The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

A Hidden Truth

After leaving Headquarters, the four assassins had set out to start their mission. They were now flying in a jet, patiently waiting for their arrival in Central Town. Fortunately, the jet was on autopilot which meant that the assassins had some time to relax.

Sadly, relaxation was nowhere to be found. The tension between Sindy and Isabella was almost unbearable. It was now painfully evident that they thoroughly disliked one another.

Nathan had no choice but to watch the two closely just in case they started fighting again. Sadly, Andrew was alone at the back, fast asleep. This meant that if anything were to happen, Nathan would have to deal with it alone.

However, in truth, Andrew was upset. Despite how much Alondo had praised them for their efforts, he still felt useless. In both his previous missions, he had failed to defeat his enemies. Due to this, those around him had gotten hurt. This made him incredibly upset. He was only resting to get his mind off these things.

On the other hand, Nathan sat patiently looking through a small window. He still couldn't understand how Isabella was able to speak to him so casually despite what had happened between them.

"Izzy..." He called gently.

"Nathypoo?" She quickly replied with a smile.

"Could you come over here for a bit? I need to talk to you..."

Jealousy shredded the face of Sindy who was watching quietly. She hated how Isabella was continually getting closer to Nathan despite not knowing him for long.

"Is it so important that you have to speak to her in private..?" Asked Sindy in frustration.

"No... It's not like that... I just need to talk to her about something..."

Despite not agreeing with Nathan, Sindy decided to respect his decision. It did however trouble her quite a bit. Nathan had never once felt the need to keep anything hidden from her since they were children. So why was it that he now felt the need to hide something from her?

On the other hand, Isabella took a seat beside Nathan excitedly.

"Soo... What did you want to talk to me about, Nathypoo?"

"I'm just kinda curious why you're not upset with me after what happened between us..."

Isabella then placed her finger against her chin as she pondered.

"I don't know honestly. At first, I was stunned that I was rejected! Guys have always tried to get with me but none of them seemed worthy enough. But as soon as I saw you, I somehow felt like you were worthy. So I was left in disbelief when you rejected me. But then I figured that maybe you were just playing hard to get!"

Nathan could hardly believe his ears. Did Isabella truly believe he was playing hard to get?

"Why would you think that? I meant what I said, Izzy."

"Hmm... Love... Marriage... So does that mean if I get you to fall in love with me and marry me then you'll finally accept me?"

Nathan facepalmed. This was the most awkward conversation that he had ever experienced.

"No! You have to be in love with me too. It's not a one-sided thing!."

"But I do think I'm in love with you, Nathypoo... You seem different from every other guy I've met so far! And whenever you're around, my heart beats faster and my skin tingles just a little bit!"

Nathan was stunned by Isabella's remark. She was very straightforward when it came to how she felt. She didn't try to cut corners or beat around the bush. She always went in for the kill, confident that she would attain her prey. However, Nathan knew it was more than that. He could tell that Isabella had narcissistic tendencies which weren't good traits to have.

"You know..." Continued Isabella. "...when you compared me to a pig, I felt upset! But after thinking about it, I somehow began to feel better. I realized that you were right! Why should I give my first time to just anyone? I should be with someone who loves me first! But I believe that you should be that person, Nathypoo! So, I'll do my best to earn your heart!"

Nathan was speechless. Isabella was the first girl he had ever heard acknowledge her feelings for him. However, despite this, he had already decided that he wouldn't date a narcissist.

"Hey, Izzy... Why are you like this..?" He asked calmly.

"Like what?"

"You never seem to hold yourself back... You always get to the point while wearing this innocent smile. Sometimes, it almost seems as if you're forcing yourself to be that way..."

Upon hearing Nathan's words, Isabella froze before her sweet smile disappeared from her lips. Nathan almost flinched upon seeing her reaction. The look across her face was a familiar one that brought back bad memories.

This look was one that he had seen many times on the face of his little sister, Liz. It was a look that was implanted on her face by their devilish father, James Styles. It was a look that was filled with terror, hatred, sadness, and anger. But why was this same look present on Isabella's face?

"Izzy..?" Called Nathan softly.

"Oh, my bad, Nathypoo!" She quickly responded with a smile. "I spaced out for a little bit!"

"Are you okay..?"

"I'm perfect! Hmmm... Let me know when you've fallen in love with me! I'll work hard to win your heart until then, okay?"

Before Nathan could even respond, Isabella got up before promptly returning to her original seat with a sweet smile. However, it was now difficult for Nathan to tell if her smile was genuine. She hadn't even answered his original question. However, he decided not to pursue it. There had to be a reason why Isabella had decided to keep quiet about it.

A few hours later, they were finally flying over Conscience City. The city was vast with many futuristic-type buildings. The streets were lined with cars and other never-before-seen vehicles with beautiful aesthetics. 

This came as a surprise to everyone except Isabella. The Mind World was constantly battling Demon Beasts so how had a city like this come about under such conditions? There wasn't even a hint of distress. Instead, the city was filled with peace and joy. In some ways, it looked even better than many places in the Real World.

"Hey, Isabella," began Andrew who was now awake. "Aren't people from the Mind World supposed to be suffering?! So why are they living such a lavish life down there?!!"

"Well, that's because it's a major city!"

"A major city? I heard Alondo say something about this place being a major city but what does that have to do with anything?" Asked Sindy.

"Cities like this one are surrounded by an invisible barrier that's meant to keep out Demon Beasts! But only the rich and those in power can afford to live here. The city is under constant surveillance by powerful heroes too. The people here have nothing to worry about!"

"Only the rich, huh..?" Murmured Nathan.

"Mhmm!"

Isabella hadn't explained it to them in detail but they understood what she was trying to say. The wealthy were allowed to live safe lives within major cities while the poor were forced to fend for their lives elsewhere. It was a cruel reality. Sadly, none of them had time to think about such things. 

A few minutes later, Central Town had finally come into view. The damage was very evident even from above. Stores had been vandalized, buildings had taken significant damage, and small flames were set ablaze in certain areas. It reminded Nathan of the village they had gone to on their first mission. Just with a lot more damage.

"Okay, everyone! We're finally here!" Declared Isabella with a playful twirl. "We don't know if these are just regular bandits so we should stick together when we exit the jet! That's all until we get some more information on who these guys are!"

Suddenly, the jet shook violently as if it had crashed into something. This almost resulted in the assassins crashing into one another. However, this was strange. The autopilot system was designed to avoid crashing into objects. So what could have caused the crash?

"What the hell was that?!" Panicked Andrew.

"I see... It seems that we've hit some type of barrier. No wonder no one's been able to get in or out of this town!" Explained Isabella.

"So what do we do?" Asked Sindy reluctantly.

"Hmm, we'll have to proceed on foot... I should be able to break this barrier if I'm able to touch it!"