I woke up close to midnight with a wet pillow. The rest of my mattress was also damp. Beads of sweat remained on my forehead and arms. Apparently I was like this throughout the night. 

Upon checking the mirror, my eyes were burning red, with patchy red spots right under them. As if I’d been punched in the face half a dozen times. My cheeks were all swollen and puffy. This wasn’t the first time I’ve woken up like this. In fact, it happens quite often. Suddenly my phone buzzed, making me scamper to back to my mattress. 

I let out a sigh as the message turned out to be from someone other than I expected. “Of fucking course” I proceeded to mute my notifications. What the hell am I even doing? It hasn’t even been a month, and I’m expected to go on my entire life without her. How can I manage that? How is that, possible? I bit down hard on my lip, puncturing it slightly as I fell face down onto the mattress, burying my face in my pillow. My cheeks heated up as the heaviness swelled my chest. I let the tears run down freely, letting loose as my pillow got even more and more wet. Thankfully the fabric and material was enough to muffle my sighs. Not like anyone would care if they heard me or not. 

“God fucking dammit” I sighed through clenched teeth, slamming my eyes shut as I tried to focus on anything else. I can’t keep going on like this. Ever since THAT day, this is how I’ve been every night. I thought it would get better after the whole prison thing, but it’s only gotten so much worse. I have to stop. I have to focus on getting better. But, I can’t. Only Roxy and Christine know what happened. But they’re too caught up in their own lives. I can’t turn to them right now. This is something I have to get over by myself. Getting over it… Is that even possible? How, how can I go on for the rest of my life without her? 

I haven’t been able to sleep properly for a single night ever since. I thought I’d be better after getting revenge, but I’ve never felt worse. Killing that bastard wouldn’t bring her back. I knew that. But it didn’t stop me from doing it. There’s just this, emptiness, that can’t be replaced. I don’t, I don’t want to live in a world where she’s not in my life. I don’t want to go a day longer like that. I just want her back. Why? Why did she have to die? Why her, of all people in the world? God, I’ve never felt this weak and helpless before. 

My stomach let out a loud growl as I tried to go back to sleep. I wiped my eyes against the pillow cloth, wandering over to the fridge, only to find it empty. I grabbed my bike, carrying it along as I went down to the ground floor. Might as well get something from out. 

Hopefully some drive-thru restaurants were open at this time. The Capital was quite strict with its curfew. Of course, that didn’t stop people from going out when they pleased. To be honest I wasn’t even that hungry. All things have just seemed tasteless to me since then. But I have to eat. I have to survive, I have to get by. I have to keep moving forward.  I know what I have to do, I’m just not doing it. I can’t. How can I be happy in a world that she’s not a part of? Why do I deserve to be happy without her? I- I can’t. I don’t want to go by another day. Though I know very well those days will eventually turn to months, then years. Eventually there’ll come a time where she’s been dead for longer than she was alive. What am I supposed to do? Even after getting revenge, I still feel so damn empty. As if nothing can fill up this void. 

I’ve never felt this low before. Sure I’ve been through some complicated things, but none of them ever hurt like this. I’ve overcome all of my hardships so far, but this one just seems insurmountable. 

“Come on now, don’t resist!” The voice pulled my attention towards it. I snapped back to reality as I saw three men cornering a girl against the door of a bar. Well, not really sure I could refer to those things as men. It’s easy to find what’s wrong in this world, but harder to find what’s right. I’ve given up on trying to change it. At this point, I just want to leave it colder. 

“No one needs ta know, jus’ us tr”- I slammed the middle one in the back of the head with my bike, knocking him aside. The other two turned around, only for one to collide into the other. That’s right, there’s very little good in this world. Before I knew it, both hands were clutching my bike tightly as I stood over the assaulters. I’m tired of trying to change things. All this world does is take things from me anyway. I began to slam the cycle down onto the middle one’s torso, repeatedly bashing the wheel against his chest. The one on the far left attempted to get up, only to be kicked in the face, as the final one grabbed me from behind, trying to pull me down with him. I hammered down the bike once more before letting go and falling down, quickly breaking out of the hold. 

“You bastard, do you have any idea who yer dealin with?” The only remaining scoundrel demanded. “You don’t fuck with the Banes” He growled. 

“Oh, you’re mistaken” The Banes? “That’s exactly what I do” I grinned, my blood boiling as I pulled out my Wakizashi, only for the thug to get bashed in the face by a crowbar. The sudden, menacing aura surrounding me instantly faded

“Right-o chaps, are hwe all done ‘ere?” Jeremy exclaimed, kicking twice to make sure he was taken down. 

“I could’ve managed on my own” I stated gruffly. 

“I know, tat’s te problem” 

“Yeah you’re right. Anymore damage and I would’ve had to send my bike for repair” The woman was long gone by now, taking her chance to run when I intervened. 

“I ‘ave some ‘andcuffs in my car, so we can ‘ook em up ‘ere” The Rauxian offered. 

“Why do YOU of all people have those?” I demanded. 

“I’m an ‘onorary police officah” He replied. 

“By whose orders?”

“Commissioner Carver’s. ‘E’ll explain everyting latuh. For now, jus’ come hwith me” 

“Huh? Where?”

“Put yer bike in the back, I ‘ave space. You’ll understand hwen hwe get tere” Jeremy took the bike from my hands and walked towards the trunk of his car. 

“THAT’S your car?” I marveled at the sight of the Red Gold McLaren. “H-how, how did you? But, yo-you’re a cab dri- you, how? WHAT?!” I demanded. Jeremy was too busy taking apart my bike and placing the pieces in the back to pay attention to my shock. “I, I don’t- I, how did you- but, university fees? You- constrained finances, pov”-

“I understand yer reaction. Sadly, tis ain’t my car” HE STOLE IT? “It’s yours”

“HUH?!”

“Like I said, I’ll explain everyting hwen hwe get tere?” He finished putting the pieces in the trunk, closing it gently. It was better to just obey without question. 

“Wh-where exactly are we going?” I questioned, admiring the interior of the car. The “Red Gold” stayed true to the name it seemed. 

“Yer new ‘ome. Twenty-Tree Sixty, HWeylonn Road. I’m sure you’ve ‘eard of it” Isn’t that the address of- Oh. Franz had always talked about showing us his numerous mansions scattered all over the continent. Of course he’d be involved in this. Whatever “this” was…

It can’t be a coincidence, can it? After the fall of Hollentor, Roxy suddenly transferred here and now Franz is having me brought to his mansion. Someone’s definitely pulling some strings in the dark. But, that doesn’t make sense. Roxy and I have at least been in touch over the years and she knows everything that happened in my life. Same with Christine. I don’t even remember the last time Franz and I spoke. He didn’t call me after Ichika’s funeral. But now he’s suddenly pulling a grand gesture like this? I have to play dumb to obtain as much information as possible. 

“But, I need to clear out my apartment” Need some excuse to stall this. 

“Already being done as hwe speak” Jeremy replied, picking up his phone. “’Ello Reggie! Yes ‘e’s ‘ere hwit’ me. Hwould ya like ta talk ta ‘im?” He asked, handing me the phone. Reggie?

“And here is the cash refund- Oh, bonsoir Monsieur Eden. Cela fait-, oh. I’m afraid, Eden, we can only bring your essential items with us for now, so sadly, your TV must stay” Getting straight to business huh?

“Nice to see you too. What do you mean ‘must stay’? That’s a ninety inch TV”

“Trus’ me mate, we ‘ave a betta one hwere hwe’re ‘eaded” Jeremy smiled. 

“What’s going on? Please give me a straight answer” Reggie was Franz’s (We’ll get to him later) childhood butler. Roxy, Franz, Christine, and I lived in the same neighborhood, so he pretty much took care of all of us and played a key role in our upbringing. I haven’t seen him since we all went our separate ways for university. He also wasn’t there at the funeral. 

“But tat takes all the fun outta it” The Rauxian joked. 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” The call transferred to another user.

“Ja, ja. Weiter so. HALLO? SIND SIE TERIYAKI-SAN!?!?!?” Could only be him.

“Yes. Listen, what”-

“IT IS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN OLD FRIEND! It’s been too long” Franz reminisced. 

“Yeah it sure ha”-

“I take it you’ve met Jeremy and spoken to Reggie? Amazing company aren’t zey?” He interrupted once more. I wisely chose to not answer this time. “I’m really sorry zat I’ve been out of touch and wasn’t able to attend ze funeral. I really wish I could’ve been zere for you. Please consider zis gift as my apology. I know you have questions, vich vill be answered soon. Ze house you’re going to, you remember I talked of it before? It vonce belonged to my onc-uncle but he sadly passed away. I have thus decided to give it to you, vit my father’s consent of course. It’s yours now, no strings attached. Again, I’m really sorry to hear about vat happened to Ichika” I tensed at the mention of her name. “I hope you can forgive me for my negligence” Franz had always been one of the most generous and extravagant people I knew; which was expected given his family background, so not really surprised by this “grand gesture”, but still. 

“Don’t worry about it” I replied bluntly, not really knowing what else to say at the moment. 

“Sehr gut! I must go now, but ve shall talk soon. Auf weidersehen” The call returned to Reggie, who hung up.

“So um, ta be ‘onest, I don’ really know much of hwat’s goin’ on, but I’m s’pposed ta be stayin’ at te same place. So it’ll be a pleasure workin’ hwit ya” 

“I don’t really need a driver”

“Consider me a transportuh” Jeremy winked. Working WITH me? Does that mean Roxy’s next? Did Franz hear about all I’ve been doing and is trying to make up for his absence by doing whatever he’s doing? The last thing I want to do is involve more people though. I can’t do that. I already fucked up by dragging the three people closest to me into this. This is something I’m better off doing alone. “Reggie ‘asn’t shared te full details with me though. Apparently it’s confidential until concrete” What the hell does that even mean?

I began to text Roxy, only to realize she had messaged me about 2 hours ago. 

‘Hey, are you awake? I can’t sleep’

‘Shit I’m so sorry, I just saw this. Yeah I’m up. Is everything ok?’ Dammit, shouldn’t have muted my notifications. 

“So, hwat’s yer ‘istory hwit Franz? Old friends?” Pretty much. 

“Mhm. We lived in the same neighborhood and saw each other daily until we all went our separate ways for university. Roxy, Christine, him, and I were inseparable”

“Is Roxy te ex ya hwere tellin’ me about earlier?”

“No, I clearly said her name was Christine. Roxy’s the redhead who”-

“Ohhh she’s the AI student ‘oo jus’ transferred. Roxy’s short for Roxanne right? Tat hwas te name of te girl oo’ll be attending our uni. I ‘ear she’s a prodigy” We finally arrived to the mansion, where Reggie awaited us. 

“Your stuff has been moved to your room Monsieur Eden. It is truly nice seeing you again after all this time. I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. Please consider this manor your new home. You have full access but are not allowed to go to the attic, cave, or alter until further notice” Alter? “The house is divided into three wings. The main mansion has all the rooms, basement, attic, kitchen, bathrooms, and so on. It’s basically the living quarters and where you all can relax. The Eastern Wing is a giant garage and storage space full of vehicles as well as engineering equipment. There is also a helipad but no helicopter. The Western Wing has the gym, swimming pool, indoor, and outdoor football fields, shooting range, boxing rink, and training ground. Behind all three buildings, lies a giant forest, with the alter at its center” That leaves only one thing. 

“Where’s the cave?” I enquired.

“Best if you didn’t know. To my knowledge, you’re still the inquisitive child I once knew. Meaning you’ll disobey my every order the first chance you get and somehow discover all three restricted zones yourself”

“Aven’t even been inside but I’m lovin’ tis place already!” Jeremy exclaimed. It definitely is an upgrade from what I used to have.

“Not really in an urban area, but also not too inconveniently far from society. The helicopter would definitely be of help”

“From hwat I ‘ear, tere’s an entire floor dedicated ta bathrooms” Jeremy whispered. 

“Right you are Monsieur Hughes. There is also a small office for Eden to fill out his paperwork with ease” Perfect. 

Jeremy claimed the first room he saw upon our entrance. “Right next ta te kitchen too!” 

“I would suggest checking every ro- Eden?” By that point I had already snuck down to the basement. 

“Oh yeah I can definitely work with this” It was capable of housing an entire team of heroes. A giant 120 inch TV stood at the far end of the room. “I can see why they told me to forget the old one” Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a monitor. A disproportionately small keyboard and mouse lay on the desk beneath it. In the center, several highly advanced PC stations were set up in a circle, around what seemed to be the main router. His “uncle” had the latest tech installed in literally everything. Most of this stuff isn’t even legally marketable yet. Then again Franz’s mom runs the largest tech corporation in the world; so obviously the family’s entitled to certain privileges. The military doesn’t have access to all of this either. 

“So it seems you’ve finally come!” A voice noted. I turned to find a completely blue figure standing before me. “We meet at last, Eden Doitean Torakirri. There is much to discuss”