After cleaning up the remaining bodies on the surrounding road, Spitz and I watched the door to the Wagon House burst open, with Hephy’s head popping out of the vehicle. She jumped down into the ground and wiped her brow.

“Phew! Thanks for the help, everyone! I appreciate it!”

“No problem,” I said.

Spitz didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at the girl, as if she were analyzing her features. Hephy’s eyebrows twitched. She placed her hands on her waist and rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I get it! I’m smaller than you expected! Moving on!”

Spitz crossed her arms and shook her head.

“Height aside, that’s not what I’m thinking about.” She gave off a stern tone, which meant that she had thought of a more serious matter.

“Some of the Be Gang members got away, with knowledge of this location. Because of you, this safehouse isn’t so safe for the children anymore.”

Hephy winced. “What do you want me to do about it then?”

“We need to move the children to a safer place. This….moving house thing.”

“It’s called the Wagon House.” I corrected her.

“Ahem. The Wagon House. It could be of great use to us.” Spitz put her hands together and bowed. “Please. Help me escort the children there.”

Hephy scratched her head. It looked like she was trying hard to rationalize the situation. She tapped her feet and looked down for a little while. Then, she finally came to a decision.

“I’m usually not a fan of letting children inside, but I’ll let it slide this time if it means protecting from all the chaos. But please tell them to behave and don’t touch my stuff.”

“No worries,” Spitz said. “These kids are obedient, so it won’t be a problem.”

“Then it’s settled. Let em on board.”

Spitz turned back and made her way back into the house. When she came out, I realized that there were more children inside than I had initially expected. There were over ten of them in total, all of them with slave collars on their necks.

I glowered.

I still couldn’t process the fact that people enslave children around these parts.

If you hadn’t given the Defuser away to the people who kicked you out of Sector 24, you might have been able to save these children from those collars.

If only I had the tools to make another Defuser….wait. Hephy might have some parts I can use.

Meanwhile, Hephy’s jaw dropped for a second, then she let out a cough.

“Ahem. That’s a lot of kids. Come in, everyone! And don’t you dare touch any of my stuff!”

The children walked up the stairs one by one and into the Wagon House. One boy got a little curious and stopped mid-way. I noticed that there was a bit of flush on his face.

“Woah! You control this big thing?! But you’re just a kid!”

Hephy groaned. “I’ll have you know that I’m twenty-two years old! That’s like more than half your age! I’m not like you youngsters!”

“Liar.”

Hephy looked like she was ready to slap the kid into oblivion, but Spitz interrupted them.

“Don’t be rude, Finn. That’s no way to speak to your elders. Now, apologize.”

“Sorry.” The boy hung his head down.

“Good.” Hephy nodded with a slight grin.

I’m starting to see why she doesn’t like letting children in. She probably isn’t the type who liked to interact with them either.

I stepped foot inside the Wagon House and outreached my hand to Spitz, who was standing outside by the door.

“No thanks. Someone needs to watch from outside. We wouldn’t want any unexpected ambushes, right?”

“R-Right….wait. Let me help.”

Spitz shook her head. “It’s fine. I can handle it on my own. Just take some rest instead, please. Your body hasn’t completely recovered yet.”

I was apprehensive of the idea, but then I remembered what Spitz was capable of.

“Take these comms.”

Hephy handed over the ear-shaped device to Spitz. Spitz looked at the object and tilted her head.

“How does this thing work?”

“Just place it on your ears.”

“I get that part, but how is it able to function?”

“Green Magium batteries. These things pick up sound waves in their surroundings and send them up into the air. As a wind user, you should be able to get that part, right? From there, all you’d have to do is to code the Magion in such a way that gathers all these sounds together in one place, thus creating a connection called an Air Link.”

“Code….the Magion?” Spitz scratched her head.

“Forget it. We don’t have time for infodumping right now, we gotta move. Just understand that it works.”

“Right…”

“Stay safe,” I said.

“Thanks, Lars.” I could imagine the smile underneath her mask.

I closed the door. After making sure that all the children had entered the wagon and settled down, Hephy made her way to the driver’s cabin. I decided to take a look inside, only to find my brain turning into a state of mush.

This is….quite the sophisticated place.

At the front of the driver seat, where Hephy sat, was what appeared to be the amalgamation of metal levers of different sizes, interconnected cogwheels, convoluted pipes and wires, colorful circular buttons, clock-like gauges, glass cases of glowing Magium crystals, valves and a giant steering wheel at the very center.

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All of these were what I assumed to be the control console of Wagon House. I didn’t even bother to question it, considering that Hephy clearly understood what was going on around here.

“Get ready, everyone!”

Hephy picked up a key from her pocket, twirling the chain attached to it around before finally inserting it down a hole. She twisted it, causing the whole area to vibrate and generate waves of purple energy that forced the cogwheels into motion. Hephy gripped the giant wheel with her tiny hands. The muscles on her short arms bulged as she began to turn it around, displaying how heavy it actually was.

No wonder she looked like she worked out.

She pulled the biggest lever located next to her, which made the vehicle turn itself around to point straight towards the cobblestone road. Then, we started to move forward.

“I’d like you to guard the children, Lars,” Hephy said. “I’d rather not have anyone disturb me at the moment besides Spitz’s directions.”

“All right.”

I sighed and walked back into the main cabin, where all ten children moved their heads towards me in synchrony.

“Uh…hi.”

“Hello.”

…………

They looked at me silently, which made me feel a little uncomfortable.

I have no idea how to talk to children. Help me out here, Gray.

It’s not like you’re obligated to talk to them anyway. Just answer them whenever they ask questions, then speak out if they end up doing something wrong.

You’re not wrong, but they look like they could use someone to talk to.

The aura around them felt sullen. Their eyes lacked the sparkle a child would have normally had, ones that should have been filled with curiosity and wonder. Instead, they reminded me of Gray’s right eye, filled with darkness, doom and gloom. It wasn’t a surprise, since there’s practically bombs attached to their necks. I could easily empathize. I was the same as them back in Sector 24, along with all the other slaves that Hector had forced to work in the mines.

Why’d you have to reference my eye though? It’s not so bad. These children have simply seen the darkness of this world, simple as that. No wonder the light on their eyes has been taken away.

It is terrible, Gray. No child should ever have to suffer this way.

“You’re just like Big Sister.”

A child’s voice caught my attention. It was the same one that called Hephy a kid, the boy named Finn.

“W-What do you mean?” I was startled. The line had suddenly cut straight through my inward thoughts.

Finn pointed at my face. “You both wear a mask to hide your faces, and you both work hard to be good adults.”

“How can you say I’m a good adult? I’m a complete stranger to you.”

"That metal mask of yours….aren't you supposed to be the Iron Cat of legend?!"

"T-The legend?"

I didn't realize it at first, but all the other children had been sneaking glances towards me. They appeared interested, yet they were all too timid to approach me. At least, until Finn came along and broke the ice.

"A man of justice who hides his face beneath an iron mask, roaming the Under Sectors like a prowling cat. A shadow who lurks in the darkness, but brings light to the weak. It is he who fears no evil, for evil fears him. The hope of this hell, we call the Iron Cat."

The boy chanted it as if he had read it from a story book. I was overwhelmed by the idea that someone like me could be associated with a mysterious legend.

I've only thought of this mask as a mockery from Hector. One that was meant to signify that I was just a mere pet to him. One that told me that my life was no longer mine. Yet despite its purpose, I had grown attached to this mask, as if it were a part of who I was. Until now, I had never considered looking up the origins of this mask.

Who owned this mask in the first place? Is he truly the person the legends say he is? And why did he choose the cat to represent his identity?

All these questions ran through my mind, but there was one definite fact that Hector had told me.

"The Iron Cat that you speak of. That isn't me. He had already died a long time ago."

"That isn't true!"

I looked at Finn, who beamed his eyes towards me with a fiery passion.

"The Iron Cat never dies!"

"What….?"

I scratched my hair and felt my eyes squint. I couldn't understand his thought process at all.

"That was his most iconic line."

"But he already died. We humans, we're just mere mortals. Everyone is going to die sooner or later, so how could he never die?"

Finn shook his head.

"My true identity does not matter. I will die someday. But that doesn't matter. As long as someone puts on the mask of the cat, the Iron Cat will never die!" The boy said as he tried to deepen his voice.

"What do you think? Isn't that pretty cool, Big Brother? You can be the Iron Cat if you want to!"

I flinched instinctively.

The Iron Cat….me? I will be the one to carry on his legacy? No…I can't do it. Someone like me, doesn't deserve such a title. I would only taint it. I don't think…I'm allowed to wear this mask any longer.

I removed the mask and hung my head down.

"I can't. I'm not a good adult."

Finn grabbed onto my hand.

"I-I want to believe!"

My eyes bulged. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. Why was this child placing his trust on me?

You forget that children are naive creatures. They have not lived long in this world, so they are prone to clinging to any sort of nonsensical belief, as long as it resonates with their heart. It's called the power of imagination. You have two choices here.

What do you want me to do, Gray?

It's either you play along with their beliefs and grant them a feeling of inspiration……or destroy their childish hopes and make them face the harsh reality. Both options are fine. A sweet lie or the bitter truth?

I bit my lip. Then, I knelt down to the boy's level and gave him a pat on the head.

"All right. If you believe in me that much, then I'll do it."

I stood up and looked at the children.

"From now on…." I put on the mask. "I am the Iron Cat! Despair no more, for I have been reborn! As a man of justice, I solemnly swear to protect the weak, purge all evil and save the Under Sectors!"

A bout of silence. The children stared at me blankly. But then, they all bursted into a fit of laughter.

"That was so cheesy!" a child fell down on the floor.

A flurry of red burst through my cheeks. I shrunk back and looked away, realizing how lame I must have sounded a little too late.

"Don't mind it, you did a good job." Finn snickered.

"You're clearly laughing," I covered my face with my hand.

"Well, it was funny, but isn't that a good thing?"

I looked back at the boy. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen everyone smile in so long. They all look so happy." Finn wiped a tear from his eye. "Thank you."

I turned to face the children once again. The atmosphere around them had lightened up, their once gloomy expressions switched to those of bright smiles. The sparkle on their eyes had been brought back to life.

"Hey! Shut up back there! I'm trying to concentrate here!" Hephy shouted.

The children's laughter died down, but the hopeful looks on their faces had remained.

"Big Brother….why aren't you smiling?"

Finn looked up at me with curiosity.

"I….can't." I winced. "I think I might have forgotten how to smile."

I expected the kid to judge me for being unable to do something as simple as controlling my own lips, but he gave me a completely different response.

"Someday."

"Someday?"

"Someday, you'll remember. Then we can all smile together!" Finn stretched his mouth to give me a wide smile.

So you decided to lie to them after all. You know, I didn't think you had the heart to deceive. You've brought hope into their hearts once again, but it's merely a temporary solution. Sooner or later they'll have to face the cruel reality. But at least for now, they're satisfied. You've given them a reason to keep on living in the meantime, so it's all fine.

You're wrong, Gray.

Wait…..

Don't tell me….you actually believe in what you've said…..

I will do it, no matter what it takes.

I will become the Iron Cat.