With newfound knowledge, Niel returns to the store again in search of Mavrick, but he's nowhere to be seen. He considers asking one of the other workers where he is, but he abandons the idea for fear of drawing too much attention to himself. Even after a couple more days of visits, he doesn't find him. It doesn't help that the trek out to the store on foot isn't a short one. And what's worse...

"Ah, no school tomorrow!" Reed exhales while laying on the couch.

"Why not?" Niel questions.

"Tomorrow's a holiday, so everything will be closed for the day," Mabel explains.

"Everything?"

Reed and Lydia immediately catch on to the purpose of that last question.

"Yeah, everything. You get to relax for the day. Stores are gonna be closed again on Sunday for Easter, but open again for a bit on Monday," Reed explains, being sure to leave that last bit for him.

"I see."

"That reminds me," Mabel says. "Lydia, you don't want to hunt for your chocolate, right?"

"Right," Lydia responds.

"I wanna hunt for mine!" Reed blurts out.

"I know," Mabel says with a motherly smile. "And since this will be Illia and Niel's first Easter here, I think they should be included in the hunt, too."

"Hunt?" Niel questions.

"Mabel and Gabriel hide our Easter chocolate around the house for us to find," Reed questions.

"I see..." Niel says, not fully sold on the idea. He looks over at Illia and finds that her eyes are practically sparkling with intrigue.

"I don't bother with it," Lydia says. "But, because this is your first, I actually think you should try hunting for it."

"Alright, then."

Later that night while he's brushing his teeth, Mabel pays him a visit. She's been noticing a trend lately and wants to talk to him about it.

"Is everything okay? You've been leaving the house a lot lately," she says.

"Hm? Oh, yeah," he responds flatly. "I've just been exploring the city." He knows that this is a lie, but he doesn't want to bring up Mavrick.

"You're not getting into any trouble, or getting involved with bad crowds?"

One person isn't a crowd, so it's technically not true.

"No. The less attention I draw to myself, the better."

He hasn't exactly been following this to a T lately, either.

"Okay, I believe you." Mabel looks over her shoulder to see if Illia is nearby, to which the silent girl isn't. "The next time you go out on a walk, could you invite Illia? The city's been getting more dangerous lately, so I've been more and more hesitant to let her out on her own, especially since she hasn't awakened to her Mute yet."

"I will."

"Okay, thank you. Good night."

"Good night."

As Niel finishes his nightly routine, he comes to a realization. He can't confront Mavrick if Illia is with him, but he has to take her the next time he leaves, otherwise, Mabel might grow more suspicious. The store being closed tomorrow is a pain, but perhaps he can use this as an opportunity. It's the perfect time to take Illia with him for a walk without losing valuable time.

>>>>>>

"I'm going out for a walk. Want to come with me?" Niel asks Illia shortly after noon.

Illia nods her head in agreement—she's excited to go.

"You're like a puppy, Illia," Lydia teases over her magazine, causing Illia to pout with a blush.

"Do you two want to come with us?"

"Can't. I'm going to see my brother soon," Lydia answers.

"I'm good too," Reed echoes.

"Then we're gone," Niel says as he and Illia leave.

As soon as they leave, they unknowingly split apart as each thinks that the other is following them. They don't get very far until they realize they're alone, and once they do, they quickly close the distance between them.

"Where do you want to go?" Niel asks, realizing that they could probably use a destination.

Illia shrugs. She thought she was going with him somewhere, so she didn't have any place in mind to go to. Seeing this, Niel pulls out his phone and opens the map so they can choose something. After some scrolling, Illia points out a small grassy park further into the city, sitting on the shore of the river that flows through Soul.

"Want to go there?"

Illia nods, and off they go together.

The stroll through Soul is pleasant, with sunny skies providing an uplifting break from the recent cloudy and rainy weather. It's also a lot warmer than the weeks prior, reaching a high of sixteen degrees Celsius, meaning Illia can finally shed her large black coat for a thinner, baggier sweater. Niel keeps his usual dark grey hoodie on as it's the only one he owns. The air feels and smells crisp.

They're not the only ones enjoying the warm weather. Many people are out on strolls of their own, walking in pairs or with a dog or two. Between the suburban area and the weather, there aren't a lot of cars driving around, allowing kids to play on the road with sticks and a small ball.

After nearly an hour's walk, the pair come upon the riverside park: a flat, grassy meadow estimated by Niel to be as large as the supermarket Mavrick works at. He feels exposed due to how wide open the area is. The occasional bench, picnic table, and tree can be found throughout, accompanied by a single person or a family out to enjoy the day. The river in this area is open to swimming, though there are no souls brave enough to give this a try this time of year.

'This is a good place to have picnics,' Illia types in her phone. She points to a family eating while sitting on a blanket, giving Niel an idea of what a picnic is. 'Should we invite the others here?'

"We could if we get another good day like this," Niel responds.

They continue to walk around the park while watching others enjoy their day. Someone's dog approaches them, and while Illia is frightened by it, Niel calmly copies what he saw others doing and gently pats it on the head. After a bout of tail-wagging from Niel's attention, it pees on a bench and wanders off. Its owner is still nowhere to be seen.

"Shouldn't someone be watching it?" Niel questions to himself, shrugging as other people give the dog attention. When he turns to face Illia, he realizes that she's not behind him, but is rather crouched at the water's edge. He approaches cautiously to observe her curiosity, which involves tossing small twigs into the water to watch them float away.

"Is it interesting?" Niel questions.

Illia nods, and she throws another stick into the water. Niel keeps his eye trained on it for as long as he can until it disappears around the river's bend.

A sombre feeling wells up inside him.

As afraid of the water as he is, he sits down next to Illia and observes how she plays. After watching how the children run about during their walk here, seeing Illia's playfulness sparks a sad envy in him; he wishes he could be that way too, if only for a little while. He wishes he could have grown up with his innocence intact, rather than with tests, ridicule, and pain. The Warden's Key dimly glows again. He's now understanding just how high a price he was forced to pay for this power he never asked for.

>>>>>>

Illia was very excited about going on a picnic with everyone. Keyword: was. Now she stares dejectedly out of the living room window at the sheer downpour of rain occurring. Lydia, Mabel, and Gabriel are all at least keeping her company. As for the two boys, they're upstairs in Reed's room. Today is the day Reed's been waiting ever so impatiently for, and he wants to share it with Niel.

"Video games?" Niel questions.

"Yeah! I had them taken away from me two weeks ago, but I got them back today!"

Two weeks ago was when he was found by Illia in the forest, though he doesn't remember what Reed did to warrant his stuff being taken away. What Niel does remember is how Reed went on a spiel about his games the night Niel was given his phone. He didn't understand any of what Reed was talking about before, but with his stuff now in front of them, Niel is certain that whether he likes it or not, he going to learn today.

"I was in the middle of playing this game when I had it taken away," Reed explains as he turns on the TV and the console. He then sits down on his bed next to Niel. "It's an older game that I didn't get the chance to play until now, but it's super fun. It's about this older dude trying to take his son up to the peak of a mountain to spread his wife's ashes, and..."

As Reed goes on and on about the game, Niel's attention drifts from the TV to the rain-streaked window. He should go to the store now that it's open and see if—

"You probably shouldn't go to the store, if that's what you're thinking," Reed says. "It's raining too hard and we don't have an umbrella. You already told me yesterday that Mabel's starting to catch on, and it would look fishy if you went on a walk in this downpour."

"I guess you're right..."

"It calls for a better day on Monday, and I bet good money he'll be working that day as well."

Niel is unsure if Reed is just saying that to keep him here or if he genuinely believes that, but he's inclined to take Reed's word for it.

"Here, look at this!" Reed says, referring to the game.

On-screen is a man with an axe on his back, accompanied by a boy with a bow. It looks almost like one of those TV shows that Niel watches occasionally, but Reed can control the character and the camera. Reed moves the man forwards, causing monsters to spawn ahead of him; the boy calls them draugr.

"Watch this," Reed says, already enraptured by the game.

The man pulls the axe off of his back and hacks against the human-Esque husks while the boy pelts them with a seemingly endless supply of arrows. Then the man charges a powerful attack, cleaving one of the draugr in two with a comment of awe from Reed. Reed throws the axe at a distant enemy hurtling balls of fire and beats down another enemy with his fists and a collapsing shield, causing it to flash red and stagger.

"Watch this," Reed repeats himself.

The man elbows the enemy in the face, tackles it to the ground, then crushes its head by stomping on it. He then tosses the lifeless body aside.

"Isn't that badass!?" Reed exclaims. "I normally play fighting games, but this game's so cool!"

"Fighting games?" Niel questions. "You're fighting here. This isn't a fighting game?"

"Nah, a fighting game's different. I'll show you."

Reed closes out of the game he was playing and launches a different, brighter-looking one. A bunch of different characters appear in a selection, and Reed chooses a small girl dressed in orange effortlessly carrying a ship's anchor twice her size.

"In a fighting game, you have a bunch of different moves to use in order to drain your opponent's health bar. There're mid attacks which can be blocked, grabs which can't, high attacks that can be blocked or dodged by ducking without blocking, low attacks that can only be blocked when crouch-blocking, and overhead attacks that can only be blocked when stand-blocking."

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"I suppose that's in line with a real fight, minus the anchor..."

"Also in fighting games are combos. You chain multiple attacks together for flashy combos that deal more damage than basic attacks on their own. Here's a simple one."

As Reed's controller clicks, the girl swings the anchor for two hits, then rams into the opponent while... riding atop a dolphin...?

"Where the hell did that dolphin come from?" Niel questions with the utmost confusion.

"She summoned it," Reed answers.

"She summoned it," Niel echoes.

"In a world where technology just got replaced with magic one day, robot-things that tried to kill everyone, and Japan consisting of a giant hole in the ground, summoning animals is kinda par for the course in this game."

"Uh-huh..."

"Welcome to fiction."

Throughout the day, Niel sits on Reed's bed and watches him play different games. At times Reed offers Niel a second controller to play alongside him, but Niel declines as he's content with just watching. Though, the constant rain preventing him from going to the store is starting to annoy him.

Easter Sunday slowly rolls around, and everyone makes a conscious effort to wake up at roughly the same time so they can enjoy the morning together—though with how early Niel tends to wake up, he's left in bed for a couple of hours browsing the internet on his phone while he waits for everyone else. It's Poppy's day off so everyone chips in with cooking breakfast, including Dwayne making a surprise visit.

After breakfast, Lydia receives a small pail of her easter chocolates, and the other three are left to search around the house for theirs. Reed moves with purpose in his hunt since he knows where Mabel tends to hide things, Niel flows through the house checking as he goes since he's barred from using his Dust to scan, and Illia leaves no stone unturned as she giddily looks everywhere, even if it doesn't make sense. Once they've gathered everything they've found into their own pails, Mabel and Gabriel run through a checklist to see if everything was found, and once it all is, the spoils are split evenly between the trio. Reed and Illia are happy, and Niel is content.

The rest of the afternoon is spent eating chocolate and watching Niel's reaction to them, as well as opening chocolate eggs to see what toy each contains. Niel is mildly amused by the colourful spinning tops and small plastic cars, while Illia's reaction is described by Lydia as a kid in a barbershop's toy bin. Mabel has to remind them multiple times to not eat so much, otherwise, they won't be hungry when suppertime rolls around.

Through his insistence, Dwayne helps Mabel and Gabriel make supper, though he bids everyone farewell after they've finished eating to spend time with his wife. Reed also tries to retreat upstairs to play video games, but he's dragged back down when Mabel suggests they play some card games as a family.

Niel reveals that he doesn't know how to play cards, much to Reed's surprise. The blonde-haired boy figured that he would've been taught how to play poker or something, or maybe he's just seen one too many movies. Illia is also unsure of the rules of the games they play, so Reed and Lydia shadow Niel and Illia until they get the hang of it, respectively. While Illia continuously steamrolls Niel with her luck, this moment with everyone together makes Niel feel at ease. It makes him feel like he belongs somewhere.

* * *

Mavrick, his mother, and his father all sit around the table after supper. For them, this is when Easter chocolate gets passed around; there isn't enough to hunt for, nor is it much to look forward to in the first place. The five-bulb chandelier above them only half-works, with a bulb half-dead and two others burnt out completely, leaving only his father's side of the table illuminated.

Mavrick's mother slides him a single chocolate bar. She knows that he can buy many more, but she hopes that the thought is worth more when the bills take everything else. She also gives one to her husband, though instead of a thank you, he just scoffs.

Mavrick reflects his mother and gives each of his parents a similar bar, though if it were up to him, his father wouldn't get anything. When he isn't looking, Mavrick will give his mother two more as a thank you. She deserves it for all of the shit she has to put up with.

As his father's job is sitting on his ass all day, he provides now what he provides to the family. Mavrick wishes he could provide his Mute to his next shower. So much hatred in one man—children really do take after their parents.

>>>>>>

Finally, it's Monday. With no classes to worry about, Niel can check the store again to see if Mavrick's there, and with the information Reed provided him nearly a week ago, hopefully Niel can get through to him. He chooses 2:30 as his time to leave, and off he goes.

As Niel enters the store again, he notices that there are more people inside than usual. His heart thuds in his chest at the cramped lines and compact crowds, so he decides to start at the back of the store and work his way up. He checks the automobile section, toys, electronics (which now have his eye after Reed's showcase on Saturday), then food and clothing, but he doesn't see Mavrick. He considers the possibility that he may not be here, but a momentary break in a checkout line reveals Mavrick working at a cash register.

Finally.

Just as Niel steels his nerves to step into line, the light over the checkout row shuts off. If he's correct, that means that Mavrick isn't accepting any more customers for now, likely to go on break. Nevertheless, Niel slips to the back of the line, careful to keep the Warden's Key out of sight. He takes a chocolate bar from the shelf next to him on his way to the register so he has a reason to be there. It isn't until he gets to the register that Mavrick notices him, and his reaction to Niel is nothing short of contempt.

"Oh, you," Mavrick says, dropping the polite charade he gave to the other customers.

"I want to talk," Niel says as he places the bar on the counter.

"I don't." Mavrick then runs the bar across the scanner. "A dollar-fifty."

"Debit." As Niel taps the machine with his card, he presses the conversation further. "It's something important I need to talk to you about."

"I don't care. Now piss off, and—"

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman walks into the empty aisle with a full shopping cart. Niel's guard is immediately up in response to this stranger, while Mavrick continues to wrap up at the register.

"Sorry miss, but this line is closed," Mavrick says.

"No, you can take my stuff before you go. You're still behind the register, anyways," the lady practically demands.

Niel and Mavrick are both annoyed at the woman's attitude—but for their own reasons, they don't let it show on their face too much. Niel gives her a bladed glare, though.

"What are you looking at? Move! I need to pay for my stuff!" the woman barks. Niel begrudgingly takes his bar and steps away before he does something rash.

He sits down on a nearby bench, but he monitors the situation with his Dust. Mavrick argues with the woman for a bit, repeating that the line is closed and that he's now on break, but the woman keeps demanding that he serve her nonetheless. Once she starts making idle threats regarding his superiors, though, is when Niel has enough. Without making a single giveaway motion, Niel picks the woman up with his Dust and sends her clear across the store, placing her on the opposite side. Mavrick is stunned by what had just happened—as are the witnesses of the belligerent woman's flight—but he quickly puts two and two together.

"What the hell, man?" Mavrick growls at Niel, who stands up at his approach.

"I know you don't like help, so I didn't do it for you. She was just pissing me off."

Mavrick notices that while Niel is talking, his carotids have an abnormal tinge of shade to them. There's some bullshit to his words as he could have just walked away, but despite this, Niel now has his attention. His darkened arteries, plus how he sent the woman flying...

"Fine. I'm off at four-thirty. We'll talk then."

Niel is relieved, and Mavrick watches the colour fade from his neck.

"I'll wait for you outside."

Mavrick and Niel leave the vicinity, with the latter spending the remaining two hours roaming the area and loitering on the store's roof, but always keeping an eye on the tracker he put on the former. Once 4:30 rolls around, Niel watches Mavrick leave the store, then while making sure no person and no camera can see him, reappears from around a corner.

"Did they blame you for removing that woman?" Niel asks, nearly startling Mavrick.

"No, and they don't know it's you. So that begs the question—what the hell is your Mute?"

Niel takes a mental step backwards; he's shown too much. What does he do? Does he run? Try to convince Mavrick it was nothing?

"Is it private?" Mavrick asks. "I know it's not something normal, but if you can't tell me, then don't bother answering."

When he's not hurling insults or trying to look aggressive, he's surprisingly reasonable. Niel keeps quiet and gives a shallow nod. Mavrick gets the message.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"It's about you."

"What about me?" Mavrick sighs as he realizes. "...Let me guess, Reed?"

"I asked him for his side, and he knows a lot about you."

"Secrets I shouldn't have told him, and now he's spreading them around."

"Only to me."

"That's still one person too many."

"Which is why they stay with me."

"Doesn't matter."

Niel takes a brief pause to recollect his thoughts and reset the conversation.

"He told me you hate getting help because it makes you feel like you're taking advantage of people," Niel says.

"And I'm sure you know where it comes from."

"Your father."

"He really did tell you everything." Mavrick growls in frustration at his secrets being leaked. "I will NOT be like that sack of shit. If I need something done, I'll be the one to do it, because it's my problem and no one else's."

"I used the think the same way, but thanks to everyone at the home, I've started to learn that getting help isn't a bad thing."

"Yeah, in a home that coddles you. Everything is perfect there. Meanwhile, I'm helping my mom save up for divorce papers and a new place to live. You don't understand a damn thing about me!"

This isn't going anywhere. Soon enough, Mavrick's going to get fed up and leave, and this will all be for nothing. What can Niel do to talk him down? He thinks for a moment.

"Maybe not, but you know nothing about me, either. You should know from Reed that the home is the last place stopping us from being on the street; one final attempt for us to live with some kind of normalcy when we have nothing and no one left."

Niel takes a deep breath.

"I don't know who or where my parents are. All I've ever known is a cell and taking orders from people who'd hardly bat an eye if I was dead. They robbed me of everything I had and hurt me in ways you could never imagine. When I finally mustered the strength to escape, I spent the next... I don't know how long... jumping from city to city, just to get as far away from them as I could. I know they're still out there looking for me."

As Niel talks, the Warden's Key glows brighter and brighter until Mavrick can clearly see the light through his sweater.

"Did you... grow up in a prison?" Mavrick questions. His face is one of skepticism.

"Not exactly, but not dissimilar."

"And... what's that light under your sweater?"

It's now when Niel realizes that the Warden's Key is glowing. His vague explanation will help keep him safe, but it has also led to Mavrick not believing him. Showing the Warden's Key will help verify his story, but if Mavrick secretly knows the lab...

But, in order to ease his anxiety, everyone at the home has repeated ad nauseam how difficult it would be for an organization like the lab to find a single person. It's a nice temporary comfort, but can he really believe it? One-in-one million may be low odds, but it's still possible. He's living proof of that. Can he...?

He shouldn't, but...

fuck it.

Niel unzips his sweater and hauls his right arm back through the sleeve, making sure that Mavrick—and only Mavrick—can see the Warden's Key in his hand.

"It's a painful reminder."

Mavrick watches how the Warden's Key blinks slowly in his hand. For added measure, he runs Dark Dust along his hand and hardens it into a spiky glove, before shattering it like ice by clenching his fist.

Niel zips his sweater back up. "So, now you know about my Mute. And because you know, if those people find me out here, they'll kill both of us."

"You're... You're bullshitting, right?"

"I wish I was. If they find me, they'll kill me, they'll kill you, they'll kill Reed and everyone else at the home, and they'll kill anyone else who knows. My Mute is supposed to be top secret, so now you need to keep it top secret as well."

Mavrick wants to disbelieve, but what the hell is that Mute and that pendant? It could be some normal dark mineral, but how was he able to use it as he did before? The blow to his gut a week ago, and then the removal of that woman today... you can't do that with a normal Mute.

"I— Shit man, if it's that serious, then I wish you didn't tell me."

"Then you wouldn't believe me."

"I still don't fully believe you."

"Should I go into more detail?" Niel is bluffing, of course. He's already taken far too big a risk.

"No, no. I don't need to hear any more. And, what was the point of telling me all of this?"

"So you know that I'm not living a perfect life, either. Reed wasn't the first person to ever offer me help, but he was the first I accepted help from. And now look at what's happened: I have a place to stay, food to eat, and people who care about me."

"So you're talking advantage of their generosity."

"That's far from the truth."

"How is it?"

"Because I fully intend on repaying the favour, should they need it. You may see getting help as selfish, but nobody lasts long if you don't accept it. If it weren't for everyone at the home, there's a strong chance that I wouldn't be alive right now."

None of what Niel is saying has really crossed his mind before, but he believes in every word that rolls off of his tongue. Mavrick isn't on the same page, but Niel thinks that he's close. Just one more push.

"You love your mother, right?" Niel asks.

"Of course."

"Is your mother taking advantage of you because you're saving money for her?"

That point stings. He dislikes how Niel brought his mother into the conversation, but he can't refute that.

"Just because you're trying to convince me to accept help doesn't mean I'll just start asking for it."

"You don't have to."

"And even if I do, it won't happen immediately."

"We all have to start somewhere."

Mavrick recognizes that saying. His coworker says that to him a lot.

"I've got a question," Mavrick says.

"Go for it."

"Reed knows why I'm picking at him, right?"

"To chase him off so he stops trying to help you. I tried that with him when we first met, and it didn't work very well."

"You did it too?"

"Remember how I said that Reed will try to help someone even if they're aiming a gun at him, and that I was the one holding the gun?"

"Yeah...?"

For a brief moment, Niel flashes a gun made of Dust at Mavrick. "It wasn't hyperbole."

"What the fu... And he stayed?"

"Yes. Called my bluff when I said I'd kill him."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mavrick sighs.

"I have a question of my own," Niel says, skipping over Mavrick's comment.

"Yeah?"

"Your Mute's potassium, right? How did you get employed if you have a Fire Mute? I thought people don't like Fire Mutes."

"You heard that from Reed?"

"Yes."

"It's illegal for a business to discriminate against someone due to their Mute, even if your Mute's white phosphorus. What Reed told you is more how the general public feels," Mavrick explains. "Though, I got off lucky compared to him. People look at my Mute and think it's just a nondescript metal. His is literally just fire."

"Right."

Niel feels his phone buzz in his pocket. When he checks it, he finds a text from Reed asking where the hell is he and that supper is soon going to start.

"Shit, I need to run."

"Alright. Later, then."

As Niel sprints off into the literal sunset, Mavrick is left wondering on his own. There was a lot said that he needs to take in.

"Later, then..." Mavrick repeats to himself.

>>>>>>

Wednesday afternoon rolls around, and when Reed walks through the door, he motions to Niel that he wants to talk. They go to Reed's room again, reminiscent of their talk about Mavrick over a week ago.

"Something happened today after school," Reed says.

"Like what?"

"Mavrick. He came up to me and apologized."

Niel is shocked. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. He told me how you two talked."

"What did he say?"

"That you're ballsy to tell him about your past."

Worry quickly builds in Niel's gut. "He didn't tell anyone else about that, did he?"

"He told me he didn't. He doesn't want to get killed."

"Huh, so he believes me after all."

"I guess so."

"So, now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is he going to try accepting help now?"

"Maybe. He said he wants to try being friends again. Should we?"

Niel can hardly believe his ears. He wasn't sure if Mavrick was convinced. Now he wants to be Reed's friend again?

"Uhh... I suppose you could try, but if he starts picking at you again, let me know."

"Sure thing. And, Niel?"

"Yeah?"

Reed turns to face Niel. His eyes shine with gratitude.

"Thank you."

Niel can't match his sincerity, but nevertheless...

"You're welcome."

For the rest of the day, a warm feeling resides within his heart. His actions have borne fruit, and he's most pleased with himself. However, a question still hangs over his head: why? Why did he try to help in the first place? It's nice that things have worked out, but he gains nothing from it. Is it just nice to help others?

Perhaps he'll understand another day.