Not everyone was capable of coping with the terrors of human cruelty. Even when Valhalla’s raids went perfectly, there was always a large number of people who needed a drink. Or two. Or enough to knock them out.

While Travis had something of a reputation as a ferocious fighter, he was the delicate sort otherwise. His heart tore apart whenever he saw horrible things being done to innocents. He had habituated to such sights a long ago, but they always got to him, if only a bit.

This most recent raid was one of the most shocking he’d ever seen in his life. He was steps behind Freddy when he witnessed that man launch his attack. Having more power was always good. But that… The river of blood that man created with a single move…

It made even him avert his gaze.

Although the defenders surrendered this time, for the first time in a long, long while, it wasn’t before sniping down one of their rangers. It was a man Travis had known and quite enjoyed talking to.

While he considered it a terrible habit, he couldn’t hold himself back from heading out for a drink. At the same seat, at the same old bar he always went to.

There were more people there that night than usual.

He was about three beers in, feeling miserable and torn, when the door swung open, and another person entered.

He didn’t turn around to see who it was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw three men give a respectful salute. It was obvious who it was.

“Hey,” Thor called, standing a bit behind Travis.

Travis remained silent for a moment, working to unravel the knot that had formed in his throat. Then, with the best smile he could force on his face, he turned around. “What are you waiting for? Come on. Take a seat.”

Thor nodded and obliged.

The two of them drank in silence for a while. Then, when the alcohol finally kicked in, they began chatting. The topic of the raid didn’t come up for a long while. They were there to take their minds off it to begin with.

But the elephant was too big not to be addressed. “Hey Thor—do you… do you trust Freddy?”

Thor swirled the whiskey in his glass, then stared at it until it settled. “Yes.”

“That was a long pause.”

“Man, what the hell do you want from me?” he jabbed with a chuckle. “I do trust him. I really do. You know, it’s just that… I… I get why you’d ask me that.” He took a sip of the drink.

“Hmph. He’s too dangerous to risk giving him blind trust.”

“And yet he’s too powerful to give up.”

Travis stared at the foam floating atop the beer in his mug. His mind drifted for a long moment. He chewed on the corner of his lip. “What’s he like as a person?”

“Didn’t you already meet him a number of times?”

“Not enough to form a real judgement.”

Thor scoffed, taking another sip. “He’s violent and resentful.”

Travis shot him a look.

Thor groaned and sighed. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Do you think you’re maybe letting desperation make your choices for you?” Travis squinted. “The Thor I know wouldn’t—”

“Look, Travis…” He blew air through pursed lips and buried his fingers in his hair. “It’s clear as day that our plan of going official had been a dead end. The only path forward is one of absolute strength. And don’t be so quick to cast judgment. You haven’t really met Freddy yet. He isn’t that bad. He just has some baggage, that’s all.”

“Yeah… I mean… I heard about the, uh…”

“That girl. Yeah. Basically braindead, from what I know.” He sighed and took a sip. “But you know… I get a feeling he’s used to it. I haven’t really asked him much about his life, but even the few things I’ve heard… sheesh. It’s a damn miracle he isn’t a completely unhinged bastard. And don’t forget how we met him,” he reminded.

Travis thought back to that day, where he saw Freddy risk his life to step up during a serious crisis. “Yeah… Maybe I’m being a little biased.”

“And why would that be?”

Travis glanced at him, but quickly averted his gaze. He impatiently sighed and scratched the side of his head. “I have to be honest with you Thor; I’m pretty fucking jealous of that guy.”

“What? Why?”

“Come on, isn’t it obvious?” He scoffed as he looked away. “He basically replaced me.”

“What!? No, dude, don’t be ridiculous!”

“Am I being ridiculous?” he asked, a quivering undertone to his voice. “Fuck. I know this is going to sound pathetic, but it used to be you and me, you know? Thor and his right-hand man. And now, what even is my role? Left-hand man? Doesn’t feel like it.” He growled as set the mug down. “You know, I’m… Never mind.” He rushed to his feet and headed out.

“Wait!” Thor called.

Travis paused without turning around. “I know we agreed a long time ago not to blend business and friendship.” He then slowly turned around, revealing a deep sadness in his tired eyes. “But I’m… Even outside work, it doesn’t… it just doesn’t feel the same.” His head dropped as he hesitated. He turned around. “I’ll see you around, man.” He walked away.

Thor looked at Travis’s parting back and sighed. He looked down at the glass, staring at his distorted reflection in the whiskey.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. He rushed around, expecting to see Travis rushing back in.

But instead, he saw Freddy.

“Oh, found you,” Freddy said as he walked inside.

The others in the bar visibly shrank. Everyone avoided eye contact, focusing on their drinks as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Freddy shook his head at this as he walked up to Thor. “I need you for a moment.”

“Can’t we talk here?” he asked.

Freddy looked around. “I’d prefer a bit of privacy.”

Thor sighed and snapped his fingers. “Sound barrier. Nobody will hear us.” He glanced at Freddy. “Just sit down. I’m not in the mood to get up.”

“Okay. Sure.” He took a seat. “So look, okay…” He sighed and broadly gestured at everyone in the bar. “I think we have a bit of a problem.”

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Thor snorted. “Your reputation, huh?”

“People are not going to complain about your investment in me, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t still feel uncomfortable. You know, I’ve been thinking about it all night, and… I’m realizing I’m making a mistake again. This isn’t the first time I’ve ignored my reputation until things boiled over and bit me in the ass.”

“So what do you want to do? A photoshoot with babies?” Thor snorted. “Maybe a propaganda campaign? How about a slogan—Freddy is ready to protect you from the evil people of the Northern Belt!” He pointed at Freddy, smirking and cackling to himself.

“Can you take this seriously?”

“No, I can’t,” he said, cooling off suddenly. He took a deep gulp of whiskey, emptying the glass. “You’re right that your reputation is fucked. And that’s your fault. You’re a stranger. You don’t talk to people. Well… other than me.” He scoffed. “Just go out more. Take some time out of your day to show the others that you exist. There is no magic bullet here. People aren’t dumb. Any sort of concerted effort to improve your reputation will be seen right through.” Thor waved at the bartender, and the man wordlessly nodded, turning around to fill another glass.

Freddy scowled. “Why didn’t you say something about this earlier?”

“And what exactly should I have said? And why? You think I care people are scared of you?” He scoffed. “Please. If people hated you, it would be a different story. But this… This isn’t bad for me in the slightest.” He got his drink. “Whether you’re beloved or feared, I can use both to my advantage. This is your problem. If you don’t like it, stop being a shut-in and make some friends.”

Freddy hesitated for a long moment. He stared at Thor, brow furrowed and mouth slightly agape. “Are you okay, man?”

Thor was about to take a sip, but his hand froze. He turned to face Freddy, but he couldn’t meet his eyes. His lower lip quivered. He put the drink down and got up. But he didn’t go anywhere. He simply remained standing, his back turned to Freddy. “Just ignore what I said. The booze was talking.” He turned around with a cheerful smile and tapped Freddy on the shoulder. He squeezed lightly. “You joined Valhalla at the peak of the second star. Most people integrate through their training period.

“That’s when you tend to meet the most life-long friends and carve a place for yourself in the community. And you missed that. I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to fix the problem, it will take a lot of work. Work that might not be worth it. Tell me, does the treatment you’re getting bother you?”

Freddy paused. “Bother me…? I don’t know. Maybe. But that’s not really the reason I came to you with this. I am already aware that I’m not just another fighter in this faction.”

“Stop,” Thor said gently. “I know where you’re going with this, but don’t get any funny ideas. You think you’re going to conquer this whole city as soon as you reach the third star, don’t you?”

“Am I wrong?”

“You might be,” Thor spat sharply. “I’m not going to pretend like I’m not aware of your potential, but I can tell you’re severely underestimating the other factions.” He bent forward slightly and whispered, “Valhalla isn’t immune to traitors and spies. The other factions are already aware of your existence. They’re probably thinking the same thing. And they’ll prepare for you accordingly. Don’t get cocky. I’ve spent almost a decade dealing with these bastards. They can get real nasty to deal with when cornered.”

He pulled back. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that for now. They’re cowards first and foremost. As long as their leaders have to risk their own lives, they won’t move a muscle. I know for a fact they’d rather pick their shit up and migrate somewhere else. They might be three-stars, but they had long ago gone from fighters to just businessmen. We’ll win this war by showing them that staying here isn’t profitable.” He tapped Freddy on the shoulder. “Good night, Freddy.”

“Wait,” Freddy called.

“Hmm?” Thor hummed as he paused. “What’s up?”

“What if… what if I told you I had a way to wipe them all out?” His mind whirled with the image of the black portal—the entrance to the Century of Solitude.

Thor remained quiet for a long moment. And then, he smacked the back of Freddy’s head as hard as he could.

“Ow!” Freddy yelped. “What the fuck, man—”

“Freddy,” Thor spat sharply, looking down on him with a stern gaze. “Power always comes at a cost. I don’t need to know your means to understand their price.” His eyes appeared to grow distant as his safe softened. “If you keep paying hand over fist, you will wake up one day. And there will be nothing left.” He turned around, his wide back blocking the light. “Some things aren’t worth losing. Be better to yourself.” And with those words, he left.

Freddy could feel the air shift as the sound barrier vanished.

“So…” the bartender started as he approached while polishing a mug. “Are you ready to order, sir?”

For a long moment, he was going to say no and leave. It was already quite late. But he turned around and glanced at the people there. Nobody was looking up.

Freddy snorted and shook his head. “I guess I have to start somewhere… Hey, bartender.”

“What’ll it be?”

“A round for everyone, please.” He pulled out his card. “My treat.”

***

Everyone stood around Hellen as she struggled to calm down, weeping and sobbing hysterically.

“Poor girl…” muttered Tanner, scowling and shaking his head.

Truly, the tale of the abuse this woman had been put through had disturbed even them. She had been effectively kidnapped and locked away in what was basically a prison. And being taken away from her life and held captive wasn’t even the worst part. The whole time, she had to watch her son get brainwashed by Valhalla, turning more and more hostile towards her until he practically disowned her and threw her out into the streets to fend for herself.

“Heh. Some warriors of justice,” Gina said as she shook her head. “It’s amazing how brazen they are in their lies.”

The patriarch of the Gem family sighed as he got out of his seat, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “You poor girl… Why have you never come to us before?” he asked. “For better or worse, you are the mother of my late grandchild. We would have helped you out.”

She froze. “I…” She glanced at the huge man, gulping.

“Father…” Gina started hesitantly. “Jason wasn’t really the most…”

“Hmph. I already know. That boy lied to me!” he declared angrily, smashing his large fist on the table. “When my grandchild came, Jason claimed that the mother wanted nothing to do with us. Oh, that stupid boy! I was too lenient with him.” A sad expression washed over his face. “But now it’s too late for regrets…” He looked at Hellen.

She winced. “Uhm… Is it okay that—”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I know what you’re concerned about. It’s about your second son, right?”

She nodded.

“Even though he is not part of our family, I will still accept him with open arms.”

Hellen’s face lit up for a moment, but then she was yet again overwhelmed by emotion. “Thank you… You have no idea how much this means to me…”

“We’ll bring him to you soon enough,” he said with a wide smile. “For now, you should go and rest.”

She nodded, rushing up to her feet. She excused herself and left the office.

“Is this why you invited us here?” Gina asked. “What about the—”

“Do you two know why I treat you the way I do?”

They froze.

The man sighed, getting up to his feet and walking over to them. “You see, we aren’t the same as our animalistic lessers. What sets an archhuman adult apart from a child is not some number. What do years mean to us? We still don’t even know the true limits of a two-star’s lifespan, let alone how long a three-star can live.” He stopped right before them, pulling both of them into a hug. “To me, you two will always be my kids. But if you want me to take you seriously, you will need the power to back your attitude.” He released them, stepping away.

“I already knew everything you shared in your little report. In fact, you actually made a number of mistakes. But nevertheless, I am still proud of your work. So I will reward you.” He turned around to face them. “I will show you that those stories of ‘Vanisher’ and ‘Skull’ or whoever the fuck are nothing but cute rumors compared to the true powers hiding in the shadows.” He looked at the watch on his wrist. “In 11 minutes, you’re going to meet a monster.” That was the last thing he said before moving to his chair, where he proceeded to wait in silence.

The clock ticked by. Minute by minute, the tension rose.

They had no idea who was coming. But they could feel in their bones that their father wasn’t joking. There was a vague pressure. A gnawing. As if the room was quivering in anticipation of someone’s arrival.

Their father waited with a stern expression.

3 minutes left.

2 minutes left.

1 minute left—

The patriarch got up to his feet, facing the closed door.

In the next moment, the door opened.

“Welcome,” their father said. “My name is Keagan Gem. I am the co-owner and CEO of Gem & Faller. These two are my son and daughter—Tanner and Gina Gem.”

“Cool place you have here,” a man’s voice came from the other side.

Tanner and Gina were frozen. They couldn’t even lift their head. Whoever was entering the room was doing nothing to hide their aura, which had to be pretty close to the peak of the third star. And beyond that, something sinister swam within it. It was as dark and hostile as the night, and as twisted as a deal with the devil himself.

His steps echoed through the room until he finally stopped right in front of them.

“Nice to meet you all. My name is Mark Afronte. I heard you have a pest problem. Let’s talk about that.”