Suzaki healed everyone that he could. Bruno returned to us after a short swim, pissed that he missed the end of the fight but otherwise fine.

I did my best to hold on. Even after Suzaki patched up my wounds, my body refused to walk. Whenever I spread my senses inside to my spirit roots—all I felt was ruin. Withered roots, tainting my body rather than providing a source of strength. Impossible to say how much or what I’d damaged, but it’d turned fundamentally wrong.

Kayson was the one to pick up the pieces. He contacted our cowardly Viceroy and other important Brass Kings members after getting us a distance away.

Though I saw little point in giving the time of day to a bitch who stole my ride and left us to die, I wasn’t in the right state to argue my case. Bruno put up token resistance and demanded she come back with my bike and sort out the mess she’d helped cause.

Tristan got away with so much because of his financial relationships and drug relationships with the other captains. Something that the Viceroy had known about and, in the case of James, provided to him. She might not have been entirely at blame, but Immortals knew that if she’d kept a closer eye on him instead of obsessing over her fucking war, things wouldn’t have spiraled so far out of control. At some juncture, the Segreto ended up getting involved as well.

From there, things got hazy for me.

I remembered seeing the sun finally crested the horizon, ending the Light Festival and marking an end to this chaos.

A beautiful occasion, praise be to the Immortal of Light who slaughtered the darkness in this world. Yada, yada.

I got draped on the back of a motorcycle, tossed in Kayson’s room, and then I was a goner.

— ♤ - ♥ - ♧ - ♦ —

I woke up to the beautiful noise of snoring outside of my door. Opening it to find Bruno knocked back in a chair.

He filled me in.

I’d been out two days. Two whole days gone from me passed out. Things didn’t feel right still, but most of my senses were back to me. Enough to know I fucking reeked, my hair was a mess, and I wasn’t even in my own clothes. A tragedy to sink so low. I mean, yeah, I got torn up. Still, wasn’t that acceptable of an excuse to walk around like a pile of trash. If you didn’t hold yourself to some standards, you were well and truly fucked.

I couldn’t be too angry if I were alive enough to feel that way.

Bruno told Kayson I was up, and our Lieutenant threw me some more of his clothes. I felt a bit bad; who knew how much of his shit I’d gone and wrecked. Fancy kimonos, dress shirts, even his bike—none of it was cheap, but Kayson didn’t even question it. He told me that he was pleased I was still alive and semi-functional again.

I took a shower and let them do their thing.

Once the rest of the squad heard I was up and about, Kayson’s spot became an impromptu hangout session as they kindly informed me of the shit-storm after the fight.

“So, we’re all to attend a trial,” I summed up, arms crossed and a cigarette in my mouth. My Soul had a constant ache that hinted at a horrible malformation, but I wasn’t a Soul Physician; I had no chance to diagnose my problems. If I could walk and talk, that was fine enough for now.

“Yeah, the Viceroy isn’t pleased with the attempt on her life, our actions leading up to that. Then there’s the fact that the appearance of a Possessed was leaked. That pissed off the Sects, who had to cover it up from the public. She’s dealing with a mess.” Kayson said as he leaned forward on a wooden chair.

“Who the fuck leaked that!?” The rest of the group gathered around on the couches and chairs of the living room. It almost felt like I’d found another home.

“I did. I’m the one who told the Segreto family. They came slamming my door down, asking after you and Alex. When I showed them you were fine and recovering, a man with a nice suit and a gold watch showed up. He kindly informed me that I’d tell him everything or there’d be issues. I know enough not to want to cross that family, as would anyone who lives in New Valentine. So, I let him leave with Alex after our chat.” That sounded like Romeo. Kayson was rather unapologetic about giving my brother up, but given the circumstances…

“And just why the fuck do you got them coming to your beck and call, dumbass?” Eve lounged on the couch next to me, her hands behind her head. She flashed a smile that took only a bit of the edge off her words.

“Listen, it’s not like I went and asked, and to be honest, the whole thing reeks of my Uncle, so I’ve been just, well, pretending it didn’t exist. Out of respect for him,” It sounded dumb to admit I’d swept it under the rug until now, but it was what it was. I also didn’t want to dig into how it related to my father. Being reminded of him left me staring at a hole in my heart, and I didn’t particularly appreciate how it felt.

“Regardless, they took it out of our hands and leaked the fact Tristan became Possessed. The Himawari Sect ordered a biopsy of the corpse. And found out about the drugs, which turned out to be to our benefit. Though, not to the Brass Kings. They’ve been running the Viceroy ragged enough she’s suspended dealing with us—we still have a couple of days to recover and get our lives straightened out.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Why are ya acting like it’s a big deal? We saved her ungrateful ass, didn’t we?” I decided to throw in, noticing Kayson glancing at the other squad members and fidgeting.

“I find it very likely she’ll have us removed from the Brass Kings.”

“That’s bullshit!” I stood up, hand slamming on the coffee table. An action I immediately regretted, as my lungs drew short of breath and sparked a coughing fit. Fuck. My arm spasmed as my Soul violently crackled.

Kayson frowned and nodded to Bruno—who helped me back onto the couch. “You need to take it easy. I’m even more grateful now that our trial is waiting a few days. There are other avenues to pursue, however.”

“I don’t see it, Kayson. You’ve been at this gang the longest of all of us; hell, you’re the one who talked me into joining. What, you going to turn tail and join the Crimson Eagles now that they’re reforming?” Eve asked.

“No, though they should count it as a blessing that they’re still around, I doubt they’ll ever be as strong as they were. I see a more localized future for us—our own gang.”

I stared at him hard, and the rest of the group went quiet too. It seemed like Kayson waited until I got up before mentioning this idea. Damn. I rubbed the back of my head. What exactly did being a Brass King mean to me? I’d spent a year with them. I thought I was cool as fuck in that jacket, stirring up shit on the streets. It even let me make money and gamble.

My eyes ran over the rest of the people here. Each of them, in their own heads, in their own way, they’d all touched me and made being a part of the Brass King’s actually feel like I was more than myself. A part of a bigger whole. Now that I was fucked up and didn’t know what was going on with my Soul, I didn’t doubt these people would still be by my side.

“Ya know what? Kayson. That’s a stupid fucking idea. A real boneheaded risk, do ya know just how pissed the gang’d get? Hell, pretty sure the Viceroy would hunt ya down if she kicked ya out, then found out what you’re planning on. Horrible idea.” A smile spread over my face. “But hey, if you’re in, then I’ll throw in and cast my lot. It’d be boring otherwise.”

Bruno let out a deep laugh. “Let us conquer this world together! We shall combine our might and leave the fields covered in the blood of our enemy. We will reach into the sky and grasp a glorious future with our power. If Luca is in, then I am as well!” The big guy stood up and pounded his chest.

“Y-you’ll all die if I’m not here,” Suzaki shook his head.

Eve looked at us all. “You’re all stupid,” she sighed. “Guess I am too.”

Like that, we’d made a pact that would take us to unknown places. No matter what happened, we’d tied our fate together. Eve sealed the deal by pouring drinks and celebrating the rest of the night. Kayson was too reluctant to let us get out and about, and I doubted my ability to walk more than twenty steps. Luckily my friends were more than willing to help. Even Suzaki opted to take a shot, though he refused to drink anymore past that, gagging on the hard liquor.

What surprised me most was when Suzaki volunteered to do the cooking—picking up the stuff for what he called ‘A gator curry udon, and side of swiss chard and sesame.’ Now, I knew those kinda foods were pretty popular around parts of New Valentine, particularly with some of the more traditional sects. I’d rarely tasted them, let alone knew how to make them.

When Suzaki stepped into the kitchen? Complete flip. He’d bossed Bruno around and nearly came to yelling at the big lug. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Bruno shamed for burning the meat.

We enjoyed a nice feast together and spoke of happy things and how the future would go oh so great for us. Despite the upcoming trial, we were all together and still living and breathing. Hard not to be happy. It even staved off my dread for the next day when I’d stop by my Ma’s house.

The thought dwelled in me, making my laughs just a little forced and drawn out. I thought no one noticed. The night drew to a close, and people began to dip, either to sleep or some of their shit straight. Kayson left for business, claiming he had a lot of preparations to make. I swear the guy could spend hours deciding how to do something. It vexed me since my natural state was to throw myself at a problem and sort it out then and there.

Everyone except Bruno left, leaving the two of us watching one of those old cheap cultivation flicks on the television like we’d made a habit out of.

“So, you’re not returning to your Mom’s, are you?” The big guy said out of the blue as the last action scene ended with a guy getting punched through a building. Now the jade beauty would come on screen and plea for the hero to gain the strength to surpass the demon cultivator—a typical c-tier plot at best.

I paused, caught by surprise, and looked at Bruno. The usually playful expression he wore was absent.

“Naw, ya got the right of it. How can I go back and live there after all the shit I caused for’em? Thing is, I don’t even really think it’ll stop. I got ya’ll now, and I grateful, but part of me is gonna keep being drawn to this danger. It excites me.” Hurt still dwelled in my heart from the words she said. She wasn’t wrong; if not for me, then Alex wouldn’t have gotten taken, and all of their shit would still be there. If I were better, we could’ve been a happy family. But I wasn’t. I had to live with that.

“Your family is important, Luca. I wish I’d had the bonds that tie you close to your blood. My kin always saw me as the failure. They don’t talk to me unless they want something. No matter what I do. My older brother is their legacy, not I. No matter how strong I get.”

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know ya had those problems, but Bruno. It aint best for them for me to be back. They’re mortals, and I’m a cultivator. Ya have said much of the same before about people. Worse, I’m a goddamn delinquent with a taste for violence and trouble. It’s not right to settle that on their shoulders anymore.”

“I can understand that. Just don’t overlook those ties, Luca. They can be a source of strength. Now—Haha! You are homeless. How does that feel?”

Now that hit like a fucking brick. Technically, the big guy was right. I leaned back and lit a cigarette, kicking my feet on the coffee table. Shit.

“Have no worry, my friend; I can solve your homeless problem!” Bruno gave me a massive smile, which felt a little strange considering we were now talking about me living on the streets. Still, I gestured for him to explain. “You move into my apartment, roommates Luca! Is it not an excellent plan? We’ll sort out your share of rent later! Haha!” I stared at him.

You know. It wasn’t an awful plan. Outta anyone in our squad, I got along the most with this insane asshole. I’d never been to his place, but between living on the streets and sharing a space with a friend? Well, easy sell.

“Fuck, yea. Thanks, man, I appreciate it.”

He clapped me on the back. “We move tomorrow! Tonight, we drink to our successes! And we finish this movie! Lacey Blackwing is a fantastic actress, and her role in this film is a pure expression of the divine art of—“

I sorta droned out the rest of his hyped-out rant, pouring us a couple of shots to keep the night going. Didn’t really matter what time I went over to Ma’s anyway. Later, earlier, nothing I’d do would make the experience any better.