Bang!

  The entire apartment room seemed to shake uncontrollably as the bookshelf in his room was toppled over. Tears continued to freely flow down his face, fists clenched taut at his sides. In this moment, he wanted to act, to try and do something, but his body was so tense he feared hurting anyone nearby. In the apartment room a few doors down, he could already hear Ayumi's quiet sobs, along with Catherine and Carter working to comfort her.

  Aaron and Olivia hadn't returned from the medical facility, but they had heard the news since Aizawa had left to tell them that about twenty minutes earlier. A sudden knock on the door startled Shinso, making his body snap around to face the door behind him.

  "What do you want?" He grumbled, wiping away his tears with his sleeve.

  He unbuttoned his dark-purple vest, tossing it to the other end of the room, leaving him in just his gray undershirt.

  A low, collected voice sounded behind the door. "Do you want to talk?"

  It was Mr. Ryujin. Upon hearing this familiar voice, Shinso's mind began to race. He had never let anyone see him cry before, he never wanted anyone to see him cry. But at the same time, he wanted to suppress these emotions. Upon having these thoughts, his stomach buzzed as the Altruist potion began to churn and bubble like boiling stew.

  "Just come in." Shinso mindlessly plopped on his bed, looking up at the ceiling and the dim kerosene lamp.

  Mr. Ryujin entered, carrying a small plate with a few pastries on it. "I felt like you might wanna talk. One thing that always cheers me up are a few sweets... even if my stomach rebels against me hours later."

  "Do you even care?" Shinso suddenly leaned up, his voice sharp like a knife.

  The man in the doorway fell silent, placing the plate of pastries on the table closest to the door. "I do, and I know how much it pains you."

  "T-then... Why are you smiling and joking like nothing happened? You were there, you saw it go down like that!"

  Mr. Ryujin's eyes flickered as he walked over, sitting beside Shinso. His hand found Shinso's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

  "We didn't find anything at the scene, nothing that could tell us he fell through the ice."

  Mr. Ryujin's lips twitched up slightly. "That gave me hope; it told me that perhaps Isaac is alive. There wasn't a drop of blood, not a scar on the ice, nothing."

  "W-what if the bullets erased him from existence or something? Isn't that possible?"

  The man fell silent for a moment, after a while, he chuckled. "Knowing the Pollinators, an organization that let our friends go without immediate punishment, they wouldn't want to do such a thing."

  "Are you sure?" Shinso looked up at Mr. Ryujin, brows furrowed.

  "In this world, we must hope. Hope is what keeps one going; it's the reason why battles are fought and won, it's the reason why I finish a romance novel, turning to the next page."

  Shinso groaned, rolling his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. "H-he's quite strong; we saw what he did during the Blood Moon, absorbing all those demons and ghouls. If he did survive, he'd be on his way right now."

  "That sounds like him; that's our Isaac."

  ...

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  After talking to a few more people, I managed to find my way to the safehouse. It was a dark-colored building with two floors. Under the door, I saw warm, yellow light spilling through. Inside, laughter and camaraderie were clearly audible. Sighing softly, I pushed the door open, peering inside. Everyone in the room turned to look at me.

  They were all wearing classical, fancy outfits like vests and dresses. One of them, a man with blackish-brown hair, stood up and approached me with a smile. "Silas! Kael told us about you in advance."

  "He's quick," I commented, an awkward smile forming on my face.

  The man extended his hand, gesturing for me to shake it. "My name is Arden Guilleme, a high-ranking member of our charity organization."

  I slowly shook his hand, feeling the warm texture of his gloves against my freezing palms. A large fireplace was lit in the center of the room, filling the entire first floor with radiant light. Countless barrels lined the walls, filled to the brim with fruits, vegetables, and other foods I could hardly recognize. I stepped forward, sitting down on a bench.

  "This is the safehouse..." I looked around, noticing everyone laughing and chatting amongst each other.

  "Kael bought this place out about a month back; after that he offered us to stay here for the time being."

  Hearing this, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. "If it's a safehouse, what are you hiding from?"

  "Nobody. This was a safe-house the town used during the occasional raids from other factions and villages in the area, but we offer this town enough defense to the point where they feel safe enough not to come here."

  "You... also protect them? You guys do a lot for these people; I bet they're very grateful."

  "They are," Arden waved his hands, tiny storm clouds condensing in his palm, dropping frozen ice and frost into his glass of beer.

  "With us all people Seekers, it would only take a single person here to fight off a village raid."

  The moment I saw the storm clouds, I instantly recalled something I had witnessed when I first arrived here. Catherine had used an artifact that looked like a necklace to create storm clouds for his drink. Arden wasn't wearing any jewelry at the moment, so I could only suspect these abilities corresponded to a certain pathway.

  "What pathway is that?" I couldn't help but ask.

  Arden smiled, looking back at me. "The Tyrant pathway, but we here call it the Ocean pathway. With it, I can manipulate the environment to an extent, conjuring small storms, winds, and controlling water down to a very, very small level."

  "So, you can basically control nature?"

  Arden shook his head, sighing self-depracatingly. "No, I can't. Nature control is mostly the Mother Nature pathway domain. Only Seekers under the Viatility pathway can manipulate the environment like leaves, the trees and what's under our feet."

  At this moment, I couldn't help but feel a little confused. Those two pathways worked pretty well on paper, but why wasn't this pathway popular among the Pollinators? It's a perfect advantage! I watched as Arden clenched his fist, causing an empty cup nearby to fill up with both water and ice. He handed it to me with a smile.

  "Kael holds you in high esteem; I'm honestly surprised you haven't been promoted to his higher echelons."

  I sipped my water, noticing its brilliant sense of naturality and sheer coldness. "We only met a few days ago; the man randomly approached me on the rooftop of my apartment."

  "Then he must really want you. It's not everyday he goes out and acts so rashly."

  "What do you mean?"

  Arden swished his drink around, continuing. "Kael isn't a brute; he often acts rationally. He whispers in the shadows, often reading his opponents for months in advance before acting. The only time he'd act so rashly is if you're a figure of serious interest."

  "Serious interest? He made me accidentally murder a few people and flee from my kingdom. I wouldn't call that interest; that's sabotage."

  "In your opinion, probably yes. But in the face of much higher, more complex plans, I'd say he has much more in plan for you, plans that he wouldn't want to talk about so... rashly."

  I fell silent for a beat, my face twitching down to a frown. "He told me I needed a new face, a new name to fit in here. Is that true?"

  Arden scoffed. "Of course, Silas. This is a metamorphosis for you, a chance to become something bigger and bolder—something grander than your previous self. The only reason you look back at the past is because you believe the future is bleak."

  Arden scooted closer, his hand slowly drifting to my knee, making me flinch. "The future you think of remains uncertain because you haven't put much thought into it. You may limp on a cane right now, but soon, you could be running free in the forest, laughing and enjoying the pleasantries of the world around you."

  He suddenly pointed to a staircase on the far end of the room, one that led into darkness. "Upstairs is where you'll be staying. Kael decided on where your room would be about a week ago, so we've been working hard to ensure it remained clean just for you."

  "A week... he really is prepared, isn't he?" Feeling my gut twist into a knot, I slowly walked across the room with my cane, feeling the countless gazes of the men and women in the room following me like hawks.

  As I ascended the stairs, the lamps on either end of the narrow chamber lit up, illuminating the maze of hallways. The carpets below me were dyed with a crimson color, and countless insignias and symbols lined the walls and doors, all reflecting the same sigil found on my forehead.

  "You're Silas, correct?" Another voice echoed behind me. I snapped around, tensing slightly as I smiled.

  "I-I am, but I'm afraid I don't have time to talk right now... I'm quite tired actually."

  The person talking to me was a young woman with blood red hair tied into braids on either of her shoulders, her eyes were a bright blue, and her visage was elegant, almost alluringly tasteful for a homosexual like me.

  "Well, I wish you a good night." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she turned around and went down the stairs.

  Before she completely left, she froze mid-step and looked back at me but feigned disappointment upon seeing I had already left, heading to my own room. My room was at the end of the hallway, decked with the same sigil as on my left palm and forehead. Pushing it open, my eyes widened at the sheer quality of the room.

  A four-poster bed, draped with crimson sheets and a satin pillowcase, was positioned in the center of the room, against the wall. A row of books, all large in size, lined the wall from end to end, smelling of old wood and cedar. A small, woven basket sat on the bed, filled with a few items, a change of clothes, and a handwritten note from Kael:

  Unfortunately, my visit back to my empire may take some time; feel free to interact with my charity, and they'll show you the ropes. Your first mission will be in two days. I've also left you a small book with all the information I've gathered regarding the Apocalypse pathway, so feel free to dive in.

  Your new mentor, Kael.