< ‘Walking downtown… wait… I don’t quite remember the lyrics anymore. Shit, am I even forgetting the repetitive memories? So, should I go into seclusion and warm up my memory archives? I need to, yet, I don’t want to embrace such boredom. Ai, ai, ai, those following days will be a pain too.’ >

When Ben arrives near the store, he walks to a nearby empty alley.

“Uncover me,” he says to the one hiding.

The energy around Ben ripples, as Yuri lifts the camouflage cover.

Once verified he is now visible, Ben walks towards the store called Aurora’s Treasures.

Aurora’s Treasures is a two-store building made of mostly wood. Its architecture style is simple, but the whole building emits an aura of reinforcement due to the runes carved into its walls and pillars.

Walking inside, Ben sees the usual assortment of goods related most to cultivation. Such stores are everywhere, as they focus on the buying and selling of all types of materials and items on the cheaper side. Those store deals with the highest flow of treasure, working with high demand and high supply. They are like the other side of the coin that has auctions in it.

When the middle-aged man in the counter, Dill Highland, sees the old man walking towards him, he greets him with a wide smile.

“Old Dyn! You finally appeared! I was worried that something might have happened to you. Good to see you are still alive and kicking, and you got here on time to retrieve your order. It would pain me to cancel it, after having seen you saving up little by little for all those years!”

“Hello, Dill, I am finally back! I almost retired this time tho, since my old bones suffered quite a bit because of an accident. In the emergency, I ended up going to Gowia Town, believing their local medicinal bath would speed my recovery. Who would thought it would be so many months until I could freely walk again. But I am alive and kicking, not ready to retire yet!” Ben explains while motioning with his right hands towards his left side, indicating the accident hit him hard.

“It still surprises me how you always seem to get up ready to keep working despite everything,” says Dill, while searching his book.

“At my age, stopping is even worst. I need to stay out of boredom. I will eventually retire, but that will be on the day of my death!” Even while talking about his death, Ben keeps smiling, acting like a headstrong person that will never change.

“How many old people like us rot at home once they retire. Anyone would be envious of your strong desire to work. Some at least still have dozen of grandchildren to give them a headache, but people like us don’t even have that. Sometimes I hope I could still hit my son, so he can give me some pest at least before I retire, but he always goes saying his future is too bright. Who knows, maybe I will follow your steps and work until the day of my death too so that I at least have something to look for every single day of this boring life.”

While talking nonstop, Dill finally finds the old order from Ben.

“I will get your stuff, so have a sit or look around. I will be back soon. Oh… Hey, Priscila, the old Dyn is finally back!” While leaving, he yells towards a teenage girl. She seems to be working on organizing some things in one of the corners of the store.

Ben sits down in a chair close to the counter, a style similar to the bars back on Earth. And hearing the yell, the girl leaves what she is doing and comes to greet the old man she wasn’t seen in months, sitting next to Ben.

“Grampa Dyn, Hello! You have been missing for long this time. Are you fully recovered?” Priscila asks in a worried tone.

“I am. My old bones can still hold for a bit longer! How have you been lately? Hopefully, better than me, staying glued in a bed all day.” Ben raises his two fists in a motion of strength when he talks about his bones.

“It has been all the same until a week and a half ago. All those peeps arrived around that time for the mission. Since then, it has been tiring! If you have come any other time, this place would be crowded, but today they are doing a big mission, which included even the weaker ones. We finally caught a breath!” she points to a big table in the back, filled with materials that she needs to organize.

“The city feels so crowded, as this is the most people I have seen around here in all those years. For business, I am sure it is good tho. Besides, it sure will calm down somewhat once the critical moment pass.” Ben makes a signal with his hand, indicating money.

When she recalls how the busy business improved the mood in the store, Priscila can’t hold her bright smile.

“Yeah, uncle, for sure, has been pretty happy. I haven’t seen him grumpy at all those days! What are you going to be doing next tho? New Horizons Sect has been releasing quite a few missions lately. But I heard from uncle Dill that you rather explore it alone?”

“Yeah, I only strive to avoid boredom. So, I don’t need the risks involved in such a mission since I only have my mouth to feed. Unfortunately, with this influx, the common exploration will be put on hold for quite a while as the sect controls the situation. So, I will be moving south, probably to Blue Mountains Town, I heard exploring the ruins close to there has been quite stable.”

Dill coming back, with a small box in his hand, begins to talk once he hears their conversation in the middle.

“Oh no, Old Dyn, are you leaving again? The Blue Mountains is quite far away, but I heard from my neighbor about the situation there, his son has sent news that he has been quite happy with work there, and he is even marrying late this year!”

“Maybe cousin will take the example from his best friend!” Priscila says with a sly smile.

Ben kept talking: “This is the life of an explorer, moving from ruins to ruins, trying their luck. Hopefully, Daniel’s son can stabilize his life with his new family and brings joy to the Brancht old couple. In a few years it will be Priscila turn, how has it been going with your potential husband?”

“Great! I finally presented him to my family last month!”

Not expecting the turn of events, Ben is speechless for a moment. ‘Wow! Who would thought the little girl finally got the courage!’

“Ha! That brat is too much like my son. So, you will have no child for decades!” Dill unhappily spills his grudges.

“Michael isn’t like my cousin, who doesn’t listen to people at all! We talked, alright? And I will not be left hanging sucking my finger for decades! I will bring my kids to make your company grampy uncle. I see no hope in Pax tho.”

“Isn’t he working on joining a sect in the next five years? Once he joins, he may find love! Then, his obsession will change. There still hope, Dill!” Ben says, trying to save this family relationship.

‘Dill will end up fighting again with his son. He is only too young! Once he notices how big the world is, he will adapt.’

“And you can always adopt as I told you! Do it while you are young and can stay awake all night! Once your joints begin to cry at night, there will be no hope of raising another one.”

“I am too old to clean some baby ass! Here is your order, confirm it. Damn it, I don’t expect a kid from that brat, but at least I hope he comes back in this new year celebration.” Dill finally gives the little box to Ben.

Receiving the box, Ben sends a look to Priscila, indirectly asking ‘Have you sent it?’

’Hopefully, he comes!’ She only nods her head confirming.

Looking at the box, ‘20 years of work’, Ben confirms his order.

“It is all here. Thank you, Dill, for holding it despite the lack of warning about me leaving. Also, I hope your son comes back home soon. Once he visits, make sure you two discuss his future and dreams. You need to get to know what he has been doing and tell him to come back more often! Don’t be stuck up with your feelings like that. You are no teenager anymore! He is the one who is young and naive, so be patient, Dill. Don’t go fighting at first sight. This is the only advice I can give you. Good luck!” Ben says. ‘Good luck as in goodbye, my friend.’

“Don’t worry about the order. It is normal to hold it for more than six months after it arrives, you still had two months left. I did nothing. Hopefully, you can make good use of your hard work. And thank you for the advice. I will try my hardest. But who knows, maybe I will still try to kick his balls since he ain’t using it!”

“I don’t think you could tho, as he probably advanced even further than last time! You will end up breaking your leg, uncle!” Priscila says as she begins to laugh. ‘While talking and violence does not work, if a leg breaks, his conscience might weight him down!’

“A broken leg does not compare with the headaches I had so far.” Dill sadly comments, while sighing.

Closing the box, Ben gets up from the chair with a big smile on his face, but a heavy heart. ’It is time.’

Ben then looks directly at Dill, saying: “We were young before. We both know it! He, at least, is grasping for his dreams. Ah, this will be it, my friend, it is getting late, so I will take my leave.”

“Ah, grampa Dyn, you need to come to my wedding in a few years!”

Ben sends her a thumbs up and says: “Congrats on your good catch!”

Priscila’s smile, even more, as her expression changes to a love infatuated one, as she thinks about her fiancé.

“Have a good night, Old Dyn, and keep contact!” Dill says with a goodbye tone.

“I will!”

Leaving those two words behind, Ben turns around and leaves, not looking back. His heart is heavy. Even after so many years and so many lives, saying such goodbye is always hard. However, he has been an old man here for too long, and it is time to move on!

—

After getting out of the store, Ben walks towards an empty area and waits for the privacy veil.

Yuri soon acts once noticing the chance. “Follow me,” he says as he appears.

They, then, begin to move, while hidden from the world.

Walking down the street, a place Ben knows so well, causes his emotions to stir up.

‘Why is my mind so unstable lately. Did those events hit me too hard? I need to control myself, as I am going to meet even more strangers.’

“Old man, I would advise you not to go towards the Blue Mountains. While the chances are small, the organization that controls these could be the ones responsible for the attacks. What if you are recognized somehow? Better minimize the risks.” Yuri speaks, interrupting the deadly silence.

‘People would at least try to act like they aren’t peaking at conversations, such a weird guy.’

“I won’t, as I also suspect them. But I lived too long in this identity, so I will be changing. That was the closure chapter.” ‘Since they will see it, I see no reason to hide it.’

Ben plans to change his identity from now on. Dyn Myer will die. Probably in his traveling towards the Blue Mountains, or after arriving there, no one will be able to confirm it. His job is dangerous. He could die at any time, so losing permanent contact is an explicit indication of calamity.

Having suffered such set back on those ruins a few months back, and getting the attention of mighty figures, Ben can only move on. Besides, he wouldn’t have many years left anyway. He lived here for too long, and Dyn Myer must die soon, or else people would become suspicious of him.

“To live and to die is the natural course of the river of time,” Ben says.

The deadly silence then comes back, no one saying anything as they keep walking.

—

Having been welcomed on Ginn’s temporary base, Ben is right now in a room sitting in his bed for the tonight. He had a bath already, and some big guy brought him food and other things he asked.

They all said he was free to walk around inside. But since their leader is not here, Ben chose to rather stay in his assigned room.

In the last few hours, he has been preparing his change of identity. He not only begun to change the pigment of his skins, eyes, and hair, but he also began to change the shape of his bones slightly.

His appearance is still similar to Dyn Myer, but no one would think he is the same person, only someone similar, maybe a distant relative at best.

Seeing this crowded house, Ben was amazed by how many people follow Ginn. His first thought was: ‘He attracts too many people!’

While his treatment was top-notch, he can still sense Yuri monitoring the room. However, Ben expected this, since who would take their leader’s wife treatment lightly.

As the night passed by, the movement outside didn’t stop at all. They are all preparing to leave tomorrow.

Inside his room, Ben had a sleepless night as he worked hard on his body changes. Since he chose not to use the marble from inside his storage, he could only take things slowly, saving-up on his reserves.

Once signs of the sun appeared in the sky outside, Ben finally got out of his bed. His appearance completely changed, as people wouldn’t even think he is related to Dyn Myer. Since sweaty and dirt is all over his body, Ben takes the clothes that he asked the people outside last night and goes to the bath again.

After the bath, Ben then burns Dyn clothes, flushing the ashes down in the toilet.

Finalizing his preparation, Ben finally begins to think about the last detail.

‘Who shall I become?’

As he thinks deeply about his new identity name, Been retrieves the little box he didn’t use yet and store inside a bag that was also given to him last night.

In this new day, he leaves this room with a new life.

—

It is 5:10 am, and Ginn has been back for a few hours. Dealing with the sect took longer than he expected, but he finally got the authorization to leave due to an emergency.

Only one object is in the table he is using: a little golden statue with black runes.

He is talking with Yukk.

“So you are saying Dyn also had a sleepless night?”

“Yes, He didn’t leave the room after arriving. Yuri told me that while it doesn’t seem like he is doing nothing, it also doesn’t feel quite like meditation for his cultivation.”

‘He shouldn’t cultivate like us anyway. Is he too worried to sleep?’ Ginn tries to guess what Ben spent his night doing.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, if by six he doesn’t get out, call him informing we will be leaving soon.” Ginn orders.

However, before Yukk can leave the room, someone steps in after he opens the door.

The woman then says.

“Sir, something weird happened. Yuri is calling you into the dining hall.” Her expression of someone helpless that can’t express what is happening well.

“Is it about Dyn Myer?” Yukk asks.

“Yes, sir! It is about the guest that arrived yesterday, but it is you better see it. He isn’t that Dyn Myer anymore, and everyone is confused.”

She is Grim Porter, Yuri’s right hand.

Grim Porter is Yuri’s right hand. They have been working together for years, and she is a specialist in privacy techniques. Generally, she is composed, and it is rare to see so many emotions in her face.

An awkward smile appears on Ginn’s face.

He stands and walks towards the dining hall, taking with him the golden statue.

‘What the fuck is that man doing…’

Behind him, the other two follow silently.

—

As the three of them arrive at the dining hall, they can hear yelling from inside.

“So you mean, you are the same person?!” the memorable yelling voice of Matt is the first thing the trio hears.

“Nope, I am Leo Moon. It is a pleasure to meet you, little red angry dude.” an old man says in a normal tone.

Unrestrainedly opening the door, Ginn voices stops the discussion inside.

“So early and the kids are already pl…”

However, Ginn cuts his sentence short as he looks towards Ben. ‘He is radically changed!’

As Ginn becomes pale, a frown appears on his faces. He is most shocked due to his eyes’ abilities. He saw this man yesterday, so how can he have changed in one night only?

‘This can’t be an illusion or partial transformation since my eyes see no imperfection!’

‘He must have changed his body in a literal way! At least his height is the same, but if I didn’t hear the usual provocation towards Matt, I would begin to believe he is someone different!’

The silence in the room grows awkward, as everyone looks at Ginn’s weird expression.

[cough cough]

“A change of identity or what? Was this your original appearance?” Ginn asks, like his prior reaction never happened.

“I am Leo Moon. Meeting you is my pleasure, Ginn Aravyz.” Leo then bows slightly towards the newly arrived trio.

< ”FUCK! Stop for it, or you will make us crazy!” > Ginn yells using English.

< ”Good morning!” > Ben greets him with a big smile, his pronunciation slightly better than yesterday.