed through his body.
"Vital signs show that you are well-rested. Furthermore, from the sleep analysis, this is the most rested you have been since arriving here.”
Delton shook his head then sat on the edge of his bed. He muttered, “I guess I experienced everything that baby did. Hahaha! I hope this part of his life lasts a while. I’ve never had such a good night’s sleep!”
He got up and stretched a bit. Then, he walked towards a small couch in the living room, adjacent to his dining room. He fell on the couch and stretched out his legs, placing them on top of the coffee table.
He tapped his temple once, and a video was projected on the wall in front of the couch. A title card appeared, First Memories of You. “Oh man! It’s been a couple of months, since I saw the last episode! Good thing Filian’s been keeping me up with the story…What happened to Dana again?”
As the show was playing, Delton bent his head back and looked at the ceiling, “This work truly takes it out of me. Assembly work takes too much mental energy.”
Delton placed his hands at the back of his head, as he watched the soap opera, filled with cheesy dialogue. Having switched his mind off, his eyes wandered to a number showing 327 on the corner of his view. Startled, he sat up with a jolt.
He opened the notifications and saw that a majority of them were interview requests from journalists and some of them were from the group chat, but he also saw several direct messages to him by some of his close friends from the group chat, as well as family.
Jax: You alright over there?
Jax: They didn’t get you right
Delton answered the direct messages one at a time.
Delton: Don’t worry Jax, I’m fine haha
He then answered messages from his other friends, giving particular attention to Rivian, Psia, Artoru, and Filian. Carrying a look of reminiscence, he did not bother to wait for them to reply, as he looked at the messages from his family.
A majority of the messages he received from his family came from a group chat of three people called Storm.
Big_Cloud: Delt, why would you do such a thing?!
Big_Cloud: WE CANT DEFEND OURSELVES AS FIRSTS!
Big_Cloud: Know your place!
Big_Cloud: Do you know how much shit our family members received because of the news.
Big_Cloud: Big Brother almost got fired because of this crap!
Bigger_Cloud: Mellie
Bigger_Cloud: All that matters is that we're safe.
Bigger_Cloud: Try to lay low for a while. Mom Sol will probably have it out for us
Big_Cloud: Unless you apologize! Dad’s promotion got screwed because of this
Seeing that all the messages were from yesterday, Delton sighed then replied back.
Delton: Sorry for causing trouble for all of you. I’ll try to see what I can do with Mom Sol.
After saying that, Delton hissed out, “Shit.” He looked at the time, then tapped his temple thrice. An opaque square with the words, “Calling Dad…” showed up in his view.
The words disappeared and a man with similarly parted hair came into view. Lines chiseled his face and the graying hair covered just the top of his head. He spoke with a gentle voice, “Delton, are you alright? I saw the video. I hope you’re still not hurt.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m still young after all!” Delton responded.
"Haha! You still know how to make fun of your dad! That wasn’t due to age!” Delton’s dad wheezed out a couple laughs. He continued, “It’s been too long since you last called. Here let me get your mom… Hey! Honey! Little Delton called…What do you mean you’ll connect on the call. Just get over here. I’m not that old!”
A stout woman with her smooth black and gray hair tied up in a bun, came into view. Though here face does not show her age like Delton’s dad, her skin on her hands proved otherwise, as she looked at Delton with her arms crossed. With a slight smile, she started to yell, “About time you called us! It’s been months, and the most recent thing I heard about you was from the news!”
Delton replied in a meek tone, lowering his head, “I missed you, too, Mom.”
"I have nothing more to say to you. Hmph!” Delton’s mom walked out of view, while his dad sighed.
"Just like Millie. Haha! She’s still a little mad that you haven’t called, Delt. Call more often, it seems things aren’t as peaceful as it seems now,” Delton’s dad broke the awkward silence.
"Listen, Dad. I’m sorry about your promotion.”
“Ha, who told you? Millie? She worries too much. Don’t worry about it. I’m getting too old to hold more responsibilities anyway. I gotta prepare for work, kid. Call more often! Stay safe, Mom Sol isn’t someone you can mess with. Love you.”
"I love you, too, Dad. Tell mom I love her,” Delton said.
"I love you, too!” He heard his mom shout out, before the call ended.
The opaque square disappeared from his view, while the credits of First Memories of You played on the screen. Delton tapped his temple twice, “Don’t bother preparing the food. I’ll leave soon to get to work early to avoid those stupid crowds.
His stomach growled, and he said, “Damn! I’m hungry. I forgot to eat dinner yesterday because of all the crap.”
Seeing a notification pop up. He was shocked to see that one of his friends responded this early.
Psia: If you need some help with Mom Sol, I can ask my family to see what I can do.
Delton: Don’t worry. I have my own methods haha
Psia: Remember, us First are expendable to these corporations. The only way to get their attention is to become a Second.
Delton: Lol don’t you remember what my talent was
Delton: I’ll be relaxing here as a First for the rest of my life.
Psia: Sounds like a waste of your life, Delt.
Delton: I don’t want to get in this conversation again.
Psia: Because you know I’m right lol
Psia: I’ll be leaving our group behind in the following year. I can feel it.
Delton: I guess a congratulations is necessary, but since we are close, I will not congratulate you.
Psia: From those words and your actions yesterday, I’m still trying to figure out whether you’re a dumbass or a smartass
Delton: Can’t I be both
Psia: Smartass it is. Stay safe. See you in the reunion in two months. Don’t hesitate to reach out if those corporates try to hurt you.
Delton: Thanks again!
After ending the conversation, Delton got up to leave his apartment, when a voice echoed out,
"The weather today calls for overcast throughout the entire day and night. I have prepared a light sweater for you by the door.”
Delton responded, “Change it to a hoodie.”
"Done.”
Delton grabbed the gray hoodie and put it on, pulling up the hood, before leaving his apartment complex. He took the familiar route to a food stall. As he sat down, he took off his hood and motioned to get the old man’s attention, who looked surprised at him. The old man nodded and without saying anything prepared a plate of bread and meat in a couple of seconds.
Delton thanked the old man, and he quickly ate the food. He was about to tap his temple to pay, but the old man shook his head and said, “No need. Seeing what you did to those corporates was worth a lot more than this food.”
Delton hesitantly nodded his head, then got up to leave. He took the route to his bus stop, and since he left earlier than usual, there were significantly less people. That combined with his hood being on, led to no one recognizing him, as there were some introverts also wearing hoods.
Entering the hover bus, he sat at his usual location, and while facing the window, started to browse articles. Some of them were related to him, such as,
Who is Delton Cloud?
Delton Cloud and Mom Sol Corporation
Shaking his head at these articles, one of unrelated ones caught his eye.
Dessicated body found, right outside Star Manufacturing Town
Delton read the article as he placed his hand on the cheek that had been punched and healed. He saw the picture of the dessicated body, which wore orange manufacturer’s clothes, and Delton sighed with relief. He clutched his hands, but whispered, “Law low.”
He arrived to the manufacturing building, and found it to be mostly empty. Walking towards his room, he saw one of the manufacturing rooms open. Peering into it, he saw Micko already working on assembling his pieces. Delton continued to walk forward, not wanting to get Micko’s attention. Arriving to his room, he shut the door right behind him, then, he slumped down to the floor and grabbed his hair. “Fuck…I just want all this to be over with.”
After taking a few deep breaths, he got back up, then, walked to his table.
"Delton Cloud, clocking in.”
He started to mindlessly assemble the parts, his mind being drawn towards his recent dream.
After a half hour, a knock was heard from his door. He immediately stopped assembly and opened it.
Jade stood there. “Please stay out of trouble,” Jade said with a low voice.
"That’s what I plan on doing. I’ll lay low for a while.”
"But from what I’ve heard, you’ll be shunned by both sides…” Jade said, shocking Delton. She continued, “I’ve been thinking about this all night and have reached out to my connections. They all recommend that you take Mom Sol’s side.”
Delton shook his head, “Thank you for your concerns. But I don’t mind getting shunned. I’m fated to stay a manufacturer for the rest of my life, so I don’t want any trouble. So what if I’m shunned, I’ll still be safe here.”
Jade gritted her teeth and spoke, “You’ve really accepted your fate, huh.”
Delton trembled and said, “Yes.”
Jade turned her back, “I’ve done all I can. I also came by to inform you that I will break through by the end of this month.”
Before Delton could respond, she quickly walked away. Delton shut his door right away, leaning back on it, saying, “Damn. Not even watching all those shows could’ve helped me there.”
Delton continued to assemble mindlessly, as his thoughts were on how he felt during the dream. Visualizing the dream caused him to feel refreshed, as if instead of manufacturing he had been sleeping. His refreshed feeling caused him to increase the pace of his assembly.
"You have reached the daily maximum working hours. Any more work will not be paid. You have manufactured 30 pieces. Congratulations on breaking your previous record of 23. Keep it up!”
Delton stopped working, not bothering to finish the last piece. he left the pieces on the table and tapped his temple.
"Vital signs show that you are well-rested.”
When he heard that, his mouth became gape. Furrowing his eyebrows, he found that he did not have the usual headache or mental fatigue from manufacturing.
He then left the room, and saw Boss Bopa by himself at the lobby. Nodding towards Boss Bopa, Delton put on his hood and left the manufacturing building.
Having arrived back to his apartment without issue, he took a shower and ate a dinner of vegetables and fish. An apple was also prepared for dessert. Eating it all, he went to his bed and lied down, preparing to sleep.
He noticed the time, “What the fuck?! It’s only 8pm!” He kicked the blanket off of his body and went to the living room and turned on the screen, which revealed a title card, Last Night Once More. Seeing the actors, he cackled, “So that’s where Anton and Basel went after their show ended. So they ended up being together again, huh.”
Trying to watch the show, he started to frown. Agitated, he let out in a low voice, “My body has too much damn energy in it right now. Not only is it too early to sleep. I’m too energetic.” He tapped his temple, which showed a gym nearby his apartment complex.
Delton grabbed the hoodie he had thrown on the couch earlier, but he heard from the show a woman’s voice of shock and disbelief, “You mean to tell me you’re my brother.”
“No. Fucking. Way!” Delton threw the hoodie back on the couch and moved the coffee table as he continued to pay attention to the show. With the cleared space in the living room, he started to work out in his living room.
After a half hour of cardio and muscle exercises, he finished working out. He downed a prepared glass of water and muttered, “To think from *Losing My Heart*’s ashes came forth such an amazing show.”
"I still have enough energy for two more shows, but I haven’t worked out in a while. I’ll just work out for once more, then watch the rest. What shows are even next?” Delton tapped his temple and he chuckled, “Hohoho! It’s been too long since I watched my stories!”
He worked out for another half hour, then lied down on the couch for another hour. After taking another shower, he then went back to his bed, preparing to go to sleep.
He had closed his eyes for a couple of minutes, until he opened his eyes wide open, “I still have too much energy! Hey, how much sleep do I need to be well-rested?”
"You need at least 8 hours of sleep.”
He then got up from his bed and worked out in the living room for another hour with much higher intensity compared to before. Sweat drenched his back, but Delton continued with even more energy. Another half hour passed, until all the energy in his body had been tapped.
He weakly changed his sweaty clothes and went back to bed, knocking out immediately.
He dreamed again of Lucius. Lucius was resting upon his mother’s bosom at evening. Suddenly, Lucius stopped breathing for a moment. His mother frantically screamed for help. However, no one could hear her, as they were the only ones in the house. Laying Lucius on the bed, she crawled out of her bed and crawled to the entrance of her house, continuously yelling for help. Her voice getting more and more hoarse. Her voice suddenly stopped.
After some time, Delton heard other voices, “Hey. Hey. Wake up!”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Did you crawl out?”
Delton then heard Lucius’ mother’s hoarse voice, “Help! My son! He stopped breathing.” Some of the men and women from the village came barging in to the room, two of them were carrying Lucius’ mother. Some of the villagers ran out to call for the medics.
A while later, a medic came in and performed some actions on Lucius. Lucius started to cough and cry. Lucius’ mother, who had been carried back to her bed, cried with relief and hugged Lucius tightly.
Delton felt the time in the dream accelerate to a few days later. His father arrived back to the village. He came back to his home with heavy breaths and sweat down his back. Seeing his wife and Lucius resting together, a tear dropped from his eye, as he kissed the two on their foreheads. He sighed and left a flower next to his wife, saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. I will not be there in the following days, too. I have to go prepare for the next hunt.”
He saw Marcus by the opening to the room, then he walked out dragging Marcus by the ear. Delton heard the shouts, “Boy! If all you’re training to protect them, then why were they in danger? Look after them better. You’re the only one who can now.”
Delton heard Marcus’ cries. His wails caused Lucius to wake up and start crying, as well. This woke Lucius’ mother up, who glared at her husband, who could only sigh and curse under his breath, as he comforted his two children.
