Robin stopped pretending when he closed his family's house's door. His hand clings to the doorknob, hesitant to let go. The feeling that he has swallowed now continued to rise up his throat, with his body's trembling in response.

Many memories were witnessed by the doorknob he held, opened, and closed by the hands of their little family and some guests who rarely came to the house.

Robin hoped—no—he prayed.

He prayed that he could come back here again.

He prayed that this would not be the last time he touched the doorknob he now caresses, wanting to push it to come back inside and found his parents there saying they were kidding or has changed their mind.

Robin thought, anything ... anything other than this .... But as if to remind him of reality, his right hand that holds the doorknob experience sharp pain.

He grabbed his hand, fell to his knees, then the ground as he held his right wrist tight. It took a while before the pain stopped, allowing Robin to get back on his feet while trying to normalize his breath back.

He stared at his right hand curiously, not knowing what had just happened there, but doesn't dare to open the armor his father had attached to him either.

In the end, Robin decided to ignore it, just like how he chose to ignore the fact that he had just been kicked out of the house.

Like a fool, he simply wandered around the capital. His eyes occasionally captured nostalgia on the lonely streets under the hot afternoon sun.

Robin still remembers the few times he stopped around the market district where he is now to chat with some people. He still remembers the kids in the slum who always asked him to play whenever they met.

He remembers the first and last time he entered the military academy or when his mother offered him to join the university to pursue an education there.

He remembered everything of the better times, a time he will never be able to return to no matter what. Just like how he can't go to the world outside the capital's walls now that the gates are closed.

Now trapped in the capital because he is too busy with nostalgia, Robin is now forced to stay one night at an inn with a fancy restaurant downstairs.

He carefully removed the armor that his father had put on his body, not wanting to have a single scuff on his body or the armor.

Then, he threw his body onto the bed. The softness healed the slightest wounds in his heart and awakened him to all the stupid things he had forgotten.

He quickly raised his right hand and stare. What he sees is an image of a large, empty circle with a smaller circle in the middle of it engraved on the back of his hand with a wound that resembled a hot iron stamp.

That absurd sight destroyed the false peace and broke the dam.

His tears flowed slowly and grew faster with every memory of what would be lost after today.

His mother's cooking, dinner with his father, little stories about their monotonous days. Everything will be lost, everything will disappear, and it's his own fault.

"Forgive me." And with that evil thought, "Mother ..." Robin closed his eyes, "... Father ...." And fell asleep, unable to endure the gnawing loneliness.

His dreams that night were the same whispers, asking him to come to the world's center, so anyone or anything waiting there can grant him his wish.

Then, Robin opened his eyes, awakened by the sun's glare shining through his lids.

Damn it! He jumped up from his bed, not wanting to be late for his class.

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Yet, after a moment, he sat back down, finally remembering everything that had happened before today.

With no more tears to spent, Robin just stared blankly ahead, sighing heavily while whispering lie after lie into his ear.

And finally, the spell worked. A cute smile bloomed on Robin's face as he started his morning routine a little differently.

First, he searched the rather large bag his mother had given him, which contained clothes and some simple items like a comb that Robin kept on the bed for now.

He is still busy looking for the clothes he will wear today, wondering if he still wants to use the armor that his father gave him or not.

While Robin was unable to decide on the latter, he already decided on the former.

The dress was unisex, but looking at himself in the mirror after he finished combing, Robin knew very well he didn't really seem that androgynous.

Robin sigh as he stroke his own cheek, "When can I become a real man ..." Already, he can feel that the dream Robin was trying to achieve was more challenging than he imagined.

However, before he can sulk on such things, his stomach rumble, reminding Robin that he hadn't eaten since yesterday.

Already sad and doesn't want to be hungry, Robin decided to walk downstairs and head to the capital's classiest and oldest hotel diner.

There, he saw people standing still in their seats with frightened expressions except for a child who was eating steak voraciously.

Seeing such a scene, Robin can't help but give a slight smile. He was delighted to see how the young girl devoured the steak at the table as fast as she could.

Of course, Robin found it a little strange that the girl was sitting alone at the table, which now had several white ceramic plates piled up on it.

But Robin didn't think it was strange enough to get the scared reaction of the people in the restaurant; the young girl was just a child with a big appetite.

That's why Robin decided to approach the girl, driven by curiosity and need to find diversion from the past.

He pulled a chair right in front of the girl, who then gave him a little attention before she returned her attention to the steak she was eating greedily.

But that action does nothing to dissuade Robin, "You like them, huh?" Who now started asking, "Steak?" A rhetorical question.

The young girl simply nodded, not taking her eyes off the plate she finished.

After the plate was finished, the young girl looked around, looking for the waiter Robin had already called, signaling two more plates of steak for him and the young girl who clearly wanted more.

"What's your name, good girl?" Robin threw another question as their food came.

Unlike the young girl who answered with her mouth full, "Lucy." Robin didn't eat his steak.

He just waited, stared, and asked more questions.

"Are you here alone?"

Lucy shook her head, causing Robin to look around for a moment for someone who might be Lucy's parent or guardian. Still, it was obvious whoever was accompanying the young girl was not here.

Getting more curious, "Who did you come with then?" Robin leaned forward.

"Papa!" And Lucy answered proudly for the first time in their conversation. The girl's tone was not flat but high and excited, with a hand gesture that seemed to describe her father's form.

Robin's smile widened, "You like your papa, huh, Lucy?" And Lucy nodded even more. She loved every opportunity she could boast about her hero to anyone.

Liking Lucy's response, "Do you guys go on adventures together like this?" Robin offers a lot more topics that the young girl likes.

Lucy nodded again, with the same zeal and mouth full of steak.

"Where have you been?" Robin asked, waiting for the young girl's further response, but Lucy froze.

She had never felt this kind of pain since she was in the orphanage, a heat gnawing at her back as if a creature wanted to get out of it.

"Aaah ...!" She shouted, removing the plate from her hand and drawing everyone's attention. Her body was heating up, heating up so hot as if she was about to explode.

And Robin can only stare at the sweet child in front of him suffering as she fell to the floor of the restaurant and rolled over as if trying to extinguish a non-existent fire.

He wanted to help, but how? He asked while looking around and seeing the heartless reaction of the crowd. The crowd he doesn't want to be a part of.

Robin walked closer to Lucy and tried to help. Unfortunately, in the end, Robin was forced to use violence. He was forced to held her shoulders so he could lift her into a warm hug.

Then, his mouth began to sing the lullabies that his mother used to sing when Robin had nightmares, humming them a hushed whisper to Lucy's ear.

After a while, it helped, Lucy regained her composure.

Seeing that, Robin laid Lucy on his thigh as he stroke the milky white hair of the young girl who was now trying to stabilize her breath.

Nightmares come to the sleepless Lucy. Hell wants to reclaim her, and she has to run. She stretched her hand out, "Papa ...." Trying to reach the big hand of her hero.

But what caught the little fingers was Robin, who rubbed them softly, "It's okay, honey." Reassuring her, "Your papa is on the way here." And promises her something, "Sure." That he doesn't really know.

Yet, the lightning flashed still, trying to stop George, who had rummaged through various restaurants in the capital.

However, George didn't stop' His eyes fixed on one more restaurant, and he jumped there with tremendous force.

The ground shook as he jumped high, right on target to fall straight through the roof of the restaurant below, creating a small crater, and saw his Lucy on the lap of a stranger.

"What have you done to Lucy, dog?" George asked, still ignoring the pain from Lichtenberg's wounds that were now permanent on his body.