Dante wanted to put an end to the exchange of insults between the two brothers. They were no longer even arguing about the battery but about honor and empty promises. It seemed that Meliah Jones never went back on his word, making his relationship with Degol Jones even more complicated. The latter believed that not even a grain of sand should be negotiated.

A promise or a bet would always be taken seriously by just men. Without knowing the two but hearing their words, Dante was sure that Degol had suffered greatly because of his brother's promises. And yet, Meliah had experienced some loss due to the younger one's impulsive actions.

It was a waste of time to expect them to reconcile there.

"Enough talking." Dante stood up and raised his hand. "Hey, let’s wrap this up."

As he approached, one of his men ran out of the shadows, panting heavily, his expression filled with worry and sorrow.

"Bosses." He held out the radio he was carrying. "Message from the base. Someone’s attacking us. They're taking the workers. I don't know who they are."

Meliah stopped listening to Degol and took the radio.

"Indiana, it's Meliah. What happened?"

"Boss." The voice trembled with terror and sobs. "They came from the ground. Appeared out of nowhere. I don’t know what to do. They’re taking everyone east. Please, come back to base."

Meliah took a deep breath. He grabbed Degol by the shoulders, looked straight into his eyes, and shook him.

"We need to go back. Now. That lunatic from the Feudal Aquarium is back."

"Ah, shit."

Degol signaled to all his hidden men. With a swift order, they emerged from the shadows and ran down a side street. Meliah let his brother go, but before following, he turned back to the two.

"We’re not done yet."

He disappeared into the darkness, leaving them alone. Dante had no idea what the Feudal Aquarium was, but it didn’t seem like anything good, given how quickly they had left. When Dante and Marcus climbed back up the buildings, the residents greeted them, shaking their hands and asking Marcus how it felt to face those two.

The Jones' reputation was worse than it seemed. Cruel and deceitful, some even whispered rumors that they ate human flesh. Dante doubted that was true, but when he reached the rooftop and sat on the mattress that had been given to him, Clara approached.

"Can we talk in private?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Whenever you need."

They moved deeper into the rooftop, where no one else was around. Simone and Jix kept the residents away, ensuring they stayed on the lower floors. Alone, Dante watched Clara sigh—not in relief, but in a worry so deep her fingers trembled.

"Are you okay?" Dante gently held her arm, his grip firm but his fingers soft. He sat her on the ledge, where the air felt lighter than her words. "You’re pale."

"I can rest later." She avoided his gaze but still used his arm for support as she sat. "I don’t want to scare the others, but if that man said someone from the Feudal Aquarium showed up, then we might have bigger problems than we thought."

Dante sensed the weight of her caution. He crouched slightly to meet her gaze, never letting go of the light hold he had on her. Even in such a serious moment, her touch, even through the glove, had a certain charm.

"What is that place?"

"It’s outside Kappz. A place no one can enter. When we were younger, we heard about a city that had everything." Her eyes remained on the cityscape. "We tried so many times to find a way to be accepted, but they never wanted anything to do with us. They always called us 'Impure.' I don’t want to remember that place again, Dante, but that’s where Marcus lost his father. It’s where I lost my family. Kappz may be dangerous, but it doesn’t even compare to GreamHachi."

The name wasn’t unfamiliar to Dante.

"Isn’t that the place Marcus told me about when he was pointing a gun at my face?"

"The Feudal Aquarium always steals from us. What just happened with the Jones is going to happen to us next. And they are not good people. They kill even when there’s no need. And worse..."

Clara buried her face against Dante’s chest. She trembled with a fear that ran deeper than flesh.

"I’m here." Those were the only words Dante could manage as he ran his fingers through her hair. "It’ll be okay. I promise."

I

The next morning, Dante searched for Clara and Marcus, but neither was on the rooftop or nearby. He headed downstairs, finding only Simone sitting in a chair, watching the sunrise. She held a glass of water, seemingly untouched.

"Ma’am." Dante cautiously approached. "Where is everyone?"

"In a meeting." She lowered her gaze, not wanting to show Dante something he already expected—fear, anger, or maybe distrust. "Clara left early, before sunrise. Last night, after everyone went to sleep, we got the news. Degol almost died."

Dante pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, they saw who those people were, the ones who appeared out of nowhere. And there were so many bodies, Dante. People who fought to keep their belongings. It must have been horrible. And the children..." Tears betrayed her will, slipping down her cheek. "Poor children, Dante. They were devastated."

Just as Clara had said the night before. The Feudal Aquarium was a terrible place. Even though they never accepted them, they still took what the people gathered. Dante had done nothing about Meliah or Degol because he knew they wouldn’t harm the people of Kappz, but these invaders from GreamHachi didn’t care about lives at all.

Metal alloys, plastic, or even a battery—none of it was worth more than a human life.

Dante placed his hand on Simone’s, but she instinctively tensed. He withdrew, not wanting to force closeness in such a grim moment.

"You said you came from a faraway place," Simone murmured. "Do people there at least live without fear?"

The question hurt more than the answer. The walls of the Capital stood as a symbol against the Felroz, electricity pushed back the darkness, and the voices of its people were never silenced—that was how his father had described it when he was younger.

The luxury of not having to fight every day ran through Dante’s veins. His village had never been attacked by the creatures, but now, seeing the desperate need of those who had nothing, he finally understood the true meaning of war.

"Back home, people smiled more than they cried."

He had been wrong. The answer clearly hurt more than the question.