"What does it mean to be good?" The question she didn't voice, the one she was scared of finding a response to. Because deep down, she knew;She was a hypocrite.~~Cincinnati notched her arrow, letting it fly free as it whizzed into the distance and lodged itself in the branch of a tree before flying past it. "Shit," she cursed as her companion took its original shape, that of her childhood friend."You seem to be struggling. Do you need help?" He asked, but she shook her head. She missed the smell of trees and the feel of grass beneath her feet. The landscape of the mikrós kósmos annoyed her to no end. "I could have done it, I swear," she ranted, but the hologram just stared at her, not moving to help alleviate her worries."This isn't real; none of it is." She went on her knees, overcome by the despair that's begun to take root in her psyche. The scenery she created fizzled in and out of existence, the barren landscape making a showing of itself once more "There's no way out, i

It was raining again. Yet, Zero couldn't feel the rain on his skin; he couldn't break out of his confines. The world was pressing against him, but there was nothing in him that could push back, that could make everything sensible once again.I'm pathetic.Number 9 didn't return or call him back. He knew there'd be hell to pay, but he disregarded it. Many things happened for a reason, and standing in the position where he could see the world for what it was, he knew that was a lie.Some things happen just because. There was no grand purpose, no grand order. They happened and left you to deal with the aftermath. It was like walking in the rain and letting your tears run down. The tears mingled with the rain, and nobody would ever know you were crying. "If you keep looking dead, I might be tempted to put a bullet through your head and save you from your misery," Alistair spoke, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. Zero noticed the umbrella that'd suddenly covered him from the relentles

Zero didn't like being at the mercy of anyone—especially someone like Alistair. The base of operations the Enforcers used was nothing to write home about, rundown, and an absolute disaster."Who lives here? And why?" He asked aloud, unable to believe the dingy room he stayed in was a place for ordinary people. Alistair might be a demanding boss, but Zero was a free bird. His accommodation was always paid for; he never had to worry about money. But now, he was seeing the other side of existence. He didn't like it one bit."Wow, who'd have thought the great Zero is squeamish to poverty?" Zero turned to see Valerie at the doorway, arms folded across her chest."Good morning to you too, and this place isn't conducive for living. I saw rats the size of a small dog. Why would anyone think this is a good place to live?" He sounded indignant, but he was past caring."You speak like we wanted this. Do you know why I can't even look at you?" Valerie seemed agitated for some reason."No, why?"

"You cannot stand a warrior in his natural habitat."This saying had been pummeled into Zero, night and day. It was a testament to his resilience, which became his daily life.But the Enforcers didn't need to know that."There are a couple levels here; try to keep up." Terry was looking down on him for some reason, but he was unfazed by such a blatant show of disrespect."Okay, I'll take note," he replied politely, not willing to go back and forth with someone who was lovestruck."We are here." Terry spread his arms and chest as though taking in lungfuls of air. He looked like a caricature and almost made Zero laugh.Almost.The military base was better than he expected, and the place he slept in didn't do the base justice. He stood and took in the view, taking note of traps and any potential situation that could harm him. The door was an automated one, and the Enforcers were big on technology. Although they had their fair share of powerful mages, even the battle type, they leaned to

Dante knew something was wrong even before everybody else did. It started with a trickle and then morphed into something else, something he couldn't decipher.This is bad. Very bad.But who cared? Nobody. "You have a stupid look on your face when you're losing; it's cute," Crystal had a glint in her eyes, and Dante had to force himself to look away."This isn't fair; you know that, right? I'm all out," he flipped his cards, which was a bad hand. Gilgamesh tried his best not to laugh, but he couldn't hold it in anymore."This isn't my fault!" Dante defended, even though he didn't have to."He's a sore loser, isn't he?" Cincinnati said, boredom leaking through her voice. He'd noticed that she'd become a little more tolerant of him lately, and he didn't want anything to ruin that. She always spoke to him dismissively, but deep inside, she did care. Somewhat. He couldn't tell about her. "Not only a sore loser, but he's also a lame one," Gilgamesh said good-naturedly. Dante had noticed t