Finished with lunch, Aether asked Cypher, “Where to next?”
“Hmm?” Cypher paused in thought. After thinking for a few seconds, he suddenly turned to look at Aether with shining eyes and asked, “Shall we go and meet Midas?”
“Now? Doesn’t he have to work today?” Aether asked hesitantly.
“You’ve never seen Midas’ workplace, right?” questioned Cypher.
“Nope,” Aether honestly replied. “He’s a tattoo artist, right?”
“Yep.” Cypher excitedly nodded his head. “He’s an amazing tattoo artist. His shop is very famous within the city’s nightlife circle.”
Hearing that, Aether grew very interested. As a wage slave, Aether’s knowledge of the city’s nightlife and its related activities was nonexistent. Learning that a fellow teammate of his had quite the fame in this area made him extremely curious.
Still, he felt rather hesitant. “We won’t be bothering him, right?” he asked.
“Not in the least!” Cypher unabashedly exclaimed. “In fact, Midas would be very excited to find us visiting him!”
Recalling his personality, Aether joined Cypher in his chuckles. Nodding his head, he assented, “Alright, then. Lead the way!”
“Aye, aye, Captain!” Cypher humorously replied and the two began their journey once again.
---
14:37:45
Paradise Ink Palace, edge of Eastern Borough.
“We’re here!” Cypher announced, pointing at the secluded store in front of them.
‘Paradise Ink Palace’ Aether read the signboard next to which was an arrow pointing downward. He then looked around and found the surroundings to be rather sparsely decorated. The signboard itself looked rather simple with few adornments. However, the cursive-style font possessed a sort of unmistakable charm that drew eyes toward it.
“Let’s enter,” declared Cypher and descended the steps. The shop was seemingly built underground.
Following behind Cypher, Aether descended fifty steps or so before landing on flat terrain. Under his pathfinder’s lead, he then entered the doors, completed the decontamination process, and finally entered the shop’s lobby.
Much like the street-side storefront, the shop’s lobby was also inherently simple. Dim lights and neon fixtures set a mystical atmosphere while dark-coloured sofas and chairs provided comfortable seating. A single counter stood atop a raised platform on the right side of the lobby behind which sat a young woman.
Having removed his mask, Cypher confidently marched up to the young woman who seemed to be reading something under the counter table.
“Hello, Yelena!” greeted Cypher.
The young woman was startled at the bright greeting and peered at Cypher with wariness. However, upon spotting his trademark golden hair and sapphire-coloured eyes, her knotted brows immediately loosened. “Oh, it’s you. Cypher.” She enthusiastically announced.
“Here to meet Midas?” she continued in a monotonous voice, hearing which Aether was reminded of the AI announcements in the monorail station platforms.
“Yep, yep!” Cypher nodded his head like an overexcited dog. He then turned around, pointed towards Aether, and said, “That’s my friend, Aether. He’s also here to meet with Midas.”
Yelena raised her gaze and met Aether’s kind smile. Her heart sped up a little upon seeing his handsome face but managed to keep herself from blushing. In the absence of Cypher, Aether’s charm was sufficiently deadly.
“Hello, Miss Yelena,” he greeted, noticing the awkward silence from the receptionist.
“H-Hello!” Yelena yelped.
Cypher noticed the strange cadence in her tone and curiously asked, “What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly yelp? Are you sick?” His expression mirrored his genuine worry.
“You are sick!” She yelled and glared at Cypher. Reaching out with her hand and pulling him in over the counter, Yelena held her arm around Cypher and quietly whispered into his ears, “Who’s the hot guy? What’s he doing here with you?”
Cypher, who was chock full of complaints at being suddenly pulled over and strangled, instantly swallowed his complaints. Catching sight of Yelena’s shining, almost predatorial-looking eyes, he nervously replied, “As I said, his name is Aether. We were hanging out together today since both of us were unexpectedly free. He was curious about Midas’ work, so I brought him here.”
“I see. I see,” Yelena nodded her head with utmost interest. She then leaned in closer and softly asked, “So? Does he have a girlfriend?”
Cypher immediately fell speechless. Truth be told, Cypher’s relationship with Yelena was similar to the one between Aether and Jin; they were frequently at each other’s throats but were still somehow very good friends.
Facing Yelena’s question, Cypher felt an unprecedented and unfamiliar threat. He wanted to lie, however, he wasn’t the sort of person to tell a bare-faced lie either. In the end, the terrible conflict within Cypher's heart showed on his face as he replied, “N-no… I-I don’t know!”
“I see. I see,” Yelena understandably nodded her head once again. “Do you mind introducing me to him then?”
At that request, Cypher’s very being unhesitantly yelled, “NO!”
Startled at his sudden outburst, Yelena could not help but look confused and asked, “Why?”
Cypher had no idea what to reply. In fact, he did not even understand why he had denied her so fiercely.
Desperately scrambling for a reply, Cypher stuttered, “Uhh… I-I mean, h-he’s already twenty-six! Isn’t he too old for your liking?” He mentally apologised a hundred times to Aether for throwing him under the bus like that.
“He’s twenty-six!” Yelena exclaimed. She then stared at the distant man, who was poking a display piece with great interest, with shining eyes and dreamily continued, “That’s perfect! An older, mature man like that is incomparable to these silly, stupid boys!”
“Uhh! Uuhh…” Cypher truly panicked. Scrambling desperately once again, he said, “H-he’s always working!”
“That just means he’s very stable and knows his priorities,” Yelena replied. The light within her eyes was growing brighter by the second.
“H-he has a teenage sister! He lives with her!”
“Great! I get to make another friend then,” Yelena smoothly replied. Her voice grew even more dreamy as she continued, “He should also be familiar with the difficulties of women then. He would be very considerate of my feelings and not trouble me during that time of the month.”
Licking her lips with her red tongue, she smacked her lips. “Pah! What perfect boyfriend material.”
“I– I–!” Cypher seemed to be on the verge of crying. Every point that he came up to lessen Aether’s likeability in her eyes only seemed to further glorify him. He furiously sought other bad habits or unfavourable aspects of Aether only to come up with none!
It was true that Aether was very mature, stable, and responsible. He was always considerate of everyone’s feelings and was never rude or dismissive towards anyone. His sense of humour was a bit strange, but Cypher found it charming in its own way. He was also kind, and accommodating, and could seemingly talk about anything endlessly. Most of all, he was patient and listened very well.
Summing up his knowledge of Aether, Cypher had to reluctantly admit. He indeed was the perfect boyfriend material.
‘But I don’t want her to know that!’ Cypher internally screamed. Why did he not want her to know that? That, he could not answer for he himself did not know.
Just as he was in the clutches of despair, a bolt of enlightenment struck Cypher’s mind. His eyes immediately lit up and a calm smile appeared on his face.
“Come here. Come closer,” he gestured toward Yelena who seemed to have gotten lost in her fantasies. Upon gaining the older girl’s ears, he softly spoke, “Even after having heard all of this, do you still not understand?” He asked.
“Hmm?” Yelena looked confused.
Seeing events progress favourably, he continued, “He’s handsome, stable, mature, and considerate… with such fine qualities, what do you think are the odds that he is single?”
Yelena suddenly felt a crack form in her fantasies.
“Think about it? If ‘you’ were to come across a man like that, would you not immediately claim him for yourself? I would if I did.”
The cracks deepened and extended bringing her dreams to the very precipice of shattering.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Also, I heard that he’s suddenly in need of a great deal of money. That’s how I got to know him, in fact. Think about it, why would a single guy with no bad habits like him suddenly be in great need of money?”
Yelena’s eyes widened to form saucers. “Don’t tell me.” She desperately prayed to whatever higher entity that heard her prayers for her thoughts to not come true.
Unfortunately, Cypher's next words caused her rose-coloured dream to completely shatter. “Most likely, he’s about to start… a family.”
Yelena visibly deflated. The light within her eyes collapsed akin to a dying star and a disappointed sigh leaked from her lips. “...why are all the good ones taken?” She muttered at the unfairness of it all.
Seeing her disappointed appearance, Cypher contentedly nodded his head. While a small part of his heart felt bad for openly lying to her, the majority of it cheered at his quick scheme.
‘There. One possible contender was quietly taken down,’ He proudly thought to himself. ‘Wait? Contender? Contender for what?’ He then immediately grew nervous at his heart’s turmoil.
While one pondered at the meaning of life and the other pondered at the meaning of his feelings, Aether, the subject of both their inner turmoils, finally finished his art piece appreciation and walked over to the counter.
“What’s going on here?” He noticed the expressions of both Cypher and Yelena and asked.
Yelena did not say anything and buried her head under the counter’s desk. Cypher, on the other hand, grabbed Aether’s hand and dragged him away. Moving a fair distance away from the counter, he gestured for him to bend down to lend him his ears, and asked, “Aether, do you have someone that you like?”
Aether was startled at the sudden question that came out of nowhere. He first thought that the question was a joke or a prank of sorts before catching sight of Cypher’s solemn expression.
Realising that the smaller boy was serious in his query, Aether did a double take at him, then looked at the girl hiding her face under the counter, and then looked at Cypher one more time. His mind whirred with activity and an explanation formed within his head.
With the social experience that he possessed from working with all sorts of different people, Aether’s mind drew a suitable conjecture. It was likely that the young receptionist had taken an interest in him and had asked Cypher to introduce the two of them. Cypher, being the kind, pure-hearted boy that he was, probably wanted to help the girl but did not want to overstep his boundaries as a recently acquainted friend.
Having ‘understood’ the situation, Aether internally praised Cypher for being a good friend before replying with a kind smile. “Nope. I do not have a romantic partner.”
He saw Cypher sigh and pat his chest with relief.
Continuing with his reply, Aether covertly gave Cypher a tactful answer to reply to the young receptionist in his steed. “I am not currently seeking any partners either. This is a very busy period in my life and I cannot make time to treat a romantic partner with the interest and respect that they deserve. It’s unfortunate.”
“I see. I see,” Cypher nodded his head in understanding. He then patted Aether on his shoulder before walking away to the counter. After whispering something to the receptionist friend of his, Aether saw the two of them exchange some conversation. Cypher shortly returned.
“Midas seems to be attending a customer right now. She told us that we can enter and wait for him outside his booth.”
Aether appreciated how smoothly Cypher managed to gloss over the awkward topic and inwardly shot him a thumbs up. Wearing his usual smile, he said, “Lead the way then.”
Cypher nodded his head and the two ventured deeper into the shop.
---
The duo arrived in front of a curtain booth past which Aether saw two shadowy silhouettes. One shadow was sitting atop a high stool holding a pen-like device in its hand; Aether equated this shadow to Midas. The other shadow which was lying reclined on the chair was naturally the customer.
Just as Cypher extended his hand to part the curtain he suddenly stopped. The conversation that flowed out from within made him pause.
“Fox and Friends, right? I checked them out. You guys are very good.” A gruff voice, not Midas, appreciatively said.
“Haha. Thanks, old man,” replied Midas.
“So? How far do you guys plan on going?” the customer asked.
Midas chuckled at his question and replied, “Is that even a question? All the way, obviously!”
“All the way? Seriously?”
“Yeah!” replied Midas in his signature tone of positivity.
“Is that even possible? There are some genuine monsters in the tournament this time around, ya know?” The older customer seemed to be a fan for he sounded knowledgeable about the events surrounding the tournament. “There’s Kingdom’s Glory, Valhalla Maidens, even the two blue brothers are participating in this iteration of the tournament.”
“So?” Midas snorted. “We knew that the tournament would be hard, old dude. However, we have a secret weapon of our own!”
“Oh? A secret weapon? What secret weapon?”
“We’ve got God on our team!” Midas proudly declared.
A short silence followed, following which the gruff voice questioned, “...God?”
“Yep!” answered Midas.
“God? Like the Father of Heaven?”
“Well, not that God. We have a different God, man.”
“...You’re serious?” The customer asked one final time.
“Yep!” Midas replied all the same.
The older customer rubbed his furrowed brows and said, “You seem to have grown even crazier in the time I haven’t seen you, Midas.”
“Hahaha,” Midas laughed a silly laugh.
A short burst of silence followed as Midas concentrated on the inking process. The customer also sat unmoving, not wanting to disturb the master craftsman.
“Aa~aand there! The outline is done. Only the detailing and the colouring are left,” Midas cheered. “Is it good?” he asked the customer.
“Hey, you’re the master,” replied the older customer. He still peeked a glance at the result and was immediately satisfied. Whistling an old tune, he continued asking, “So? What are you doing this for?”
“Hmm?” Midas questioned.
“The tournament. What’s your incentive for trying so hard? Surely, it’s not for the money.”
“Ah. Nah, man,” replied Midas. He focused on loading his inking pen and said, “It’s for a different reason.”
“Care to share it with me?” asked the customer.
“Sure,” Midas agreed. “It’s not that complicated, old man. You know how the champions of the tournament get to enter Eden, right?”
“Right,” the customer nodded his head.
“Well, there you go. I want to enter Eden,” Midas shrugged his shoulders and answered with a smile.
“Why?” asked the customer, uncertain. “Why would you want to enter Eden?”
He paused for a second before adding, “Don’t get me wrong. I know that life in District 4 can be pretty shit but it’s still home, you know? It’s gotta be better than some unfamiliar place advertised as ‘paradise’ by a bunch of crazy cultists.”
“Say, old dude,” Midas asked. “If you had the chance to enter Eden, wouldn’t you?”
“Fifteen years ago, sure!” The old man quickly replied. He then gave a hollow laugh and followed, “But now, I would pass.”
“Why?” asked Midas, sounding genuinely curious.
“Chalk it up to a combination of old age and disinterest, I suppose.” The customer shrugged.
“Hey! Don’t move your arm, old man!” Midas quickly yelled. Fortunately, he had not been drawing when the customer suddenly shrugged his arms. “Almost made me mess up.”
“Sorry,” the older customer immediately apologised. Relaxing his arms once again, he waited while Midas continued drawing.
A few seconds later, he asked, “Well, what about you? Why do you want to suddenly enter Eden?”
“It’s not sudden, old dude!” answered Midas, calmly. “I’ve always been thinking about entering Eden. Been saving up for it too.”
“Crazy kid, you can’t buy your way into Eden. Believe me, more than one person has tried,” the customer grumbled. “Well, don’t stop there. Why do you want to enter Eden?”
“I want to find my parents,” Midas calmly spoke a shocking answer.
“...Your parents?” The customer repeated in disbelief. “Aren’t ya an orphan, crazy brat? Why are you looking in Eden?”
“Cause I know they’re in there!” Midas confidently replied.
Silence fell on their conversation.
A few seconds passed when the older customer suddenly spoke up. “Why do you think that?” He did not disparage, curse, or call Midas crazy. Instead, he asked him a simple question; why.
“It’s because of this,” Midas paused drawing and grabbed his bottom lip using his fingers. He then pulled, exposing his inner lip. “Swee thwat?” He spluttered.
The older customer seemed to be shocked speechless. Midas then released his lips and went back to inking the older man without a care in the world.
Of course, he did not let the listener hang in silence and explained, “I discovered those weird symbols and numbers on my inner bottom lip one day, some years ago. I thought everyone had it at first but then realised that to be untrue.”
A faint smile hung on his face as he continued, “Thinking myself to be special, I started digging into what they meant. It took a while, a few years in fact, but eventually, I managed to find something.”
“What?” the older customer asked hoarsely, enthralled in the mystery.
“Those symbols and numbers apparently, are some sort of marking from within there,” answered Midas. “I went around and asked many people over the years if they knew what it meant. However, no one seems to know anything about it.”
“So you want to enter Eden yourself and find the end to this mystery?”
“Exactly!” Midas nodded his head. “And seeing how I’ve had it since birth, I figured that my parents, or someone close to my parents, must’ve put them in me! So that I don’t get lost and can always be found, you see,” said Midas, innocently.
“Well? If you’re from inside that place, what the heck are you doing out here in this hell?”
“Well, that,” Midas paused and lifted his hand, “is another mystery to solve.” He foolishly grinned.
“Detailing’s done. Sit tight while I go and bring the colours, old dude!” Midas left his seat and walked towards the curtains.
Parting the curtains, he was surprised to find Cypher and Aether standing there. His eyes widened with excitement and a surprised gasp exited his throat. “Cypher! Aether! When did you guys come here!?!” He rushed forward and hugged his two dear friends.
“What are you dudes doing here?” A sudden realisation flashed across Midas’ eyes. “Ah! Are you here to get inked?”
“Ah, no,” Cypher awkwardly denied. Aether also shook his head with a bitter smile.
Midas did not seem to notice their strange expressions as he continued to prattle on with excitement. “Well, that sucks! No problems, though. I’ll one day open your eyes to the greatness of tattoos!”
He then asked, “What are you guys doing here then?”
Cypher opened and closed his mouth multiple times, seemingly unable to find the right words to speak. He had, after all, eavesdropped and heard a shocking secret.
Aether, on the other hand, was more versed in unexpected situations and smoothly answered, “We came to meet with you. We were in the area, you see.”
“Ah! Is that so!? Can you guys wait for me in the lobby? I’ll quickly finish doing this and come join you guys!” Midas excitedly exclaimed.
“Sure,” Aether replied with a smile and pulled Cypher along with him as they walked towards the lobby.
Midas watched his two dear friends go and said dearly, “Man, what great friends they are.” He then remembered his task and ran to grab his colours. He wanted to finish inking this old dude quickly so that he could go and join his two friends.
“Violet and neon pink,” he repeated the colours and ran.
---
As the two friends, Aether and Cypher, reclined on the sofas in the lobby, they sat with a heavy silence.
Seconds passed as Cypher emptily stared at the ceiling with a dazed expression. He then suddenly said, “...so Midas had that sort of reason, huh?”
Turning to look at Aether, he asked, “Why did you join our team, Aether? What sort of motivation do you have for winning the championship?” He asked with innocent and unfeigned curiosity.