"Ey, Roland!, What brings you here? Finally missing a nice drink in the evening?"

Roland slowly walked into the underground bar he used to frequent with heavy steps. He glanced at the old barkeeper who was waving his hand in greeting with a toothy smile on his face.

"Not really, Ozzy. Just wanted to commemorate me leaving for good with one last drink here."

"Oh?" Ozzy raised his brow slightly, "What shall it be in that case? Order whatever, it's on me."

Roland sat down on one of the stools in front of the counter.

"One beer is enough. By the way, is your bar usually this empty?"

Roland glanced around.

Ozzy filled one big glass with beer.

"Not at all, but apparently the police started a manhunt today, of course with approval of the organizations. And now they're all too scared to come out of their holes... You know, I recently got my hands on of the best wines around here, you sure you don't want to try that instead?"

He put down the glass in front of Roland.

The other looked at the piss-yellow drink in front of him and just said: "It's alright, Oscar."

Roland hesitated but ultimately started drinking the beer.

Ozzy watched him while polishing a glass from the shelves behind him.

"So, what's the reason for your sudden departure?"

Roland put down the beer with a heavy sound and let out a sigh.

"That damn Leone finally can't keep his grubby fingers to himself anymore."

The silence echoing through the bar lasted a few minutes.

Not because Ozzy was shocked by this piece of news, quite the opposite, they both knew that the day would come for their former colleague to claim his revenge. They had just hoped that it wouldn't be that fast, at least not until Jakob could stand on his own two legs.

But 10 years were apparently the limit of Leone's patience.

"What will you do now?"

Roland rubbed the edge of the glass, not taking his eyes off the bubbles rising from the bottom.

"I'll take Jakob to Sheryl's maiden house."

Hearing this, Ozzy looked at Roland with widened eyes.

"If they take him in, you will never see him again, you know that?"

Roland didn't look up, only resignation was left in his voice as he continued.

"That's probably for the best," his finger halted, "I failed him,... and Sheryl as well. I should have brought Jakob there from the very start."

Gradually wet marks appeared on the wooden counter.

"He never fit into this life, he is like his mother, dignified and refined, not like his gruff old father."

Roland withdrew his hand from the beer and instead used it to support his forehead.

Ozzy watched his old friend with sad eyes.

"When I first held him in my arms, no, my hands, I was shocked," Roland's quiet voice trembled slightly, and occasionally he sucked in a shaky breath as if he needed to calm himself.

"How could I, large and rough as I am, help create such a small and fragile human being? I swore I would protect him and give him a better life than I ever had."

Roland paused.

"But seems like I failed to do either."

Sorrow left Roland word-deprived, silent sobs shaking his body.

Ozzy put down the glass.

"You tried your best, Sheryl would say the same if she knew just how much you tried these past years."

These words didn't help elevate Roland's pain, only causing him to think of his loving but stubborn wife.

He still remembered the day he first saw her.

It was love at first sight.

She was in the city to visit some relatives and spend her summer here, meanwhile, Roland had just arrived in search of the riches lurking in the city that everyone was talking about.

At the train station, just after they both had gotten off their respective wagons and were walking towards the exits, Sheryl tripped and Roland stretched out his arms to catch her.

This was the first time he ever came in contact with one of these prim and proper ladies from wealthy families, but what stunned him silly wasn't her high status or obvious beauty.

Her eyes, which shone with such a mesmerizing light, something he had never seen before, made them unforgettable.

Dazed as he was at that moment, he couldn't even utter a single word in response to her 'Thank you'.

After they parted ways, Roland soon met the man who called himself Leone in a brawl and it didn't take long for their cooperation to bear the first fruits of success.

But he hadn't been able to forget her despite all this time.

Then it happened, he was on an assignment to meet a client in a cafe, and there she sat, with her friends, talking about this and that looking so beautiful that Rolan almost spilled hot coffee all over himself.

And it wasn't just this coincidental meeting, they crossed paths more and more until Roland finally came up with the courage to ask her name and if she would be interested in watching a movie with him.

He didn't expect much, he knew how much wealthy ladies like her despised nobodies like him.

But she agreed.

Later, Roland found out she had also taken a fancy to him after seeing his 'cute and clumsy' behavior every time they met.

Their love story had been a turbulent one. At first, they hid it from her relatives, but soon Sheryl became pregnant and they were discovered.

Her family obviously did not approve of their relationship, especially since Sheryl was the treasured daughter of the old and noble An Dromeda Family.

Even Roland hesitated a bit in front of the extreme opposition of her family. He loved her, and didn't want to cause her pain, but Sheryl stood firm and they married secretly one beautiful night.

In face of Sheryl's determination, her family finally withdrew. They hated Roland to their bones but he didn't care about that.

He thought this perfect life with his beautiful wife and adorable son would continue until the day he died.

Unexpectedly, it all came crashing down one equally beautiful night like the one they married on.

A thug from one of the organizations Roland and Leone had crushed at that time, found Roland's home.

And saw his chance to take revenge.

Sheryl paid Roland's debt with her life.

This was the moment Roland realized he couldn't continue working in the underground. And so, Leone claimed one of his arms as the price of his betrayal.

He lost all that, but now it came to haunt him yet again, because he wasn't able to leave this place for good.

In the end.

He was too weak.

At this moment, the door of the bar was kicked open with a loud crashing noise.

Roland actually had no intention to turn around, an old habit to never interfere with matters that had nothing to do with him.

But something told him he should look just this once.

It felt like time was moving slower as he looked behind him.

Two drenched people, both wearing black suits, stood at the entrance.

Or rather, one of them stood while carrying the other.

Roland's pupils were shaking.

The stool beneath him crashed to the ground as he hastily rose from his seat.

He quickly stumbled to the duo at the entrance, coming to a sudden halt right in front of them.

Stretching out his shaking hand, Roland lightly touched the pale and cold face of the boy that was being carried.

His knees gave away.

Now it was too late.