On his way, Alan could smell the freshness of grass, feel the softness of the earth, and admire the blonde girl wearing a loose, knee-height dress as blue as the sky above them.

Astrid petted her black winged lion one more time before glancing at Alan. “I heard what happened here. It sounded like a hell of an adventure.”

“It was! A scary one.”

She chuckled. “Well, I also watched the videos, and you looked like you were in control at all times.”

“Did I? Finally, someone that recognizes how awesome I am!” He lifted his chin proudly. “I even got an Anima.”

Astrid’s expression seemed to mirror Amelia’s prior reaction. “Did you?” she asked with her mouth ajar. “W-Wow! That’s… Something you don’t see every day for someone of your… level! I mean, good gob!”

“Are they that rare?”

“They are! Some High-Levelers don’t even have one.”

“Do you want to meet him?”

“Yes, please!”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Aaron,” the spirit wearing a hazmat suit and a skull for a face said as soon as he materialized, sitting on Alan’s shoulder. “What is your name?”

“I’m Astrid! Astrid Bradford. Nice meeting you, Aaron. Aww, Alan, he’s so cute!”

“You think?” Alan squinted, glancing at him. “I forgot for a moment that you’ve always loved grim and spooky things.”

“But I also love the name you gave to my guild. You named it thinking about me, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Back in Caelum, you were always naming things like ‘planetary’ this, ‘star’ that.”

“He-he! That was nothing but practice for when I’d start naming my special attacks.”

“Hey, I’ve always wondered, why do they call you Golden Comet?”

“Don’t ask me that, Alan! It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Oh, come on. Do you dislike the surname?”

“N-no.”

“So? It can’t be that bad.”

“Fine… I’ll tell you. Just promise that you won’t…”

“I won’t laugh.”

“It’s not something to laugh at, either, but… Okay, here it goes. One year ago, while I was in an interview, one guild member said… and I quote: That I looked like 'a comet wiping everything on the battlefield’... And I suppose people started calling me ‘golden’ because of my hair.” Astrid caressed a strand of blonde hair resting on her right shoulder.

“That’s it?”

“Yes. It's not an interesting story.”

“So you’re a beautiful, deadly ball of fire destroying everything in your path.”

“I suppose, yes…” Astrid nodded absently before looking at his mocking face. “What did you say?! Does that sound like something you would say to a lady?!”

Alan laughed out loud, making her pout.

"It fits you perfectly! You can be both feminine and the ‘world-destroyer' type at the same time!”

“I'm not that strong!"

"Hmm, I wonder if you're hiding a six-pack under that dress," he said while staring at her abdomen. "Or could it be an eight-pack?"

"You've already seen me wearing my combat armor, the one that looks like a bathing suit? So I'm not hiding a whatever-pack. I might’ve gained some mass and muscles, but I’m always customizing my avatar to look as close to my real appearance as possible."

"You only let your hair grow."

"Yes… Although hair doesn't grow inside the Novus, I've always wanted to wear it long, and it helps reflect the passing of time."

"You look good."

"Thanks."

As both remained silent, Astrid's mount could be heard yawning.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "For leaving right when you needed all the help you could get."

"Don't apologize! It’s admirable that you want to resume your own path right where you left it."

“Is that how you see it?”

“Did I get it wrong?”

“No, that’s okay. And yet, I wish things would have happened differently."

"I wish that too," she said, as an air current blew her hair, covering her face for a moment. "Alan, who were those people? The women that attacked you, what were they looking for?"

"I owed them money."

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"Bullshit." She took one step forward. "You can trust me, always. Whatever it is, I promise you that I can do anything in my power to--"

“Astrid Bradford!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, making her correct her posture like a soldier would.

“Y-Yes?!”

“You mustn't worry about me anymore! Now that I know what the Novus' gold can buy, you should focus on investing in your future! Besides…!" He paused, puffing his chest out, before smiling widely. "Unlike me, your potential is limitless. Your reach can help more people than I ever could. So when the time comes, help them instead, please. I will be fine, I promise."

"But…" Astrid's eyes watered and her lower lip trembled. She did not waste a second more and dashed to embrace him. "I'm not stupid. I know you were working outside all this time, and I don't want to see you suffering more than you have already—!"

"Thanks, Astrid. And believe me, even if you're not present, you're always giving me the strength I need to endure any hardship."

"Alan… I…" she muttered before whispering something to his ear. Something that made him step back. She then pushed him from his chest. "Now go, then! Your new guild is waiting for you."

Alan found himself at a loss for words and could not move an inch, so she left first, mounting her winged black lion in a hurry.

"See ya," she said before soaring the skies in a matter of seconds. When that tree was nothing but a blurry green stain, she put her hand against her chest and laughed. "Not what I really wanted to say, but I feel so much better now." She looked at the sky opening for her, and the many destinations she could land. “Yes…” she muttered while a tear ran down her cheek. “I feel kinda better now…”

Although Alan walked at a slug’s pace, his feet eventually carried him to Amelia's side, who glanced at him in the eye. A smile on her face. "Everything okay?"

He stopped looking at his feet and nodded. "Yeah…” He cleared his throat. “Yes. Everything is… Um… Where are we going again?"

EPILOGUE

The sound of the compressed oxygen escaping, his heavy breath against the ventilator, and the annoying crying of an alarm buzzed on his ears.

All of it sounded like coming from a nightmare.

And yet, there is nothing I can do about it.

He repressed the urge to puke and endured the many sensations that told him that his head was going to explode, and that his muscles were burning hot. An electronic voice said his passenger number and name out loud, and asked if it was okay to administer an adrenaline dose. He grunted a quick “yes”.

Once the liquid entered his system, his senses came back and his body demanded to get out of there fast, but he took the time to examine his body.

Before entering here, my body was in an excellent condition, but now…

He observed his built arms, his iron-like abdomen and thick legs. He closed his fists, imagining himself breaking someone else's neck with ease.

Even though my Vitality is low Silver, I feel powerful. So these pods are releasing something into our bodies while sleeping.

He glanced at the thousands of cryopods besides his and ignored the electronic voice telling him to hurry. He took his clothes and dressed calmly. A black turtleneck sweater, gray formal pants and black leather shoes. He followed the drone by strolling and entered the elevator after exhaling.

How ironic.

While on his way to his designated room, he did not ask questions nor addressed the drone. Only after the door closed and a timer appeared on a wall screen, he sighed. "What a joke."

He pulled out a hidden pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the interior side of his sweater and released smoke in the screen’s direction, where the Caelum Enterprise’s logo appeared.

Another electronic, smooth feminine voice, said his ID number and full name while he puffed.

So this is what karma tastes like… or would, if I actually believed in it.

The AI’s voice explained the situation in a polite and calm tone, using words that expressed urgency. He only snickered.

“Are you listening to what I’m saying, Detective?” Isabella asked. “You’ve been quite calm since you awoke.”

“Detective… I never thought I’d be called that again while boarding this ship,” he extinguished his cigarette against the white, pristine table behind him.

First of all, let’s analyze the obvious. How can I be sure that this machine didn’t kill the ship’s crew? By reviewing the security video logs? This thing could have manipulated them with ease.

But, if it was really the culprit and released The Singular into The Novus intentionally, why would it even bother to fix the issue? No one inside the system would know that we were getting attacked.

“If The Singular entered through a Cryopod,” he began, “that means the system ‘believes’ it’s a regular User, correct?”

“Yes, I have already tested it. It is possible.”

“I suppose those cryopods were not empty, so the malign AI is ‘sharing rooms’ with the User’s mind.”

“That is the reason I have summoned you. I need you to return to the system, and find these ‘infected’ users.”

He looked away. This thing doesn’t even know where to start looking. For the moment, it seems there’s no contradictions in its version of the story. For now.

“This is an AI we’re talking about. What’s the possibility of it duplicating itself and entering through more than one pod?”

“High. I have run simulations, calculating its estimated data size and the period of time The Singular messed with the power line. There is a 97.5 % chance that it created as much as five copies of itself.”

Finding five people out of 100,000? You’re asking too much, tin can. I bet that I’m not the only one assigned for the task, excluding that idiot.

“Before we continue, I would like to let you know that I’m already in a prominent position inside the System, so accepting this quest will surely slow down my progress.”

“It goes without saying that I will compensate you for your time, Detective. Your final Credit Balance will receive a considerable bonus--”

“I also want to be the first to choose from the ship’s armory when the time comes. If you could provide me with an inventory list, right now, that would motivate me immensely to start working.”

“I’m sorry. But I’m afraid that--”

“You surely reviewed my profile, lady, so you already know what you’re getting with me. My services have never been cheap, and I assure you that thanks to my current position inside the Novus’ socialite, I’ll do a better damn job than your other lackey, Alan Warden.”

“Has he talked to you about the situation?”

“No. But the fact that I got the info out of him that easily is just another example of my value.”

After a couple of seconds, the screen flashed and a file appeared, ready to be opened. “This is the list of available assets in the Santa María’s armory. Accomplish this task, and you’ll be first in line, I promise.”

The young man smirked. “See? I’m already feeling motivated to find these evildoers.”

“Do we have a deal then, Detective Souza?”

Marco stared at the camera above the screen, showing a gleam in his eyes. “I’ll do my best, as always.”