[Two months later - Silverwood Street, Tondon]
Jonah’s heart was racing. He was struggling to keep eye contact, let alone hold his mug.
Two months ago, he asked a girl out for the first time in his life. He wasn’t expecting a positive answer or even one at all. He only wished to express his feelings, knowing it could be the only time in his life he felt this way for another.
But surprisingly enough, his courage was rewarded.
There she was, Nally Stenner, the girl of his dreams, sitting across from him. Her delicate hands cradled a mug of hot cocoa, her lips barely touching the rim as she blew on the steaming drink. With each sip she took, Jonah was captivated by her grace, wondering how she could be so effortlessly elegant.
From the moment they stepped into the café, Nally was the center of attention, her presence charming everyone. The servers and customers, men and women alike, couldn’t help but steal glances as she ordered her food with a cheerful demeanour. What struck Jonah the most, however, was her complete disregard for the gazes. She seemed to exist in her own world, unbothered by the outside.
Seeing Nally like this reminded Jonah of his first encounter with her. Everyone around her was deeply engrossed in admiring her, yet she was lost in thought with a serious expression.
How does she do it? He asked himself. How does she ignore the world when it gives her this much attention?
“Are you just gonna stare at me?” she asked teasingly, placing the mug down with a grin. “Should I stare back?”
“N-No! Sorry!” the boy yelped. “I was just thinking about our first interaction.”
“Ah? That!?” She beamed. “When you said, my expression looked like a still ocean bracing for a storm~! So romantic~!”
“Please forget that!”
“Don’t be shy!” she giggled. “Anyways, Ned told me a bit about your time at Sir Gaus Academy together. Could you tell me about it, too?”
“He did?”
Jonah bit his lips as Nally nodded slightly, her expression turning serious. He didn’t want to upset her by saying nothing, but he also didn’t want to reveal anything.
“H-He probably said everything,” he sighed, tilting his head down and fumbling his thumbs. “I don’t have anything to say. I know Ned told the truth.”
Nally crossed her arms and pouted. “But there’s two sides to every story. Before I work with him and Rurah, I want to know your honest opinion of him.”
“H-He’s a good guy. A really hard worker.”
“Really?” she frowned. “Alright. Ned told me that he doesn’t like you because you never speak up. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it can cause issues if you withhold your true opinion. As your friend and someone who cares for you, I want you to speak with me comfortably, but I also understand if you don’t see me the same way or don’t feel comfortable. Just know that by doing this, you could potentially push away a lot of good people.”
“That –”
Jonah’s mind blanked. His thoughts became a jumbled, disorganized mess. The silence killed him as time continued to tick away, yet he could do nothing about it. Nally’s expression suggested she was growing frustrated by his refusal to speak, yet still, he sat in silence.
“It’s okay,” she smiled warmly. “You don’t have to tell me. I just wanted to share my honest opinion with you. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, so I hope you don’t hate me for this. Let’s try to get closer so that one day you’ll be comfortable with me the same way I’m comfortable with you.”
“N-No,” Jonah stuttered. “I am comfortable with you…”
His heart rate was beating faster and faster, and the urge to tell Nally was growing uncontrollably. He wanted someone to hear his side of the story, and finally, someone was willing to listen to him with seemingly no bias. How could he stay silent?
…
And so,
for the next twenty minutes,
Jonah completely broke down.
Tears flowed from his eyes uncontrollably as he told Nally everything.
----------------------------------------
[At the same time - Tondon General Hospital]
Time was at a standstill for Ned. For the last two months, the blank white walls of the hospital room served as his life backdrop. A blank void filled with nothing. A place where he relived his near-death experience again and again, a constant torment.
“Fuck,” he muttered to himself, clenching the bed sheets that were wrapped around his legs.
The event was still vivid, fresh in his mind. Those cold, sharp fingers… That white mask shrouded in black… And most of all, the unbearable pain of not being able to breathe.
As those last thoughts occurred, he shuddered, raising a weak-willed hand and placing it on his neck. He traced his fingers against flesh, gulping as he swallowed hard. The saliva was thick and potent, leaving a gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach.
I could’ve died, he thought to himself. I could’ve been dead.
The door to the room clicked open with Dr. Scale waltzing in. He flashed Ned a grin and a wave before locating the guest chair and dragging it over to the bedside. “Everything alright?” he asked, taking a seat. “Need me to get you anything?”
“No,” Ned sighed. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Dr. Scale chuckled. “You still have your hand wrapped tightly around your throat. I know how traumatizing that experience must have been, but don’t worry. The best healer in the Association treated you. I don’t know anyone who failed to make a full recovery after meeting Agnes Lim.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Guild Master Lim?” Ned questioned. “I thought she was working with the Relief Effort in the Southern Region.”
“She was, God bless her soul. I had to call her back for a meeting with the other Guild Masters. It was urgent.”
“A meeting?”
Ned was perplexed.
To start, this was the first time Dr. Scale was visiting him. Not once since he was admitted did the Guild Master stop by. Secondly, getting treated by Guild Master Agnes Lim is akin to receiving God’s favour. As the leader of the Healers Guild, she is blessed with a powerful Divine Art capable of restoring even the most sinister injuries. Unfortunately, her ability has a major drawback that is not publicly known. But because of it, her use of the Divine Art is limited. And lastly, it’s unheard of for a Guild Master to share sensitive information with lesser members of the Association, let alone a new one.
“Sorry,” he shook, slightly baffled. “Why are you telling me this?”
The old man leaned forward on his chair, clasping his hands together as his expression darkened. “We caught Crystal last month,” he spoke. “The interrogation process took a little long, but we finally got her to speak. She told us your father hired the Assassination Guild to foil your plans to pass the exam.”
Ned’s eyes widened as his lips trembled. “What -”
“That leads us to these questions,” Dr. Scale interrupted. “What relationship does Sven Sommers have with Mollox Vargas? Why would he hire them? And did you know anything about this?”
Ned sat still for a moment. Then, he closed his eyes. So many thoughts were flowing through his mind – experiences and interactions he had long since buried in his memory. They triggered anger, confusion and sadness, leading him down a deep spiral of emotion he could barely hold back.
“Sorry,” Dr. Scale sighed. “I didn’t want to put you in this situation. Trust me, I hate doing this. But unfortunately, that Masked fiend is still at large. Their threat has the potential to jeopardize the Association as a whole. This may be a reach, but I suspect Mask may be interlinked with the Assassination Guild. Any information you give will go a long way in securing the Association’s future.”
“I don’t know…” Ned began. “I wasn’t aware… Why would Dad do this to me? He’s never cared about me before…”
He finally released his grip from his neck, gazing at his shaking hand, which had gone cold and lost sensation.
“Why me?” He asked, turning to face the Guild Master. “This makes no sense.”
“We are also trying to understand his reasoning,” Dr. Scale answered. “Two weeks ago, we issued an arrest warrant for him for attempting to manipulate exam results. Since then, he’s been evading capture.”
He then continued:
“That was the situation until last night when I received a cryptic message from a carrier bird. To keep things brief, it was from your father. He said he would only speak with you and insisted it be in a public place.”
“You're kidding,” Ned snorted.
“I’m not,” Dr. Scale frowned. “I know it may be too much to ask, but please meet with him. Back in his day, Sven was a brilliant man with a brilliant mind who was even part of the Research Guild. We have to know if he’s using that brain to help the Assassination Guild.”
“No,” Ned shook. “I don’t wanna. I’m not doing it.”
Dr. Scale let out a deep sigh, turning to face the window on the right-hand side. He seemed still, lost in thought, not knowing what to do. A part of Ned truly wished to help, but helping meant putting himself at risk, and he couldn’t afford to do that.
…
When was the last time he’d spoken to his father?
Ned couldn’t remember.
After his mother died all those years ago, his family unit completely broke down. Wallowing in pain and misery, his father turned to alcohol to deal with the loss. The poisonous liquid seemingly plagued his mind, fueling an endless rage that he released onto his children.
That rage brought terror each night that scarred Ned’s childhood.
His only saving grace was his older brother, Kai Sommers.
Kai stood against his father’s abuse, standing up for his four younger siblings who weren’t strong enough to fight for themselves. He was the brawns to Ned’s brains, with the two of them forming a formidable partnership with one goal in mind: To find a new home. A home away from the hell they’d known all their lives. A place where they could truly be children, free from the clutches of the cruel adult world.
Unfortunately, fate would play a brutal trick on Ned, forcing him to choose between what remained of his family or the opportunity to study at Sir Gaus Academy.
…
After choosing the latter, he never saw his siblings again.
…
“I ran away…”
“Sorry, what?” Dr Scale asked.
“I ran away,” Ned repeated. “From my responsibilities and those I cared for. I ran away with the excuse of looking for more when, in actuality, I was just trying to escape… There’s no way I can go back now, not after what I’ve done. The only way I can redeem myself is by succeeding in what I plan to do. That’s the only way I can forgive myself and move forward.”
Dr. Scale stood, walking toward the window. He began to observe what lay beyond the room, something Ned had refused to do since entering.
“You don’t have to tell me,” the guild master began. “Your frustration… Your struggle… it’s clear. Life has been difficult. I don’t know what you’ve gone through, personally, but I am here to help. You are a member of the Association and, most importantly, are a human being. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out how you wish to approach this trauma of yours. You can choose to ‘run away,’ as you said, or face it head-on. Each choice comes with its own consequences. Just know that whatever decision you make, I and many others will be there to support you.”
“Thanks,” Ned replied meekly. His head sagged into the pillow, forcing him to stare at the ceiling. “I know I can’t keep running away. But I'm scared. My family that I left behind – what if they hate me? What if they won’t forgive me?”
“I told you before that observation is important in battle,” Dr. Scale answered. “It applies in interactions with others as well. To you, it may appear that redemption is out of reach, but to those you care for, they may be waiting for your return, which you’re failing to see. You’ll only know if you face the situation head-on.”
“Fine,” Ned sighed, gulping hard. “I’ll do it. I’ll meet with my father. But please… be there on stand-by with your invigilators just in case. I don’t know how I’ll react once I see him.”
“Thank you, and of course,” Dr. Scale spoke. “In two week’s time, we are hosting a celebration banquet for successful Warrior Association Examinees. We’ll get Sven to meet you there in a wired VIP booth. You won’t be alone when you face him.”
Ned gripped the sheets once more as his hands shook slightly.
“Alright.”
----------------------------------------
[Later that evening, Tondon General Hospital]
Rurah stood just outside Ned's hospital room, holding a limited-edition truffle cake from the Eaton Bakery on Wood Street. Apparently, the chocolate used is from the Southern region, so it became a must-try place for the large titan.
I wonder if Ned will like this, he pondered. I know he prefers vanilla, but I honestly think chocolate is better.
His stomach grumbled. Mouth salivating. He wanted to enter and eat, but he couldn’t until someone arrived. That person in question was Hitto – the weird boy he met for the first time months ago. After the exam incident, he was severely injured and rushed to the emergency room. The doctors said his lungs had been pierced and his stomach destroyed. His chances of survival were slim, yet magically, he made a full recovery in less than two weeks.
Since then, the two of them have been training hard with the same goal in mind – to defeat the Masked person. For Rurah, that battle was the first time in his life he felt so utterly powerless. The difference in strength was night and day… something he needed to address. And as for Hitto, well, the boy said he didn’t remember anything from his fight yet still had the burning desire to defeat Mask. That desire carried him throughout the months, never wavering.
“Did you wait long?” Rurah heard from behind.
The boy in question had finally arrived sporting a yellow two-piece pajama set.
“Finally, do you know how hungry I was getting? Let’s head in.”
Rurah opened the door.
Ned was standing by the window, slightly trembling. He must’ve heard the door open as he turned his head slightly in its direction. Tears were flowing from his green eyes that he quickly tried to stifle and rub away. He forced a stern expression through the sadness, raising a hand that he clenched into a tight fist.
“I’m gonna give it a try,” he spoke resolutely.