The night that followed proved sleepless to me as everything I talked about with Jun was a lot to take in. Back when we started, there was no inflated economy as Typhon was the first and only city we had access to. Even the first Immortal players in the game only had access to the cities in this layer as they were progressively added every update. From Typhon to Helios, all the way to the last city of the bottom layer, as time passed and each rank got their individual layer, the lower levels got forgotten. Jun was right. After living on this game for years, the names Typhon and Helios were buried deep within my memories.

And after a long night of processing, the start of the day was signified by the bright blinding red glow of Ark Sanctuary’s artificial sun and sole power source, shining from the place where I one day desire to reach. I still wasn’t used to a lot of things, having my own bed to sleep in and eating proper food were among them. But after that, I set out to keep my promise to Jun. The Kanies accompanied me along the way as their path and mine were the same to an extent.

What surprised me was that I was walking out in the open, but there was little to no people running at me with guns loaded, even when we passed the crowded market when people clearly saw me. Difference was that now I was in the middle sector of Helios, where the ones who want to escape the chaos and to get on with their lives reside in. The lower sector where I used to be, is where most of the worst roam, where they can extort tired players returning from quests and gatekeep any potential bounty targets trying to enter the city. And if I was to believe all that Jun has told me as of yet, it seems I snuck myself into Helios at the right time, as there seemed to be a lot of territorial infighting going on between Hunter Clans around that time.

“Well this is a first, been a while since I walked in the open without getting shot at” And right as I said that I ran into a wall of a man, giving me a quick reminder that the middle sector and above isn’t as safe as I thought it to be.

“Aaaand you had to open your big mouth” Jun muttered under his breath

Tall enough that I had to strain my neck to have his face in my view, he grabbed me by the collar while his much shorter two friends observed in the background.

“Well, well, well. Looks like I’m lucky enough to get a free warmup before the day starts” says the towering man

“Come on man, you do know how little I am worth right?”

“Who said I’m looking for the pay?” he replied to my snarky remark

The Kanies reach out to their weapons, but I wave them off as I didn’t want this going from a confrontation to a free-for-all mosh pit…I already saw how one of those ends back in Typhon. However, as I was off the ground but had my hands free, I reached for my blade with my right hand and was ready to sever his forearm or to slice open his eyes with a kunai. But before I made a move, a gunshot brought the busy atmosphere to a standstill.

The hulking assailant drops me and screams in pain as his arm explodes with a quick splatter of blood on me and the ground beneath him. Jun and the twins closed their distance to check on me, but I reassured them that I was alright.

“Huntley-san, I am getting so tired of you causing problems when I am around and about. Are you that eager to spend some time in the can” said a figure of my height pointing his smoking 9mm handgun at him.

“Nishigaki” he said with a visible disgust in his expression

“As big as Helios is, you had to be here of all places” he continued

“You know the rules….You want to strongarm people, the clans of the lower sector is all yours….Well, if you want to strongarm the weak, then you have to go through me and let me tell you something, Huntley-san….You really don’t want to even try to go through me” Eventhough the man looked to be twice his size, he wasn’t fazed by the slightest when he said that….instead he closed the distance with every word until he was directly under him, making unflinching eye contact.

“Tsk… We are done here boys, let's get out of here” The man said before leaving with haste carrying his bleeding arm.

“Guess I will keep a close eye on him later, but I guess I have other business to attend to today. I see a fresh face among the usual trio” he said while approaching us

“Yamori-senpai, good morning. This is the friend I notified you about” Jun says to set us up for a quick introduction

“Well, any friend of Junichi is a friend of mine…Yamori Nishigaki, formerly Detective in the Shibuya P.D, now the sole Sheriff of Helios” he tells me while extending his hand out

“Akio Nakamura, was another in the same trade as Jun here” I said while shaking his hand

“Nakamura? As in the Shinogami? The Absolute Zero?”

The fact that people still remember me by that title managed to tick me off a bit, and while I was not trying to give it away, Yamori’s trained eye caught on

“Oh right touchy subject, sorry got caught up in the moment. But still, I’m a huge fan…even after….you know”

“Huh, nice change of pace to meet a fan in times like this” I replied to that sentiment

“Yeah, likewise. It’s a nice change of pace from dealing with crazies left right and center. But either way, let's get straight to the point, I hear that you are looking to participate in The Trial of the Wolves. Follow me, I’ll guide you to my humble abode” he continued

“And I guess this is where our roads divide. You know where to find us if you need anything” said Jun

“You sure about this guy?” I asked

“Relax, you can trust him, you have my word on that”

“Nii-chan, do you want someone to hold your hand through the whole thing?” teased Meguru

“I’m sure I give my hand to you two, you’ll plant firecrackers on it” I replied

Both of them going “Tsk” in unison pretty much confirmed that they were up to no good…Nice try, but it also means that I’ll have to watch my back whenever I see these two again…..Some things never change I guess

“You guys do realize I’m standing right here hearing everything right? But I understand, you have nothing to worry about, if you can’t trust me, there isn’t any hope left in this world ” said Yamori

“I’ll be the judge of that”

He turned around and started leading but just before I turned back, I was met with slight interruption

“Akio” said Jun calling out to me

“Hm? What’s up” I answered

“Just….think about what I asked, please. You know where to find us if you do”

He throws me an earpiece similar to the one he gave me when he saved my bacon a few days back

“It’s tuned to our clan frequency, if you need anything, advice, help… You let us know”

“Yeah well, whatever happens, best of luck to you guys” I said to the Kanies going our separate ways for the day. Jun looked concerned as he had to split from a friend that he thought he lost, but even if we went our separate ways, I have a strong feeling that we will meet again some day.

I jog and catch up to Yamori.

“Tell me more about this ‘trial’ you are going to put me through” I inquired

“The Trial of the Wolves, I call it. As you could guess, I work a ton of cases day in and day out, and lets just say that this is my way of handing out a death penalty while also helping people fend off for themselves when I’m not around”

“So you act as the Judge, Jury and Executioner?”

“I am the only Judge, Jury and Executioner in this world. I try to keep Helios from tearing itself apart as much as I can. As much as I don’t want to, I leave the lower sector to fend for themselves….Chaos canceling chaos in that situation…but everything from here, it’s more controllable so I keep it under my protection…Creating a safe haven in hell, if I had to word it differently. But back to the point, the trial consists of killing a restrained criminal. And to put your mind at ease, I only have the ones executed who I think deserve it.”

“I heard the Kanies went through the trial as well?”

“That they did. Their trial was a bit messy even considering what they went through”

My interest was caught

“What do you mean after what they went through”

He stopped in his tracks and turned back at me

“What, didn’t Junichi tell you about the attack?”

“He did, but just said he said it was random” I answered

“So that’s all he said, but I understand why it was hard for him to break it to you. It was random,yes, but it is lot closer to home than you think” he said while continuing to walk

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked

“Does the name Rise To Glory ring a bell to you”

Oh no. Anyone but them.

“I mean it should, they are the team that was responsible for the great fall of the Absolute Zero.”

I didn’t want to pry into this any longer. RTG was once to blame for me falling into a place that I never thought I would recover from. And even though I have been through much worse, the pain from those old deep wounds are ones that I don’t want to experience again.

And finally, we arrived.

“Welcome to the Helios precinct. Active police officers: One” Yamori says while presenting a single storied white and wide building with a towering sign reading ‘Sheriff’s Office’ that sticks out like a sore thumb

“Huh, I’m guessing subtlety isn’t a part of your resume” I stated

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Usually it is, but a perk of having a registered job in this place is that it lets people know exactly where to find you. Also people are willing to be on their best behavior when they know a police station is nearby”

We enter the building and it’s as rustic looking inside as much as it is out. Small office with a large counter and a waiting area near the entrance, and a door that leads to a long line of cells filled with inmates.

“You can stay out front while I grab the file and the kill of the day.” Said Yamori before he left towards the cells

The split second he opened the door; I could hear the threats and shouts leaking outwards which were directed towards Yamori. I almost have respect for him considering the weight he is carrying alone right now.

Yamori appeared from inside after around ten minutes had passed.

“Everything is set-up in the yard, go ahead of me for a second, I’ll meet you out back with his file although I don’t think you’ll need it”

I let that final remark go for now as I already had a lot on my brain to process

Holding cells, massive terrace in the back with a single lone pyre in the middle with blood stains darkening the stone paving below it. This place has the look and the feel of a Sheriff’s office found in every Wild Western movie ever. Only difference is the were as those movies are bathed in the scorching heat of the yellow sun, all there is down here is the bright red sky with the Cybersphere shining from where my ultimate goal lies.

“Sorry for the wait, here comes the culprit” said Yamori while entering the yard from behind me

But when I turned around, I suddenly felt as if I lost my ability to breathe

“I thought it would be easier for you if your first prey was one that you had a personal distaste towards, may I present to you, Jayden Riley. Former leader of the team once known as RTG, the one responsible for the fall of CG’s most revered underdog, and the one who is responsible for the attack on your former teammates.” Yamori said while taking him to the pyre and tying his hand behind it.

“Nakamura? Shit, couldn’t think of a worse way to go” Jayden comments from the pyre

Yamori approaches and talks so that Jayden can’t hear

“If you want me to go, that’s fine. But if you need help-”

“It’s fine”

“If you need the file-”

“Keep it” I said on pure impulse of trauma and hate

Now I knew exactly what he meant before. I told myself that I needed to be absolutely sure before I took a life, that putting them out of their misery would make this place better. With one exception.

I approached that exception who was tied to the pyre

He sighs first, “How the hell are you even still alive? After all that Chifuyu did to you” said Jayden with a defeated look

I wanted to say something immediately, but my hate for the guy and my curiosity to understand how he ended up here were clashing in my mind continuously. I calmed myself before I said anything rash

“Haven’t you had enough, Riley?”

This is the first time in years that we have talked, and unlike last time, I don’t even use honorifics when I said his name since I have no respect for him.

“Look…I don’t know what that wannabe Sheriff has told you, but that wasn’t our intention” Jayden replied

“What was your intention then, what were your intentions when you attacked my friends? Was it the same as when you made my life miserable?”

He chuckled “You are still hung up on that huh? Never thought that you of all people would be the kind that keeps grudges”

I struck him in the stomach with my gauntlet hand as I wanted to inflict the most pain on him without killing him. But to my surprise, when my hand was lying on his stomach, his veins started to highlight in red through his clothing, just like it did to the kid a couple of days back. Jayden started to flinch in pain more strongly.

“Fuck, how the? The pain…What did you just do to me?” He coughs up a small stain of blood and continued in a calm demeanor “I think you broke a few ribs from that”

So I drew a conclusion in the moment that anyone I touch with an intention to harm, gets their pain dampening turned off. Which is just what I needed right now. I tested my theory further by gripping his arm with my right hand, and his screams proved my suspicion right.

I disengaged and paced with my back turned to him, processing this new found ability. But eventhough helpless, Jayden has no qualms about taunting me

“You know the saying Nakamura? The higher they climb, the further they fall. We never got a moment to talk after that, and it’s not like Chifuyu knew to tell you anyways. You want to know why I did what I did?. Why did I frame the once famed Absolute Zero? No matter how much we won in those times, everyone’s talk was you. The troll turned the game's best in-game leader, the cold-blooded clutch master. No-one noticed our run of dominance no matter how much strain we went through, no-one was interested in us. They only wanted Zero. And the day Chifuyu came to us and replaced me, it’s like everything I worked for all those years was for nothing. And the day we faced off….I will never forget how the fans of the once mighty turned on their hero-'' he said with an inappropriately joyous tone, like he enjoyed being the villain in that situation

I cut him off “I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care about your need for attention, and I didn’t care back then. What I was truly pissed off at was how what you did caused my family to pay a price”

“Clearly you won’t have that problem anymore” Jayden retorts with the same condescending tone

I lost my temper and started to choke him, and my new ability also kicked in. But I let go before I choke him to death

Jayden starts coughing and gasping for air

“What you did to me isn’t why you

are here. You said that I had your intentions wrong. WHAT DID YOU MEAN?” I demanded

“Fucking hell that hurt…Look I am not who you think I am mate. I killed…I killed my own friend in a duel. But I didn’t know that this was some twisted experiment. We killed and toyed with so many NPCs and players thinking that they would just respawn. It was all fun and games for us but the moment we found out, some of us snapped. The Kanies and Sakuragi, they were just there at the wrong time. We weren’t trying to kill anyone, but we were all stressed, and running into y'all at that moment tipped most of us over the edge. Nat had Sakuragi under him, and he just snapped. I’ve known him for years, but that moment he looked at me, I didn’t even recognize him anymore. Do you know how that feels, Hero?....How it feels to look a man you have known for most of your life in the eyes, and not even recognise him. And what do I get for confessing everything? Tied up to a fucking stake, just to be killed by a man who I wanted to be better than.”

“You asked me this moments ago, and I’ll ask the same from you now. Haven’t we had enough?” He continued

The look on his face, it reminded me of how I exactly felt up on the stage that day. A look of hopelessness and desperation. What has this world done to people?

I drew my blade to finish him off…or tried to anyways

“You might think I’d beg for my life, but I don’t care what happens to me anymore. You want to give me a slow painful death for what I did to you, go ahead. I’ll be going out happy that I don’t have to live this nightmare anymore. But if I was to die here, please fulfill this dead man’s wish of granting the same mercy of a quick death for the rest of my team. You can do whatever you want to Chifuyu….but the others are good people…They don’t deserve to suffer.”

I try to strike and make it quick, but doubt washes over me instantly. Can I kill him instantly? What if I miss? He has gone through his own hell just like mine, is killing him the same as killing myself?

And just like before, my hands lock up before I can take a life

“You doing alright?” Yamori peeks into ask

“I can’t do it…. I can’t” I say while the hand holding my blade shudders in front of his throat.

I drop my blade and took a step back

“If you need help-”

“That’s not what I meant” I cut Yamori off

“He has gone through the same as I have…. What gives me the right to live, and not him? If I kill someone who has taken a life, how does that make me any different from him?”

“Nakamura-san…. I’ve been doing this job for many years now excluding my time here. But if all that time had taught me anything, it’s that there are things in life that you don’t want to do, and there are things that you should do, but sometimes both of them are the same thing whether you like it or not.”

“I know what’s going through your head right now. You are afraid that you will lose yourself, that you will look at yourself in the mirror and not recognize yourself anymore. You put yourself in the shoes of others when you think about them, and you are afraid to cross a line that you won’t be able to return to normal afterwards. In my eyes, that is what it means to be human. But even though I don’t like to admit it, that is the equivalent of serving your head up on a block. I would stop every death from happening if I could in a heartbeat, but I am only one man. And the only way I can even think of saving many is to teach them to save themselves”. He continued

“You practice that speech while listening to yourself” I asked feeling ticked off

“Huh?”

I faced Yamori “You are right. I do think about others too much than I need to. And if you have figured me out this much, you know exactly what I’m thinking right now. I’ve killed monsters, almost killed a Spark who poisoned me, but no matter who I killed and who I hurt, human, spark, or monster, I did it to survive. What makes me any different than him?”

I turned my back to him and made some distance

“Couple of days ago I was in the lower sector, I had nothing. No hopes of survival, not even the basics. I was scrounging out of the trash to survive as people were keener on poisoning my food for a pinch penny bounty. I was eating out of the trash when a kid approached me. About the same age as my brother, it didn't take me too long to figure out that he had lost everyone too. I offered him some of the little I had, and he hugged me. At first, I thought it was gratitude, but it was just to get close enough to stab me. I boiled in rage and broke his arm by mistake. And you know what he called me?”

“A monster….He stabbed me in the hopes to kill me, and I was the monster. That is what I am afraid of, what if I start killing, and go too far. I wouldn’t know what the line not to cross is anymore, and I won’t be able to face the people I care about” I continued, opening up my fear to a man I just met moments ago

Yamori mutters his words as he has nothing to say back

“I’ll pay whatever I have to for this in due time, but I can’t go through with this. If my decision leads to my death, at least I’ll die knowing that I didn’t betray myself.” I said while walking towards the entrance

“Nakamura-san!” Yamori shouts to stop me in my tracks

“I tried all this time to show you the way I see things, but the more I talk to you, the more I can’t back up my own convictions…. That’s why I decided now that I want you as my second….As my deputy” He continued

“And help you have more undeserving for death, no thank-”

“That’s exactly why. I don’t want to be the judge, jury, and executioner anymore, I know it is wrong, but all this time, I didn’t have any other choice. That’s why I would value the second opinion of someone like you. And I promise, I will not resort to you having to kill anyone. You are the second opinion I desperately needed” he said, cutting me off. But after he said it, it’s as if he just unloaded a massive amount of weight off his shoulders

At the moment, I had too much to process. About this, about Jayden, and about how I’m going to proceed from now on. If this is what a few weeks in this hell has turned the people I once knew into, then I am utterly horrified to even think what we would become at the end of this, or to be more specific…What I would become.

“I got a lot on my plate right now…But I will make no promises” I answered to his offer

“I understand. But if you ever want it…It will be waiting for you” he said with a slight sense of reassurance in his voice

I enter back into the main building, passing one who is waiting and take a seat to gather my thoughts

“Trial of the Wolf?” asked the man waiting

“What’s it to you?” I replied

“It’s my job to know everything that goes on around here. But looking at your face, I can assume that it’s the case”

“Well, you might want to brush up on your assumption skills, because I didn’t go through with it” I replied to his arrogant tone

“Ah, a lamb I see”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked

“It’s short for lamb dressed for slaughter. You don’t kill, you don’t survive”

“So that makes you a wolf?”

The man turned back at me and got uncomfortably close to my face. I didn’t back down as I might as well concede from the confrontation if I did.

“Do I look like a lamb or a wolf to you?”

After an intense staredown, the tension had a knife sent right through it by the returning Yamori

“You don’t have to rile up people in my own precinct, Isaac”

“Yamori, still alive are you?” said this “Isaac” character, turning towards Yamori

“Well, I’m pretty sure that the only thing that could kill me is the mighty Isaac Taylor brings the whole city on top of me”

Taylor?

“Wait, you are the kid who ghosted Zero’s tryouts” I said

He was caught by surprise by that but he also looked irritated. He turned back towards me and asked “And who might you be to know that?”

Yamori answered “Well that my friend, is the once legendary Shinogami”.

“You shitting me?” he said after an audible scoff

His tone suddenly shifted

“Oh, I am very sorry for my rudeness before, I should’ve known who you were first. I've been a fan of your work from back in the day. And after what you went through, you have my respect for surviving that ordeal” he said cheerily while forcefully shaking my hand

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just been a hard few months and proved too much for me to go through the trial” I replied

“Oh, I really don’t give a fuck” he said in the same cheery demeaner.

I got caught off guard by that, but that sentiment steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Oh right, before I take too much of your time, I’m here for the usual delivery”

He clicks his fingers and a couple of people walk in with a few barrels to the counter behind Yamori.

“What’s in the barrels?” I inquired out of curiosity

“It’s a fresh batch of none of your fucking business” said Isaac

So much for ‘very sorry for my rudeness’

His condescending demeanor got on my nerves, but I opted to not talk to him anymore as I don’t want to cause a scene in front of Yamori

“It’s just a side project, I was a scientist back in the day soo…kind of curious how detailed this place can be” said Yamori to answer my question, clearly sensing my frustration with this jackass.

After the barrels were set and the two people who brought them in left, Isaac turned his back to leave before stopping in his track’s moments later

“Oh, I almost forgot the other thing I came for. I want to file a missing person’s report”

“You sure they are not dead?” Yamori asks

“Less trouble if they were but nope they are still live and kicking” answers Isaac

“Two people precious to me and my clan…. pretty sure you know of them”

“You got their names?” Yamori asked

“Minami and Yulia Mano”

“Mano? Well, that’s a surprise” Yamori asked

“They were part of my clan, but there was a bit of an unfortunate incident a couple of days ago. They went missing and lets just say, I am worried sick what might have happened to them”

I instinctively let out a chuckle

“You got a problem?” Isaac asked me while turning towards me

“Wow, I’ve seen many bullshitters in my day, but you have to be waaay up there. Precious to you? Worried sick? And then moments ago you said that it would’ve been less trouble if they were dead, Pleas-”

He lunged at me and grabbed me by the neck and pointed his crossbow at my head. I retaliated by putting my blade on his neck.

“One thing I hate people doing is trying to predict my next move. Now I know you were well-known for doing that to others, but do you want to see what I do to people who try to figure me out”.

He paused for a moment and looks down at his neck

“Oh please, what are you going to do with that blade to my neck? Kill me?” he said mocking me

“I don’t have to kill you to make you bleed” I replied, readying my free hand to give him a surprise spike of pain along with my threat.

Yamori takes his gun out and alternates his aim at both of us.

“ENOUGH! This is my precinct and if either of you make a move, I will shoot you down like a dog. That also includes you Isaac” Yamori threatens both of us

Isaac lets me go and we both put a bit of distance between ourselves.

“I’ll get on your missing persons came immediately, just give me some time” Yamori jumps in to calm the lunatic down

“These are the kinds of people you are protecting, you are a lost cause Nishigaki” said Isaac as parting words as he left through the door.

I sit back down, sighing in exhaustion and relief

“Man, you really love kicking down the hornet’s nest don’t you” he said taking a deep breath as if he just witnessed a hurricane pass over

“For a kid who couldn’t even speak sentences without curling up into a ball a couple of years ago, he has gone through a drastic change” I told Yamori

Isaac Taylor, infamous for being the first solo player to reach the peak of SuperNova. Had he a couple of more days, he would’ve made it to Immortal from what I heard. But before all that, he was scouted by Zero to be my stand-in after Jayden’s antics, but he never showed up.

“You knew him?” asked Yamori

“As much as you do. First time I saw him in person though….or…in-game, I don’t know how this works anymore” I said while tackling with a new confusion

“I get it….Well….that just completely messed my schedule up. I was supposed to be on a protection detail today and this shows up in my face. Goddamnit Isaac” Yamori said with a exhausted sigh in the middle

“Can’t you do it afterwards?” I asked

“Nope, Isaac is the leader of the clan that runs pretty much all of the middle and upper sectors of Helios…The New World Order they are called. They pretty much hold the economy hostage here. Taxing quests, strong arming businesses… you know the deal.”

“And you are okay with this?”

“Hell no…But like I said, I’m only one man. The New World Order’s presence keeps most of the wannabes in check. I get my foothold on this place; Isaac and his whole clan are the first to go down. For now, I’m just squeezing him for all his worth” Yamori answered

“Hey look, I know we just met today, but I can use your help. I was supposed to be on a protection detail today. Family of three, the client thinks that someone is targeting them. Youngest got slaughtered in an alleyway a couple of days ago, according to the client, it’s a friend of the missus grouped up with some..undesirables.”

“Look, I aint-”

“You don’t have to kill anyone, just rough them up until I set up a safehouse for the family. Since this is posted through me, you will get paid and get a few Rank Points. If I had to guess, you can’t show your face at the Guild without someone trying to rip it off. Mid-sec is safer but not by that much” said Yamori, offering my first quest in the new CG

“Some start is better than nothing…Fine, I’ll take it” I said, accepting his offer

“Great, I just forwarded you the client’s details. You just have to keep them safe for two days, I’ll come pick them up on the third after I have everything setup. Thanks for this, some help is what I could really use right now”

“Why not hire some more people?” I asked

“In this place, it is very difficult to find people with ulterior motives, have one bad fruit on a branch and it can bring the whole tree down one day”

“Fair point” I replied

“So, let’s get going before the daylight burns out shall we” he said walking to the entrance and opening it for me

Going separate directions from Yamori, I was off for my first quest, not knowing that it was going to be like nothing I’ve ever gone through before.