4/5/54

ALEXANDER GALDUR

Sluggishly, I trudged down the hallways of Deimos’s apartment. I felt myself dreading arriving there. I knew that once Deimos and I entered, he would finally let me know what his judgment was. The idea of him ratting me out seemed so bound in reality that it was like I could tell the future.

Deimos unlocked the door and went in. I followed, but I was greeted by a surprise.

“Surprise!”

Shocked, my jaw was on the floor from what I saw. Confetti rained down from recently popped party poppers. Anna, Max, and Sarah were all there, each wearing a warm smile. Deimos just looked at me with a smirk while I still recovered from the shock.

Behind the four, I saw a banner held up saying “Congratulations!” I had to take a moment to finish composing myself just to ask, “What?”

“Deimos set this up for you for when you completed your training.” Sarah replied, making me hesitate.

Turning to Deimos, I asked, “You… Did this for me?”

“Yeah, I did. It’s my way of saying you’re finally free.” He nodded, smiling warmly. Then, in a hushed whisper he added, “You’re free. You’re alright, Lucas. Don’t make me regret this.”

Looking at him straight in the eye, I nodded, sober determination shaping my every action, and I turned back to the small party. Walking the rest of the way into the dorm, I nervously chuckled, “Well, Max, I guess we should enjoy the celebration.”

Momentarily, he looked a little surprised, but he quickly realized that, in a way, this was a celebration for him too. Nodding, that let the festivities begin.

Drinks were pulled out that varied from canned tea, bubble tea, coffee to sodas and even homemade lemonade. Food was also laid out over the dining room table: chips, salsa, pretzels, dips, pizza, salads, etc. It was a beautiful spread that made my mouth water at the very though of. The first thing I did was get myself a can of Coke Zero.

*Kshhh*

Ah, that sweet sound of soda being opened will always be satisfying.

The party started off with a toast to Max and I, led by Deimos with a grin spread across his face, “Here’s to the present success of Lucas and Max.”

“And to the future happiness they pursue.” Sarah added.

Then, Deimos, Sarah, and Anna turned to us as one, and Anna asked, “I think we should have some speeches from the two we're celebrating. How about it, Max? Lucas?”

Exchanging glances, Max spoke up first, “Um, I-I haven’t done this before, but, uh, well, I’d like to thank you all for helping me through training.”

As he sent a pleading look in my direction, I smiled to myself with the happiness that filled me up, “I’d also like to say my thanks. I was just some guy on the street, but after I met all of you, my entire life changed. I’ll remember this day and all the days afterwards thanks to you all for making every moment so memorable. I think that this toast should go out to not just Max and my own’s success, but also to the continued relationships between everyone here.”

Taking a breath after that small speech, I looked around to everyone. They all wore the same surprised expressions, but before I or anyone else could make a comment, Deimos swooped back in, “Well said you two. To present and future success and friendship!”

Being carried by the flow, we all joined Deimos in the toast as the assorted drinks met in between us, “To present and future success and friendship!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Soon, drinks were being downed along with plates of food. The tv played various shows, music, and movies as we all engaged in friendly conversation and joyful activities.

Board games were pulled out, video games as well, and as the afternoon stretched into night, the festivities forced everyone into a good mood. Even momentarily, I let my guard down, letting myself enjoy the party with everyone else.

Of course, I brought it back up when I remembered I was with DME members, one of them even having relations to dark magician hunters, but for that short moment where everything was peaceful and happy, I felt myself holding back tears of joy from finally finding somewhere I can belong and can get a happily ever after.

After it became late into the night, everyone but Deimos and I having left, Deimos looked at me and said, “Come with me.”

We walked through the identical hallways of the DME’s dorm that seemed to repeat endlessly in a labyrinth of minimalistic and practical modern designs and architecture. Eventually, emerging from the glass doors of the lobby, the warm California air greeting us in its embrace, we walked through it with a shiver going up my spine and together, we entered his silver 2054 Honda Civic, and drove into the city.

As we rode down the road, we listened to the radio. Dr. Davis, a renowned scientist for his work in discovering what happens when an object is transported by certain types of space magic, has been revealed as a fraud. His work being a hoax, a grab for fame, and when confronted, he transported himself away and killed the person who tried to bring it up, Lieutenant Smith, a famous war hero with powerful precognitive abilities. Though, I guess those powers couldn't have been that powerful if he got himself killed.

After the short ride, we got out in a parking lot, walked across the damp asphalt of the sidewalk and wound up in front of a certain Sri Lankan restaurant. Glancing at him with a curious look, we walked into the restaurant and were seated near the front door, right next to a big glass window with the restaurant’s logo shaped out of colored glass in a surprisingly beautiful mosaic of a mortar and pestle and innumerable plants and flowers.

“So,” Deimos began between sips from his decaf tea that he had ordered a minute before, “You did it.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” I probed, trying to see where this was going.

“So, what’s the plan now?” He said and looked me dead in the eye.

“What do you mean?” I asked, probing for something that would provide a little more detail to such a vague question.

Sighing, he elaborated, “What are you going to do with housing, jobs, all that. Do you even know where to begin?”

The door opened as another customer walked in, and a gust of wind flooded the restaurant, the warm California air, the arid heat, somehow feeling cold in the tense atmosphere and expectations for what came next.

“No, I don’t.” I admitted, locking eyes with him, my glare stabbing into his cold, calm, and calculating gaze.

After a moment between us, he looked through the window, the lights of the city shining and twinkling along with the numerous stars decorating the deep, dark night sky above.

“You can stay with me. I’ll help you with bounty hunting too.”

“Wait, what?” I stood up, my eyes—previously sharpened like daggers—opened wide in shock.

Taking a sip from his drink that felt agonizingly long, he answered, “Lucas, you’re a good guy. Hell, you’re better than most, throwing yourself into danger like that for strangers. You have a few issues, but most people do. You’re a good person, and I’d be happy to help you with this.”

Stunned, I gaped at him. Eventually, I managed to recover when another warm—and this time just warm—gust of wind blew through the door being opened by a departing couple, the light orange curtains behind the window above the door fluttering in the breeze, “I… Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Just as I was about to continue, our food arrived, the steam wafting off of the fish curry smelling truly delectable. When I went to eat it though, a small drop of water landed in the orange broth of the meal. Soon enough, another followed, and another. I felt my face, and small tracks on it were wet and moist. Turning to look at the glass window, I saw my reflection, and from my dark, pitch black and pure white eyes, tears rolled down my pale cheeks.

A small, sober, genuine laugh from my friend brought my attention to him.

“You did it, Lucas.”

Hearing this, I thought about it, and something in me opened up.

“... It’s not Lucas.”

“What?”

“My name. It’s not Lucas; my name’s Alexander.”

“... I see. Well, you did it, Alexander. You did it.”