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E62-Fausto

Far, very far from the capital of the empire, there stood a grand castle in the midst of a dense forest of black trees with red leaves. However, the beauty of the castle was hardly visible as it was hidden in the deep darkness of the night.

Inside this castle, there were countless rooms, but one of these rooms was particularly "alive" on this dark night. Lights of various colors could be seen from the windows of this room, changing in rhythm with a catchy tune. The volume of the music was so loud that it resonated through all the castle walls.

This particular room was filled with floating crystals throughout, changing colors to follow a song that emanated from within each crystal. Meanwhile, on the floor of the grand room, there were hundreds of naked people eating, dancing, drinking, and reveling in grotesque ways without a hint of shame.

Laid out on the room's floor were large circular tables covered with delicate embroidered tablecloths adorned with red roses. These tables were scattered throughout the room, each holding the most exquisite delicacies accompanied by the most delightful beverages one could imagine. However, these delights were barely visible due to the ceaseless play of lights that entertained the participants of this party.

Nonetheless, the party seemed to have a significant issue. In one corner of the room, a crystal floated in the air, seemingly malfunctioning. It emitted no sound and floated, emitting an unsettling and unrelenting red glow. Beneath this crystal was a particularly large round table, yet despite its size, only one young man sat at it. He was quite muscular with black hair and black eyes. However, the most notable feature of his face was his large, hooked nose, which seemed to overshadow any natural beauty he might have had. Like the rest of the participants in this bizarre party, the solitary young man was completely naked, showing no hint of embarrassment as he drank from a jug while watching everyone else having fun.

The young man mechanically took his jug, emptied it, refilled it, took his jug, emptied it, and refilled it again: relentlessly and without wasting a second on any movement other than those that seemed vital to him. Slowly, the bottles began to pile up on the floor, and under the seductive effects of alcohol, the young man's vision started to distort. In his eyes, the people around him grew increasingly strange: their faces became blurrier, their bodies more grotesque, and their actions more abnormal. From people shamelessly brawling in the midst of the party to men tearing the arms off unfortunate drunks who had passed out, delighting in devouring them, the depravity was absolute. The young man even witnessed people defecating on each other's food and then forcing others to eat it. Everything was corrupting while the young man silently drank, his mechanical actions becoming more conscious as the silent crystal above his head emitted a continuous high-pitched sound that grew more dominant in his ears as the bottles emptied.

Time passed, and gradually, the bottles on the large round table dwindled. The young man in his trance ignored them, continuing to pour himself whatever was in front of him. Suddenly, all the lights in the room synchronized, changing to the same disturbing, unrelenting red glow that illuminated the young man's table. However, the world maintained its pace, the music hadn't stopped, and everyone continued their grotesque routines. Yet, at one of the tables in the corner opposite from the solitary young man, there was someone who noticed his loneliness and decided to approach, navigating through all the tables in the room.

This person was as tall and large as the young man drinking. He had black hair and light eyes. However, his face was hidden behind a silver mask, making it impossible to discern his identity. Like everyone else in the room, the man was naked, but a noticeable gold ring adorned one of his fingers, displaying his status. The young man, without any hurry, continued to walk while observing the people at each table, as if ensuring everyone was "enjoying" themselves. Despite this, the other people at the party seemed to fear him and sought to avoid his gaze, trying not to draw his attention.

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Finally, the person in question reached the table of the young man drinking and sat down beside him, saying confidently:

—What's up, Apolito? Feeling a bit uncomfortable, aren't you? Don't you like the party I've arranged?

Hearing the familiar voice, Apolo snapped out of his trance and looked suspiciously at the masked man's smile, whispering quietly:

—What the hell are we celebrating, Fausto?

—Hahaha, man, you're so drunk, bro!— Fausto exclaimed with laughter, pounding the table so hard it got dented. After calming down, he grabbed one of the bottles from the table and asked—Did this crap make you forget that we're celebrating your big day?

—I suppose so...— Apolo responded, quite dazed, looking around the room, realizing he couldn't remember how he had ended up in this room, let alone why the hell everyone was naked at this weird party.

—What a shitty drink you bought, you bunch of incompetents!—Fausto yelled angrily, hurling the bottle in his hand with violence. The bottle shot out like a bullet and smashed into the head of a person dancing in the middle of the room. Instantly, the man collapsed lifeless to the floor as his blood began to spurt from his head, staining the others dancing around him. Yet, the music didn't stop, and all the people around the corpse continued dancing as if nothing happened, completely ignoring the dead man.

—Your sense of humor is as healthy as ever...— Apolo commented with an ironic smile, pouring himself another drink—So, why are we "celebrating," and even more importantly, why are we naked?

—We're celebrating that you finally did it: after over a year, you finally managed to finish furnishing your house!— Fausto shouted with a grin, causing everyone in the room to stop what they were doing and celebrate Apolo's achievement, as if they could hear the conversation between the two brothers despite the loud music that was playing throughout the hall.

—Oh, right, I had forgotten, it truly is a reason to celebrate— Apolo responded with a grin from ear to ear as he calmly sipped his drink. Now, the drink inside seemed much tastier than before—But why are we naked?

—You asked for it, you drunkard!— Fausto shouted while rocking in his seat and taking a direct swig from a bottle he had taken from Apolo's table—Remember: "Wizards dress like wizards, and now that I'm finally about to achieve something in the world of wizards, it's better that I dress like a wizard". But you never bought the black robe, so you ended up naked while drinking alone, and since it's your grand party, we all just went along with it.

—I would swear I'm not so drunk as to forget that I stripped in front of all of you— Apolo commented, somewhat stunned by his older brother's statements.

—You can imagine anything, kid: this party is your "world". What matters is that you're happy and enjoy your achievement!— Fausto exclaimed, smiling, and looked inquisitively at how everyone was having fun at the party.

However, Fausto's watchful eyes noticed there was a depressed little bird who apparently wasn't singing with the rest of the flock. Upon realizing that someone wasn't having fun, Fausto's smile distorted, and a look of disgust appeared on his face. He commented to his younger brother:

—Hey, Apolito, remember when I taught you the arrow trick?

—Huh?... Hahaha, of course! I remember how we spent winters scorching the servants' butts— Apolo laughed cheerfully as he refilled his jug.

—Do you feel like playing again, little brother?— Fausto asked, looking at Apolo with a knowing smile.

—Here? In the middle of the party?— Apolo asked, glancing at the rest of the people who were grotesquely enjoying themselves with a bit of embarrassment.

—But of course, right here. This is your party, and in it, you're the king!— Fausto responded enthusiastically, pointing to everyone present with the bottle in his hand—In this castle, you can make whatever you imagine come true: anything. Just ask for it, and I'll make it happen! After all, you're my little brother!

—Well... uh... How about... What if... What if we play the arrow game?— Apolo asked, pondering, but truth be told, he couldn't come up with any good ideas for having fun at his party. He was always "working" on his own goals, so he never took time to enjoy other things with other people, and he didn't really know how to have fun at a party. So, the young noble ended up suggesting the idea that his older brother recommended.