Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

PROLOUGE

The flames surrounding the two flickered and danced as they continued to consume the surrounding room.

He was missing an arm, and tons of blood. Absolute tons of blood. It was a miracle he was even alive right now.

Though one could say that his “miracle” was the person who was currently cradling him, operating on his missing arm.

The missing arm wasn’t the only injury he had sustained. He had been through intense beating, and even cruel torture at the hands of his apprehenders. His entire body screamed and ached with pain. Typically, he would find it unbearable. But right here, in this moment, he tolerated it. 

He even appreciated it.

Because without these injuries, he wouldn’t be feeling the effects of the healing magic that he loved so much, hugging his entire body.

If he told the person operating on him that he was grateful for the injuries, he would likely get scolded, so he refrained. However, it didn’t change how he felt in the slightest. He loved healing magic- no, that wasn’t quite right. He loved his healing magic, no one else's.

Well, putting it like that was a major disservice to the other people in his life who had used their healing magic on him. Particularly the magic of the girl who had saved his life, the one whom he found himself blushing around constantly.

However, he was also blushing from the intense care the boy hovering over him was showing. Perhaps that simply made him greedy, loving the healing magic and the attention from the two separate people who made him blush.

However, did those two people feel the same way? Was he welcome in their lives? If allowed to choose whether they wished to spend their lives with him or not, would they?

The truth is, he wished to stay with both of them forever.

He loved them.

He loved them more than anything in the world.

If given the option to choose whether he wanted to spend his life with the two of them, he would choose yes in a heartbeat. No hesitation.

That was the one thing he wished for above all else.

To be together with them forever.

So whenever he heard those words from the boy’s mouth, he felt happier than he had ever felt before in his entire life.

“Then, let’s be together.”

That night, despite the pain and the suffering, love had blossomed under those flames, whether either person realized it or not.

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“That hurts…”

He picked at the hangnail protruding from his pointer finger. It wasn’t painful enough for him to feel as if the world was ending, but it was painful enough to bother him. For a high school kid growing up in the modern era, hangnails like this may as well be the biggest physical hindrance, unless you were born with or developed some kind of condition, which didn’t apply to him.

The final bell had rung, signifying the end of the school day. He wasn’t the type of person to immediately rush to his car the moment he was free from class, instead choosing to wander the hallways at a leisurely pace until the parking lot cleared up. He stood in the bathroom, washing his hands and mindlessly studying his own features in the mirror. He was looking at his own fluffy brown hair and hazel colored eyes when he noticed the hangnail. It wasn’t large; it was essentially just a nub, but even the smallest of hangnails could be enough to bother someone who was irritated easily. Once he finished picking at it in frustration, he sighed in defeat and shoved his hands into his pockets, continuing his stroll. 

As he walked, he passed by some other students who were laughing and giggling about something he didn’t quite catch. For some reason, that bothered him. He knew that it was definitely unfair of him to be bothered by some students laughing to themselves; it wasn’t their fault that he was in a sour mood. Now that he thought about it, he had been finding himself in that kind of mood a lot recently. He really wondered why. 

He didn’t necessarily hate his life. He had friends and a family who loved and supported him unconditionally. He had people to talk to and fall back on, but he knew it was only a matter of time until that would soon fade. As of recently, the schools had been pushing the students to think about what they wanted to do with their lives, whether it be attending a prestigious college, working a job that speaks to them, or whatever best fit the student in question. He didn’t know what that was for himself. For all he cared, as long as he was doing something in life, he would be okay. Who cared about fancy colleges or fancy jobs? As long as you could support yourself, it didn’t matter. This mindset is likely why he never pushed himself academically or really even bothered to take this kind of thought into serious consideration. Truthfully, he just didn’t care, nor did he have any initiative to try to.

However, what did bother him was the idea of all his friends moving on to these things. They didn’t exactly have everything figured out, but they knew if they were going to attend college, or if they were going to find a job. Some even knew exactly what they wanted to strive for. He thought that it was commendable. He really wanted his friends to succeed in life, but that also came with the downside that they would have to abandon him someday. That thought frustrated him quite a lot, but what could he do about it? Whether he tried to find a path of his own, follow the path of someone else, or continue not caring, he’d grow distant from a majority of them anyway. So why should he care? He was with them now, and that’s what mattered. 

Right?

Once he finally made his way outside after what felt like half an hour of wandering, he was immediately hit with an intense wave of heat. His city was known for its intense heat, even when it was no longer summer. It was times like this when he would regret stubbornly wearing a hoodie or a jacket with all of his outfits. Once he made his way to his car, despite the blinding sun, he tossed his bag into the passenger seat of his car and then shut the door. The sound rang out across the now decently desolate parking lot. As he started to make his way to the other side of the car so he could drive home, something suddenly felt off.

The air was cooler. His surroundings were louder. 

“Huh…?”

Opening his eyes, it was clear he was no longer in the empty school parking lot. His gaze darted around, taking in his surroundings. It soon became apparent that he had changed locations altogether. 

“What the hell…? This can’t be real…”

Except it was. There was no denying what was happening. He had somehow teleported. How was that even possible? There were so many questions swirling around in his head. Where had he teleported? How had he teleported? Was it even teleportation? Was he hallucinating? Was it really that hot outside?

He continued to take in his surroundings. The architecture was not the kind he had ever seen before in person. The people around him looked fantastical, like they had stepped out of a fantasy book. Some weren’t even human. As all of these different factors started to click in his head, there was only one conclusion he could come to. It was crazy, and it was stupid. But the evidence was right in front of him. 

He had been summoned to another world.

△▼△▼△▼△

If he had any doubt that this wasn’t reality, he had no choice but to just believe in it. Despite the outlandish concept before his very eyes, it was all very real. He wandered the streets with a curious and excited glint in his eyes, investigating this new world as much as he could. He was a huge nerd for these kinds of scenarios, after all. Actually living it felt unreal. Everything in front of him screamed “fantasy.” Large lizards pulled people in carriages; civilians ranged from humans to dogs, to lizards themselves, and came in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. It was all so overwhelming and overstimulating; how could any one person process all of this at once?

It wasn’t long until he hit his first road bump. He eventually needed to sit down, take a breath, and let himself process everything that had just transpired. He chose a back alley that seemed isolated and tucked away from any interference to get his bearings. As he fiddled with his phone to try to figure out what worked and what didn’t, he heard a gruff voice.

“Looks like you’re lost, pal.”

He was greeted by 3 mean-looking thugs, each one bigger than the other.  He stiffened a bit when hearing the middle-sized thug’s words, and swiftly turned around, mustering the most confident look he could give.

“Lost? You’re completely mistaken. I’ve been here before. Plenty of times. All the time.”

The middle-sized thug didn’t seem to buy it. He looked to his larger and smaller friend before turning his gaze back to the boy.

“Are ya sure about that? Nobody in their right mind would come snoopin’ around here while waving a shiny lookin’ object like that.”

The middle-sized thug was probably right about that. The boy’s face stiffened into a look that ringed a bit more unconfident.

“I… See… Haha… No, you’re right. I guess I just got a bit comfortable, y’know? I’ve never lost a fight before, after all… So I guess I’m just okay with setting up shop in dangerous spots like this…”

It was true that he hadn’t lost a fight before, though it wasn’t because he had won every scuffle he had ever been in. It was because he had never been in one in the first place. And this first-ever bout would leave him thoroughly humbled.

△▼△▼△▼△

“I should have expected that things wouldn’t go great from the start, but for it to go south this fast is…”

He currently had zero possessions, aside from his own clothes. His phone, headphones, and portable charger were all mugged by the trio of thugs. He was sitting on some steps in public view to avoid this from happening again, except it wasn’t like he had anything of value left to take.

He would need a plan going forward. Typically, in stories like this, he’d meet a heroine who helps him on his journey to heroism, but it had already been a couple of hours without such an event occurring. So he would need a plan to support his basic livelihood. A job? Theft? There were options to consider, at least. Standing himself up, he figured he’d gather more information on the town he had been summoned to. He began to wander some more, mulling over ideas in his head, when-

“Oi, outta the way, jackass!”

“Huh-?”

A larger beast-man had shoved him aside, causing him to stumble. The strength in the man’s arm was a lot more powerful than he could have imagined, and as a boy leaning more towards the skinny side, he could barely put up any resistance to the force that had been exerted on him. 

He stumbled into the street, and the first thing to greet his eyes was an enormous Ground Dragon pulling an extravagant carriage. His life flashed before his eyes, thoughts like “This is it already?” swirling in his head, but he quickly snapped back to reality and took the initiative to jump out of the way just in time. As he took a moment to catch his breath while lying in the street, a well-dressed young man with blonde hair leapt out of the carriage. Despite his somewhat sickly appearance, he seemed very lively. 

“Is everything alright out here?!?! What in Lugunica could have possibly happened to cause such an abrupt- AHHHH!!!”

The blonde man was quite loud, and his thunderous shout upon seeing the boy floored on the road was even louder.

“Did we almost hit you?!” He continued to shout. “My apologies!!! I suppose riding this fast down a busy road may lead to such consequences… I will scold my coachmaster at once!!! No- it was my doing!!! I am in quite a rush after all!!! A terrible incident has occurred, and my beloved requires my assistance- NO!!!! There is no excuse for what could have possibly been another terrible incident!!! 

To say that the blonde man was loud and obnoxious would have been an understatement to the boy. His face dusted red, and became a pout. The expression seemed as if it fit his face quite naturally, like he did it quite often.

“I mean… It’s not like I was hit or anything… It’s fine, or whatever-”

“-It is absolutely NOT fine!!!”

The boy’s attempt at diffusing the situation was only met by more worried shouts from the blonde man.

 “A prince, nearly running over a citizen of his kingdom? That absolutely cannot stand!!! There must be a way I can make it up to you!!!”

“I, uhm…”

The boy reached up to rub his ears. This man certainly was insistent.

“Maybe some pocket change would be nice… I am kinda hungry… Nonono that’d be a waste- I don’t know!! What can you do? Though it’s not like I’m pathetic enough to need anything-”

“Why, of course I can supply you with coins!!! Just one- Ah- Um- Oh-”

The blonde man patted himself down and then began to poke his head into the carriage before popping right back out with a dramatically apologetic look on his face.

“It appears I have forgotten to bring any currency in my rush… My apologies…”

“...Right.”

The blonde man began to think to himself. He really did wish to make this up to the boy. The boy had literally just met this man, but he could sense the amount of pride and care that came with him. He was likely the kind of person that would do anything he could for someone in need, if this situation wasn’t example enough. He seemed to care a little too much, actually. It likely came as an annoyance to those close to him, he imagined.

After a moment of pondering, the blonde man’s face lit up with an idea.

“I know what to do!!! You there!!”

He pointed towards a passerby with a notebook. They were likely checking off their shopping list whenever the blonde man shouted in their direction, causing them to point at themselves quizzically. Sensing their confusion, the blonde man nodded in affirmation, indicating that yes, he was talking to them.

“Yes!!! You!!! May I borrow a sheet of paper, please? Prince’s orders!!”

The passerby quickly nodded and scuttled up to the blonde man, handing him a sheet of their notebook. Upon receiving the paper and a pen, the blonde man began scribbling.

“Your name?”

“Eh?”

The blonde man was asking the boy for his name. He was inclined to give the supposed prince his real name, but something deep down stopped him from doing so. Maybe it was the urge to start a new life in this world, separate from his old one. Maybe he wished to be someone else, and maybe it was due to self-hatred. Whatever the reason…

“Sa..Saka… Sasaka? Sasaka. I’m Sasaka.” He stuttered, refusing eye contact.

“Just Sasaka?” The blonde man asked in return.

“Just Sasaka.”

“Sasaka” instantly regretted choosing such a dumb name. It was essentially jibberish. It barely even ran off the tongue well…

“Now that’s one I haven’t heard before!!” The blonde man said in response, chuckling to himself a bit. “Could it be that you’re not from around here? Your getup is rather unusual, after all… Regardless, I will be sure to remember that in case we meet again!! And to make things right…”

The man forced a piece of paper into Sasaka’s hands. It read something along the lines of “Should this young man, Sasaka, have a request for the royal family, whatever it may be, please make it come true!! Signed: Prince Fourier Lugunica.”

Sasaka stared at the name on the paper.

“Fourier… Lugunica… Ah- Uhm… Thanks…? I guess…”

“Why, of course!!” Fourier proudly replied.

Fourier then turned to hop back into the carriage. Once he had taken his seat once more, he looked towards Sasaka one last time.

“If you so much as have a request for the royal family, show them this letter, and if it’s possible, I will make sure whatever it is happens!!! Now then, I’m sorry to cut this scene short, but I must be off. See you around, Sasaka!!!”

And with that, Fourier rode off, leaving Sasaka with nothing but confusion and a piece of paper. That man, Fourier Lugunica, despite the short interaction and how irritated Sasaka had felt throughout the conversation, left an impression on him. He was charming yet dignified, and he seemed to wear a friendly smile despite the overwhelmingly sickly look in his eyes. It was an impression that Sasaka wouldn’t forget even if he had wanted to.

He decided he would hang on to the “letter.” It was probably best to save it and use it in the best possible scenario. In his mind, it was a special SSR-rank item… You’re meant to save those, not blow them immediately. Or at least that was his thought process.

Sasaka forced himself back to his feet and got out of the road so as not to cause any more traffic than he and Fourier had already caused. There were quite a few angry-looking coachmen on the now backed-up road that Sasaka definitely did not want to continue to irritate. 

The capital of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica was a vast city, one that Sasaka wasn’t sure he could ever get used to. He had been summoned to another world, pulled from his previous life. He had no friends, no home, and nothing but a piece of paper to his name. He wasn’t sure what the future had in store for him, but he was sure it wouldn’t be easy. All he could do was prepare himself for what was to come, whatever it was, as best he could. 

CHAPTER 1

A Colorless Life in Another World

Sasaka wiped his brow when he was done shoveling. He really underestimated how physically taxing this kind of work would be. He was a kid with a privileged upbringing after all. Someone with that sort of background would never see growth in physical strength without taking the initiative to exercise, and of course, he had never really thought to do so. Any attempt to do so in the past would never stick, and he’d end up quitting soon after he started. It was only now that he began to regret such a habit. 

He gazed at the now dirt-covered hole in the ground. The item that he had buried in question was the only possession he had to his name in this world, Fourier’s letter. Sasaka had originally tried to find a job and start working, but he was so soft and flimsy that few people were willing to take him on. The next thing he figured he’d do was try to use the letter to find himself a home and a job, but he didn’t want to live the equivalent of a 9-5, just in a fantasy setting. Besides, the letter was special. He didn’t want to use it immediately, especially when he could use it for some greater benefit down the line. 

With no money and nowhere to go, he had found himself in the slums. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but there weren’t many other options. 

“Now, I’d gladly buy somethin’ this valuable off ya, but are ya sure ya don’t wanna use it to get outta here? Ya could easily benefit from takin’ it to the castle and findin’ a place to stay.”

Such were the words of an old giant that he had met in a loot house. He was one of the first people Sasaka had met when he first arrived in the slums, and he felt lucky that the giant was as kind as he was, despite his threatening appearance. 

“If yer insistent on keeping it, why not at least try an’ hide it somewhere?”

And that is exactly what Sasaka had ended up doing. He hid the letter in a small wooden box and buried it in a shoddy corner where nobody would think to dig. In case of emergency, he let the trustworthy old giant in the loot house in on the location as well. It seemed like a good idea to have a failsafe. 

He continued to gaze at the spot where he had buried the letter. Maybe doing this was stupid. Maybe he should just dig it back up and find himself a place to stay, as the old giant had recommended. He almost reconsidered before he turned his back on the dig-site and began to leave. He wouldn’t do that. It was just too valuable. 

△▼△▼△▼△

Sasaka was getting tired of the sounds of the bustling streets. It had been about a month or two since he had been summoned to another world, and his life had only been a struggle since then.

“Only two? Kid, you’re never gonna get by on just two Appas…”

Sasaka scowled at the man's words. He had made his way to an appa stand, looking to buy fruits, not judgmental comments.

“This is all I can afford, you know?! Would you rather me steal them?!”

The appa salesman thought, peering deep into Sasaka’s defensive glare for a short second, before shaking his head. 

“You’re right, you’re right. You’re one of the better street rats out there.”

Sasaka turned his gaze away from the appa salesman and muttered to himself.

“For whatever that’s worth...”

The look on his face showed anything but gratitude for the salesman’s words. 

Things like bread and appas had become a rare treat for Sasaka these days. Many of the capital’s more quality foods he had found that he highly regarded, as they reminded him of his home world. Back then, Sasaka’s culinary preferences had always revolved around more sugary sweets like candies and pastries, but now things like appas were really the only thing keeping that craving of his satisfied. He could save up plenty of money from the odd jobs and favors he had taken part in to get these funds, but such sweet foods always leaned more towards the expensive side. He wouldn’t want to blow everything he had on a slice of cake just to spend the next few days with nothing at all.

He made his way down the street, making the trek back to his home in the slums. He had gotten decently familiar with the layout of Lugunica’s capital, but really only with what he saw on his main commute and some of the surrounding area. The capital was extremely large, and learning it all would take time. He had been figuring it out, however, as it’s not like he had much to do when he wasn’t doing jobs and favors for people. 

He would typically feel embarrassed walking around in public looking the way he was. His hair was disheveled, and he hadn’t bothered cleaning his clothes. Such a gross, homeless look would have made him feel incredibly shameful, but it was made somewhat easier by the significantly lower hygiene standards in a fantasy world. 

“Though I wouldn’t mind a daily shower or two.. Huh?”

Sasaka felt a gust of wind beside him, and suddenly his bag of appas felt a lot lighter. He turned his head to glance inside, and to his dismay, it was empty.

“Hey-?! Who the hell??!”

His attention was drawn to a group of 3 small-looking squirrel-humans cackling amongst themselves as they helped themselves to Sasaka’s appas.

“Excuse you?! Do y'all know how much I spent on those?!” He angrily yelled.

The 3 squirrel-humans didn’t seem to pay him any mind, only going on to laugh as they played with his appas.

“It’s your own fault that you had these babies so exposed, man! Of course someone was gonna take them, man!” The first squirrel-human chucked.

“I’m glad it was us, though, bud! I was craving an appa, bud!” The second followed up.

“Me too! Thanks, kid! You really helped us out, kid!” “The third laughed, already stuffing his face with appa. The first squirrel-human followed suit, leaving the 2nd one without anything to chew on.

“Hey, bud, how come I don’t get any? Share!!”

“Nuh-uh, kid!! Get your own appa!!”

Just before the second squirrel-human was about to attack the third, Sasaka’s balled-up paper bag hit him on the head. The 3 squirrel-humans turned to see Sasaka red in the face, looking like he was about to explode.

“Y'all three are always causing me trouble, aren’t you?! I’m getting sick of this shit! Can’t I just buy a meal and eat in peace?! Y'all are seriously pissing me off!!”

Sasaka’s outburst caused the three squirrel-humans to burst out laughing.

“Hey, man!!” The first squirrel-human giggled. “Don’t hate us just because we have more initiative than you, man!!”

“Yeah, kid! Who in their right mind pays for their food? You really are naive, kid! It’s kinda adorable!” The third squirrel-human called out while he ate, running away from the second, which was trying to take his appa. Sasaka’s attitude only soured more at the sight.

“Not everyone is willing to become a petty thief like y'all are! Some people have moral standards!”

“Those ‘moral standards’ are only gonna get you feeling hungrier and hungrier, man. Haha, you’re so lame, man!”

“For real, kid! Why don’t you try fighting for yourself? Or are you too much of a wimp, kid?”

Sasaka’s stiff stance loosened, as his face tinged redder.

“I- I can fight for myself… I just… Choose to play it safe, is all…”

The first squirrel-human raised an eyebrow. Sasaka’s words were anything but confident.

“Are you sure, man?”

“I’m perfectly sure!”

The first squirrel-human turned towards the third and motioned towards Sasaka. The third looked a bit disgruntled at the idea, but followed suit. He tossed the appa into Sasaka’s hands. This caused the second, more famished squirrel-human’s attention to be drawn towards him, and he jumped right at Sasaka’s face.

“Guh-!?!”

The first and second squirrel-humans began to cackle again as Sasaka was unable to defend himself and the half-eaten appa against the famished fury of the second squirrel-human.

△▼△▼△▼△

Sasaka returned to the slums with a sour look on his face and a rumbling stomach. He had lost a significant amount of weight since he had been summoned. He didn’t have a scale to check his exact weight, but he was certain he had already lost around 5 to 10 pounds. He was already considered scrawny before being summoned, but now he was beginning to look worse and worse. At least he was getting a lot more daily movement than he used to, but burning calories he didn’t have wasn’t exactly ideal. This was mostly because he could barely afford food and refused to resort to petty theft. With every passing day, he cursed himself for not having the initiative to stoop to such a level.

He touched his fingers to his face and winced as they ran across the scars accumulated from the earlier scuffle. That squirrel-human had certainly left a mark on him. He had come to discover that healing magic was indeed a thing in this world, but coming across someone who knew how to use it and was also willing to perform on a street rat wasn’t exactly common. With most wounds he sustained, he just had to put up with them. And with the life he had been leading recently, wounds like this were easy to gain.

His gaze then turned downwards, towards his hands. Despite being dirty and exhibiting some scratches, they were still sufficiently delicate. He had always prided himself on his soft fingers, constantly being complimented on them in his previous life on Earth. Seeing his hands begin to get banged up hurt his soul just a tad.

“...?”

He noticed someone else walking the same road as him, heading towards him, in the opposite direction. It was a man older than him, probably in his late thirties or early forties. Atop his head was messy, dirty-blonde hair, a ribbon tying it back into a ponytail, restraining it from messily waterfalling over his shoulders. The ribbon stood out to Sasaka as “girlish.” He recognized the man immediately. Throughout his time in the slums, he had become familiar with certain personalities, and this was one he wanted nothing to do with. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head, attempting to look invisible so that the man wouldn’t pay him any mind, but he soon realized that doing something like that only made him look more suspicious. Despite this, he stuck to his guns. His throat closed up as he and the man got closer and closer to one another, but to his relief, he and the man passed each other without a hitch. 

“Thank god…” Sasaka thought to himself.

Sasaka absolutely hated confrontation, so it was a big relief that he could avoid it this time. He had trouble dealing with this man in particular before, and after the ordeal with the squirrel-humans, he had no patience to tolerate any more annoyance in the moment. Once he was sure the man had completely passed him, he built his posture back to how it had been previously, before continuing to walk.

However-

“Sasaka, was it? Sasaka… Who? What did you say yer family name was?”

Sasaka froze. He should have known better than to take a sigh of relief before he was certain he was in the clear.

“It’s just Sasaka.” He muttered.

“Ehhh… So no family name, huh…? Though ya could just be hidin’ it from me. Not that I’d blame ya.”

“...”

The man slowly spun around on one foot, turning towards Sasaka, who had frozen in his tracks.

“Listen, boy. I’ve seen you around. I know what you get up to.”

The man slowly jaunted towards Sasaka, stopping once he reached his side, and then firmly planted his hand onto his shoulder. His grip was incredibly tight, completely constricting any movement Sasaka would have otherwise been capable of. Sasaka only stayed silent as he refused to take his eyes off the spot in the road he had found himself staring at.

“You’re dead meat, y’know that?” The man finally continued.

“…Is that all you have to say?” Sasaka inquired in return. “What, you just here to pick on someone? I’m not really in the mood for that.”

The man’s face grimaced at Sasaka’s reply.

“I’m not saying this without reason. Yer a big softie, and it bothers me. Ya act like you can get by in this place with morals. That’s not how this shit works. It’s kill or be killed. Refusing to fight for your own survival isn’t gonna get you anywhere.”

Sasaka stayed silent for a moment before he finally opened his mouth.

“I hear you. Are you done?”

“Am I done? Boy, are you listening?”

The man firmly grasped Sasaka’s other shoulder and spun him around so that they saw eye-to-eye. 

“I’m telling you, you’re dead. If not today, then eventually. There’s no room here for wimps like you. You ever wonder why you don’t ever see many kids like you around? Take a real good guess.”

Knitting his brows, the man peered deep into Sasaka’s eyes, awaiting a response. 

“I said that I hear you.” Sasaka snapped back, almost instantly. “And I’m also telling you to mind your own damn business!”

This caused the man to reel back somewhat. His eyebrows raised, and he gave Sasaka an unimpressed look. 

“Huh. That so?” He replied, scrutiny lacing his voice.

He went silent for a moment before tightly gripping Sasaka’s shoulders and throwing him against a nearby building, knocking over a pile of crates and rusty tools. The impact caused  Sasaka’s body to ache, and the dust and dirt that had been kicked up infiltrated his nostrils, causing his senses to go haywire.

He groaned as he attempted to force himself back up.

“The hell is your… Gah-!”

His voice was cut off by the man’s boot striking his forehead, slamming the back of his head against the wall.

“What about now? Are ya gonna fight back, pussy?”

Sasaka didn’t do that. He only grimaced and winced, as the boot pushed further and further into his head. The man sighed in response to the poor showing.

“I figured ya wouldn’t. Ya don’t show guts, kid. Ya may be tall, and ya may have a mean look in yer eye, but we can all tell you’re not gonna last long. When push comes to shove, you’ll be the first man to go. A slum-dweller who can’t even go out and nab an appa is as good as dead.”

Sasaka grit his teeth. He knew the man had a point, and it seriously bothered him. He grabbed the man’s ankles and desperately attempted to remove his boot from his head, but couldn’t get him to budge. He was just too weak.

“Soft hands, huh…?”

He removed his boot and squatted, forcibly taking one of Sasaka’s hands to inspect. Compared to his, which were tough and well worn, Sasaka’s were practically those of a newborn.

"That explains it.” The man said as he scratched his head. “Yer a privileged kid, huh? How else would someone around here have hands like these? What’s someone like you doing all the way out here? Yer mama abandon ya?”

“Like I said… Mind your own damn business…”

The man let out a “Tch” and released his grip on Sasaka’s arm, throwing it with some force. Sasaka’s entire body followed, which resulted in a mouthful of dirt.

“It’s only a matter of time until ya drop.” The man muttered as he stood himself up. “I look forward to seeing you dead in an alley someday.”

The man slowly turned to head off to wherever he was headed, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he laid eyes upon the much bigger man towering over him.

“Oi, Lil’ Faith…” The old giant called out. “I’d rather ya not rough people up outside my lil’ establishment here.”

The large old giant was one of the only people Sasaka had any faith in within the slums: the owner of the nearby loot-house, Rom.

“Lil’ Faith…?” Sasaka inquired, still attempting to rid his mouth of any remaining dirt.

Rom nodded in response to Sasaka’s voiced confusion. 

“Yeah, Faith. That’s the name of the jerk twistin’ yer feathers here.”

“I see…”

Faith’s face twisted at Rom’s arrival. He clearly wasn’t happy at his appearance here.

“I’m teachin’ this kid a little life lesson about living strong.” He spat, attempting to justify himself. “Stay out of it, gramps.”

“I hear what yer sayin’,” Rom began, “but it’s causing a ruckus… Why don’tcha go pick on someone else some other time? Or do I gotta teach ya yer own lil’ lesson?”

Faith was quiet for a moment before finally giving up, lowering his shoulders as he backed off.

“Whatever. Next time, kid.”

Sasaka and Rom stayed silent as Faith withdrew. Once he was nearly out of sight, Rom extended his large hand to Sasaka, who considered taking it for a brief moment before forcing himself upwards on his own.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Sasaka grumbled, avoiding eye contact.

“I hear ya. But I just don’t like it when Lil’ Faith starts doin’ this kinda thing to people.”

“So it’s not an uncommon occurrence, is it…” Sasaka murmured as he dusted himself off. “Faith, was it? What a girly-sounding name for such a gruff-looking guy…”

“He’s got his reasons for bein’ the way he is.” Rom explained, as he rubbed his bald head. “Try not ta’ pay him any mind, lest you want him to start harassin’ you again.”

“Right…”

Rom took a good look at Sasaka, scanning him up and down before letting out a sigh. He was a mess. His clothes were dirty, his hair was tangled and lined with dirt, and his face was scratched and bruised due to the happenings of the day. 

“I’d feel bad leavin’ ya like this… I don’t have food for ya, but I can get ya a lil’ somethin’ to drink. Come on now.”

△▼△▼△▼△

Sasaka took a big gulp of the milk Rom had offered him. It wasn’t food, but it was better than water. He was at least getting some calories in him. It was ironic, he thought to himself. Back on Earth, Sasaka would constantly stress himself about limiting his calorie intake. He prided himself on his slim delicacy, yet here he was actively wishing to consume more.

“Not that I was gonna offer any, but do ya drink at all?” Rom asked.

Sasaka set down his glass and wiped his mouth with his dirty sleeve.

“Nah, not really… I think it’s gross.”

“Gross, huh? That’s not an answer ya hear round’ here often.”

“I think alcohol is bitter… Why would I wanna drink that…? Especially when you put it in something sweet like a piña colada, it just makes it taste worse, less sweet.”

As Sasaka explained his disdain for alcohol, Rom brought his massive hand to his head and began to scratch it in thought. 

“Can’t say I know what a ‘peena colada’ is, but I think I understand whatcha mean. Different people got different tastes.”

Sasaka furrowed his brow.

“And some people also have different moral standards… Some people need to get that through their heads…”

Rom continued to scratch his bald head.

“I understand why yer upset, and I understand where yer coming from, but Lil’ Faith does have a point.”

Sasaka frowned and looked up to meet the old giant’s eyes. He was baffled by the response he had just heard. Was he siding with him?

“What, you’re agreeing with him now?!”

Rom raised his hand in defense to dispel Sasaka’s outburst.

“All I’m sayin’ is that you got ta’ make tough decisions if ya wanna survive out here. Nobody likes bein’ in poverty, but sometimes ya need ta do what ya need ta do to survive.”

Sasaka slumped in his seat with a small pout. He knew Rom was right, but saying that he wanted him to be would be a lie. In a perfect world, Sasaka would get by in life without having to bother committing morally dubious acts, but no matter how intensely he attempted to deny the fact, he knew it to be true.

Rom sighed heavily upon seeing Sasaka’s dejected demeanor. He knew the sort of angle Sasaka was coming from, and he figured that it made sense considering the background his physical traits pointed towards.

“I don’t think that stealin’ from people is morally correct. But if yer starving, ya might have to go against yer own morals occasionally. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

Sasaka continued his prolonged silence, occasionally taking a sip of the milk that he had been provided. Once he had gotten all the liquid down, he set the glass against the table and began to drape his dirty cardigan back over his shoulders.

“Thanks for the drink. I’ll think about it, but I’m not happy about it.”

“That’s fine. I don’t expect ya to be.”

Still with his moody demeanor, Sasaka pushed his seat away from the bar and set his feet against the floor. He pushed his seat back in before turning to the loot house’s exit. He began to make his way out, but before he reached out to grip the door handle, Rom called out to him.

“Oi, Sasaka?”

Sasaka stopped, his hands lightly gripping the door handle.

“Whatever ya do, try not to get yerself killed.”

Those words caused him to tighten his grip. His jaw also tightened, those words sinking deeper into his soul like a dagger. His life was very much in peril, and Rom recognized that. He knew that with every coming day he risked death, and his outlook and moral high ground would only bring him closer to it. He let out a short breath.

“I’ll try.” He muttered before finally opening the door and exiting the building.

△▼△▼△▼△

No matter how he was feeling on any particular evening, the capital's skyline was always beautiful. If he was feeling down, content, angry, or upset, it never altered or diminished the beauty before him. It was ironic in a way. He had grown to despise this city. Its cold streets, its harsh attitude, it all left a horrible taste in his mouth. But whenever he laid eyes on the skyline as the orange afternoon light painted over the city, he didn’t seem to think of those things.

Sasaka had perched himself onto a roof belonging to one of the taller buildings in the slums. Most afternoons, he would just come here to think. What he thought about varied, but typically he would think of his old home. Not his poorly kept shack in the slums, no, his home from Earth. The one with his family. The town with his friends. The life he had left behind. 

He always wondered what exactly these people had thought of his disappearance. 

“They probably all think I just went and killed myself, huh…?”

There really was no other conclusion he could come to. It wasn’t like he had been known for expressing suicidal tendencies back then, but maybe it was obvious that he wasn’t exactly confident in his own livelihood. He was failing high school and had no plans for college or beyond. He was essentially just drifting by. His parents probably recognized that. His friends had also probably recognized that. He wasn’t the type to run away from home or anything, so the conclusion they must have come to was that he killed himself.

Such thoughts left a sickening feeling in his stomach. Imagining his friends and family grieving his own loss, and imagining a particular girl with pink hair doing so… It wasn’t something he wanted to continue thinking about.

“…”

A gust of cold wind blew past him, ruffling his hair, causing his bangs to tickle his face. He had never thought that he would come to miss the heat of his hometown. He missed everything from his hometown. He missed his family, his friends…

“…I’ve probably completely ruined their lives, huh…?”

They would have to live with his loss. He and his friends were just about to graduate from high school; such a time in their lives was bound to be full of excitement and hope for the future. But having to endure the tragedy of your close friend disappearing during that time in their lives must have been both devastating and incredibly frustrating for them. They were probably mad at him, weren’t they? Mad at him for ruining the most hopeful year of their lives. Mad at him for exhibiting no drive to latch onto that hopefulness. Mad at him for taking the easy way out, at least from their perspectives. Mad at him for being so weak. 

“……”

The wind began to pick up even more as Sasaka hung his head and bit his lip.

His friends were left alone. He was left alone. It must have felt like he was abandoning them, but to him, it felt like he was being abandoned himself. Abandoned and left in this horrible, cold world, where nobody was willing to be his friend. This world that robbed him of his life. Thinking about things this way, the capital’s orange skyline suddenly looked much less comforting, and incredibly colorless.

△▼△▼△▼△

He had grown to be even more bothered by the loud noises of the daytime capital than he had been the day before. Yet here he was again, mindlessly wandering the streets to pass the time. He was hungry. His stomach felt like a bottomless void. That perpetual feeling of hunger had really begun to eat away at him as of late. His way of dealing with such an issue was to either sleep or distract himself by walking and thinking about pointless things, but even those activities had become more difficult as his hunger grew. 

“Hehe, stop it!!”

“What’s the issue? You know, I think you’re just the cutest…”

“Geez, Nolan…”

His thoughts were interrupted by the obnoxious sound of an overly flirtatious couple. He clicked his tongue in annoyance once he turned his head and laid eyes upon them.

“These kinds of people should just shut up and get a room. If I’m ever caught acting like that with someone… Eh…?”

His attention was drawn not to the couple, but to the plate at their table. They were on what seemed to be a cafe date, and on their shared plate was a half-eaten stack of golden-brown fluffy pancakes, drizzled with syrup, topped with cream, and what appeared to be a strawberry. Sasaka felt his mouth water at the sight. 

It had been ages since he had eaten a pancake. If you had asked him what his favorite food was back on Earth, he would not have hesitated to tell you it was a plate of pancakes. That fluffy, sweet, homey delicacy was perfect to him in every way. Finding out that they had existed in this world was quite the relief, but of course, he wasn’t in a position to get any.

“If I come to find out those two idiots waste that food, I’m haunting them after I die.”

He turned to continue walking, shoving his hands in his pockets. Though now, the sight of those pancakes left him feeling much hungrier than he had before. He instinctively brought his hand to his empty and churning stomach. When would he be free of this feeling? 

“Ya don’t show guts, kid. Ya may be tall, and ya may have a mean look in yer eye, but we can all tell you’re not gonna last long. When push comes to shove, you’ll be the first man to go. A slum-dweller who can’t even go out and nab an appa is as good as dead.”

Those gruff words rang loud in his head. Maybe they had a point. Some ways down the street he had been walking, Sasaka spotted a small bread stand. It was a simple little shop run by a cute young woman who seemed happy to sell her product. Just looking at her face gave the impression that the goods were baked with love and care. Sasaka didn’t want to steal, but if he had to, her little bread stand seemed like a much easier target than the other ones run by more fit-looking men. 

The strong sense of hunger encompassing his body sang to him like a devil on his shoulder. He didn’t necessarily want to do this. But he knew he couldn’t put up with this feeling for much longer. He let out a nervous sigh and attempted to steel himself as best he could. 

How he would even approach this stumped him. Should he try to cause a distraction? Maybe be quick about it? Or maybe he should try to be as smooth and slick as possible. After racking his brain for possibilities, he eventually concluded that slickness would be the best play. 

He shoved his hands back into his pockets and waited until the woman operating the bread stand was occupied talking to a buyer. As soon as she had done so, he took his chance and walked by the stand, quickly reaching out to snag a single loaf of bread. To his surprise, he was able to snag and pocket it without a hitch. He let out a short sigh of relief. He had gotten himself worked up over nothing. That was easy. He was about to head off into a nearby alleyway to feast on his newly acquired loot, when-

“Hey. Stealin’ shit’s not cool, y’know.”

A tight grip was exerted on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He had mentally celebrated a bit too soon.

“Especially from Miss Eliza.”

Sasaka felt a cold sweat run down his brow. He turned around slightly to get a better look at the man who had stopped him, and it only caused him to sweat even more. He was a large man with an even larger stature. He looked as if he could snap Sasaka in half, incredibly easily.

Sasaka’s lip shook as he attempted to speak, yet no words came to him.

“Oi, got nothin’ to say? I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you didn’t know, but Miss Eliza is always bein’ picked on by thugs like you. She looks like an easy target. Bet that’s what you were thinkin’, huh? You’re not the only dork who’s come along and tried to pull the wool over her eyes.”

Sasaka felt his heart drop. He had been read like a book.

“I’ll tell you what. Just return what you stole, and I’ll let you go.”

Sasaka knew that complying and returning the loaf was the smart choice in this scenario. His brain was screaming at him to just do so, but the pit in his stomach was screaming even louder. He reached into his pocket to remove the bread, but once he had begun doing so, he noticed that the man’s grip on his shoulder began to relax slightly. He was a man of his word.

This gave him an idea.

The moment he felt the man’s grip loosen, Sasaka swiftly attempted to move and get away, but the large man just grabbed his collar to prevent him from escaping. He let out a scoff and forcefully took the bread from his hands, tossing it back to Eliza.

“I tried to warn ya, kiddo.”

Sasaka could barely register what was happening before the man spun him around and punched him in the face, sending him spiraling to the ground with a heavy thud. If that were the end of things, he wouldn’t have minded. But the people in the surrounding area seemed to be huge fans of Eliza. This was likely why many of them had approached and joined in the man’s abuse.

“That’s what you get, scoundrel!”

Kick.

“This’ll teach ya’!”

Kick.

“Rat!”

Kick.

“Punk!”

Kick.

“Leave Miss Eliza alone!”

Kick.

The people’s shouts rang in Sasaka’s ear as they stomped and kicked him. His head was a buzz. Just his luck this would happen. Of course it did.

Thwack.

Stomp.

Thwack.

Stomp.

This place, this town, this kingdom, it was cruel. If you weren’t lucky enough to be given a chance to make a name for yourself, if you weren’t lucky enough to be born into a family with a fancy name, you were dealt an unlucky hand. You were a rat. Everyone looked down upon you for just trying to survive.

“What did I do to deserve this…?” Sasaka thought to himself, marinating in his own self-pity as pain assaulted him from every inch of his body.

“Everyone, stop it!!”

The people kicking Sasaka all halted when they heard a shrill voice cut across the streets. They turned, and to their surprise, it was Eliza, a worried look painted across her face.

“Stop hurting him! I never asked any of you to do that for me!”

The shoulders of the men kicking Sasaka all seemed to sink simultaneously.

“But, Miss Eliza, he…”

“Stole from me? He’s just trying to survive! Of course, this bread is how I make my revenue, but I’d never want to let a poor kid starve! Just let him go already!”

The men stepped away, expressions of confusion and guilt plastered onto their faces. From the ground, Sasaka weakly looked over towards Eliza, who had moved over to kneel in front of him.

“Are you okay…?”

His face dusted pink slightly as he turned away to avoid eye contact.

“What’s it to you…?” He grumbled.

Eliza’s face faltered for a moment, but she then put on a small, sweet smile, one that would melt the heart of anyone who came across it.

“Are you hungry?”

“Huh…?”

She extended her hand, and in it was the piece of bread Sasaka had tried to take earlier. 

“Hey, Miss Eliza! You can’t go and give him tha-“

“Hush, you!!”

The man shut up as soon as Eliza ordered him to. She turned back towards Sasaka and held out the bread. For a brief moment, Sasaka couldn’t process this act of kindness. Why would someone like her stick her neck out for him? He almost felt insulted. But deep down, he knew that feeling insulted over this was a spit in the face to Eliza, the kind girl who was just trying to help a boy in need. He knew it was an unfair way to feel, but it didn’t stop him from feeling it.

“Keep it.” He mumbled as he forced himself up to his feet.

Eliza’s face fell as he did so, causing one of the men to tense his fists and call out to Sasaka.

“Hey, don’t be an idiot. Can’t you see that she’s literally offering you this for free?”

Sasaka’s eyes snapped towards the man. He felt his head begin to boil with hatred. The very same man who was beating him up for taking the bread was now judging him for not doing so. Granted, the circumstances from earlier had changed, but it didn’t really change his outlook. Or maybe he was just bitter about getting beaten.

“I don’t want your pity.” Sasaka spat as he continued to glare. “Just fucking keep it…”

Sasaka’s words were laced with venom as he spoke. Once he was done, he pushed past the man and moved to exit the scene, having gained nothing but embarrassment and bruises. That girl, Eliza, must have been loved by the residents of this district. The way they supported her, and the way she responded, it gave a sense of familiarity. They must be lucky. To be able to find such a thing in this world, they really must be lucky.

△▼△▼△▼△

“I’m such an idiot…”

The previous encounter had left Sasaka embarrassed. He knew that how he acted was incredibly petty. Refusing to take the food he absolutely needed just because he was irritated and throwing a mental fit was nothing short of stupid. 

He touched his hand to his stomach. He seriously regretted his decision back there. IF he thought he felt hungry before, he was incredibly famished now. How long would he even be able to hold out like this?  Maybe he should start hunting rats for food. Could he even catch a rat? Rats in this city probably carried diseases that would kill him instantly, so that was probably a terrible idea. Maybe he should just continue hoping and praying that food would just fall from the sky…

“Heads up!”

“Eh?”

His prayers were answered? His attention was drawn to an appa soaring towards him. He instinctively reached up to catch it, but ended up fumbling around before finally securing it right before it hit the ground.

“You’re a lousy catch, huh? No biggie. Next time I’ll try and remember that.”

Sasaka was completely lost. Who was this? Why did he throw him an appa?

“Hm? Whatcha looking at me like that for? Is my shirt on backwards?”

The stranger fumbled around with his clothing just to make sure, but then looked up with a silly grin on his face.

“Oh, right, it’s a button-up. I would have known if it were on backwards, huh? Oops.”

Sasaka already thought this guy had a charm to him, but he wasn’t about to admit that out loud. Instead, he shot the guy a look.

“Who the hell are you? I was fine, y’know. I don’t need your pity.”

The guy’s goofy grin faltered.

“You sure? You’re not looking so hot if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you…”

The guy scratched at his goatee in response to Sasaka’s jab.

“Yeesh… Talk about attitude. No biggie though. Probably just hangry.”

The guy plopped down right beside him, removing another appa from his satchel, and began to munch on it.

“Names Clyde. You?”

He spoke with his mouth full of appa. Sasaka found it somewhat bothersome, but he tried not to focus on it. Though he did shield himself by wrapping himself tighter in his cardigan in case of flying food particles.

“Sasaka.”

“Sas… Sahh.. Sasasaka? Sasa? Sasaka?” Clyde frowned as he attempted to speak out Sasaka’s name. “That’s hard to say… It feels like I’m stuttering!”

“You are stuttering.”

Clyde grunted his throat and began muttering Sasaka’s “name” on repeat, trying to get the hang of saying it smoothly. Sasaka turned the other way, an embarrassed blush on his face.

“I didn’t think it was THAT hard to say…” He thought.

If it were up to him, he really would have chosen a more sensical name. 

He looked down at the appa in his hands and turned it around as he examined the quality. 

“Are you sure you wanna give me this…?”

Clyde popped out of his own little mental bubble with a “huh?”

“Oh, um, yeah!” He exclaimed with a grin on his face. “I wasn’t gonna eat it. And besides, there’s plenty to go around. I was actually planning on taking these back to the guys.”

“The guys?”

“The guys. What, do you not have guys of your own?”

Sasaka snapped his head away with a huff.

“I-I don’t need them. That’s all…”

“You don’t need them?” Clyde asked, looking confused. “So you have them, but you just don’t wanna hang?”

This caused Sasaka to redden even further, and he snapped back to Clyde, his defensive nature continuing to falter.

“Wh-Who asked you?! Why does it matter anyway?! Yeah, yeah, I have friends, I have guys, I just don't-”

“Ah, so you’re the lone wolf type… Haha, or maybe something like a cub would be more fitting?”

Sasaka’s shoulders slumped as his face fell into a deadpan.

“A cub?”

“Oh, um, gulp. So really? Nobody?”

Sasaka let out an irritated sigh and said nothing.

“I guess I should have been able to tell. Ideally, you shouldn’t go out without a partner or two who'll have your back in a pinch. But they also might pinch some of your haul if you’re not paying attention… Sounds like a double-edged sword when you put it like that, doesn’t it?”

“I mean, I suppose that makes sense…” Sasaka muttered in response to Clyde’s suggestion.

“Yeah, you see? You should really consider making some friends, then.”

Sasaka’s face fell a little at the mention of the word “friends.” Clyde seemed to notice, causing him to frown a little.

“What’s with the sad face? Sore subject? I thought you said you had friends?”

Sasaka’s face flushed red once more. He couldn’t just admit to being completely alone and helpless here; his pride was too stubborn to do such a thing.

“No?!  It’s fine!! I have friends!!”

Clyde frowned some more at Sasaka’s outburst.

“Really? Where were they during all that, then?”

“Er… In another… World…?”

“…”

The following silence lingered for just a moment too long.

“Hey, why don't you join my guild?” Clyde spoke, breaking the silence.

“Don’t just ignore me?!” Sasaka shouted. “B-But.. Go on…?”

“I mean, more the merrier, don't you think? I don't think the chief would mind, as long as you were serious about pitching in.”

“That sounds like a lot of pressure…”

“No good?” Clyde inquired, taking another bite of his appa.

“N-no, it's fine!!” Sasaka exclaimed as his face faltered. “I'm fine. It's fine. I can pitch in. Don't worry. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m capable.”

Clyde shot him a curious look, as Sasaka considered the possibility.

“But… What does that even entail…? Pitching in…”

“Depends on who you are and what your skillset is. What can you do?”

Sasaka pondered for a second. That was a pretty vague question, all things considered.

“I- I can do plenty… Whatever you’d need me to do, I could probably do just fine…”

He figured it best to give a vague answer in response to the vague question. Clyde only frowned.

“I just saw you get your ass handed to you like, twenty minutes ago… Can we really rely on you in a fight?”

“If you're so doubtful of me, why invite me?! Is it pity?!”

“What's wrong with some pity?” Clyde reached up to fiddle with his goatee as he spoke. “I don't really think I want to see you starve, ya know? Pity isn’t always bad.”

“Tch…”

“Cmon. We can figure something out! I'll take you to the chief, and maybe he can hook ya up with us?”

Sasaka fell silent. He had an annoying sense of self-pride and a wish to defend himself so as not to look weak, and he hated pity much more than most things in this world. But he knew that he needed to find some way to stay afloat. If swallowing his pride and relying on the help of a guild was what he had to do, then…

“…fine. I'd rather not starve, after all…”

With that, Clyde clapped his hands and sprang to his feet.

“Aye, that's the spirit!! Cmon then. I'll take you there. The gang is usually cooped up at Nessa’s.”

The name that escaped through Clyde’s mouth caused Sasaka to stiffen, his face losing the red coloring it had previously been painted with.

“Nessa’s…?” He shakily exhaled.

Sasaka’s reaction caused Clyde to stop and raise an eyebrow. That wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

“Er, yeah. You’ve been around the slums, haven't you? It's a pretty popular spot.”

Sasaka swallowed and stammered a little.

“Y-yeah… Right… I know it…”

On the outside, Sasaka remained what he thought to be relaxed. But on the inside…

“Nessa’s?! That place is way too scary! That’s where all the tough-looking people who could fold me inside-out go?! He wants me to go there?!?! No way in hell!! No!! There is no way I’m EVER stepping foot into that tavern!!!”

“Y-yeah… Let’s go…” Sasaka mumbled.

Clyde clapped once again.

“There we go! Let’s get going right now, yeah?”

Sasaka nodded timidly, trying his best to look confident.

“Y-yeah…”

He pushed himself up and began to follow Clyde’s upbeat march. He went to take a bite of the appa Clyde had tossed him earlier, but he stopped at the sight of it.

“Hey... This apple is all bruised…”

“Haha, sorry! I wanted all the healthy-looking ones for myself…”

“I-! T-tch… Whatever…”

△▼△▼△▼△

“This is the place!”

“I knew that…”

They had arrived at “Nessa’s.” Sasaka had passed by this place plenty of times before, but he never dared to step inside. The outside of the building was trashy and run-down, but it also gave the vibe of a well-used establishment. On top of that, the types of crowds Sasaka had seen entering this place were not the kinds he found himself wanting to be around. Just being near this place made him feel a bit uneasy. Clyde had seemed to notice, because Sasaka felt a firm pat upon his back, causing him to stumble a little.

“I know it probably looks pretty intimidating to a rookie, but it's really not that bad of a place!” Clyde said, attempting to reassure him. “Cmon. You’ll see.”

Sasaka gulped. He didn’t believe a word Clyde was saying. Clyde struck him as the kind of outgoing person who could get along with anyone, which was the polar opposite of Sasaka. He was someone who found it difficult to get along with most people he met.

Chuckling at Sasaka’s visible uneasiness, Clyde finally pushed the doors open, stepping inside. Sasaka took a deep breath and followed. As soon as he entered, he was hit by the strong smell of alcohol and smoke. You could occasionally hear the loud chatter from outside, but stepping in painted an even rowdier picture than Sasaka had initially imagined. People yelling, drinking, eating with their mouths open, fighting- all kinds of things you’d expect to see in a place like this. 

As they walked further in, Sasaka hung his head in an attempt to go unnoticed. This was one of the last types of places he’d ever want to step into. This just was not his kind of crowd.

“Yo, Clyde!!”

“Hey!”

“How ya been, bro?”

“Ya got stuff for us?”

“You find a lady yet?”

Peeking up through his bangs, Sasaka noticed that many people seemed to recognize Clyde.

“I guess people as outgoing as him have lots of friends… Just go ahead and rub it in my face now, huh?”

Clyde rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle at the many people’s words. He seemed to have a pretty positive reception among the people here. Despite Sasaka’s petty wallowing, he had to admit that it was good proof of Clyde’s character. Not that Sasaka had seriously thought this was the case, but the theory that Clyde was duping him had lowered a tad.

“Geez, guys, leave me be!” Clyde chucked as he made his way towards a particular table. “I have important business to take care of!”

“Always up to some ‘business,’ aren’t ya?” One of his friends laughed in return.

“Who’s the runt?” Another asked.

Sasaka’s gaze shot right up to glare at the guy who had called him “runt,” getting red in the face as he did so. 

“I’m not a runt, asshole! I’m taller than you! Are you blind?!”

The drinker Sasaka snapped at only roared with laughter at Sasaka’s outburst. 

“Haha, maybe so, but your arms aren't as thick as mine!”

Sasaka grit his teeth. 

“You’re just jealous that my arms and fingers are way more delicate and pretty than yours, aren’t you?” Sasaka proudly proclaimed, puffing his chest and waving his hand. “Heh. I bet. Sorry, but I’m pretty sure it’s hereditary. Good luck living up to me, though. I must be the peak of male delicacy in this world.”

He swung his head to face away from the man with a huff as he finished speaking. The man felt somewhat put off by Sasaka, so he just turned back to his drink.

“Don’t pride yourself on the wrong things, kid. ‘Delicate arms’ are seen as real lame around here, especially for a man.”

As Sasaka felt his defense shatter at the man’s comment, he balled his fists in offense while his simultaneous blush and scowl grew stronger. Seeing this, Clyde laughed and patted his shoulder.

“Don't let them bother ya, Sasawaka! You're probably gonna be working with them in the future!”

Sasaka’s shoulders slumped. He gave up on trying to fight back. 

“I… Whatever…”

Clyde pushed him further into the bar, eventually stopping at a round table with people he seemed to recognize. He unhooked his satchel filled with the appas Sasaka had seen earlier, and tossed it onto the table.

“Oi, Clyde! Don't throw them?! You’ll gettem bruised, dumbass!!” One of the men at the table exclaimed.

“They’re already bruised.” Clyde shot back. “I picked all the good ones for myself.”

“Are ya serious?!” Another shouted. “We want good appas too!”

“You get what you get!!” Clyde retorted. “Don't complain! You’re the ones who didn’t come with me.”

One of Clyde’s friends didn’t seem too pleased at all. He balled his fists and shot up from his seat.

“I’ll clobber ya!”

“Whoa!?” Sasaka exclaimed, as he stumbled back.

Clyde had swiftly stepped in front of him and removed a thin club from his hip. It resembled a baseball bat, but couldn’t possibly be the same thing. Sasaka had no clue whether baseball existed in this world, but was certain it didn’t. Chances were either Clyde had made this custom for himself, or that bats just served an offensive purpose in this world. Wasn’t like this was the forefront thought on Sasaka’s mind, however, as he was more concerned about how Clyde had just hit his friend across the head and knocked him clean out.

“He’s so rowdy, huh?” Clyde hooked his bat back onto his hip. “Gets worked up over the smallest thing. You’ll get used to him.”

“Uh-huh… Right…”

Scarily, nobody seemed to bat an eye at this event. That was a scary sign in Sasaka’s mind. Random acts of violence probably weren’t too out of place in a setting like this… If that hadn’t garnered much attention, he was terrified at the idea of what would.

“Lookiesee here! Ain’t yew a beaut’?”

“GWAH?!”

Latched onto Sasaka’s arm was a frail old woman. 

“My, my…” She cooed. “It’s not often you see youngin’s so delicate round’ here, kekeke…”

Sasaka’s face went pale as he frantically pulled his arm away from her.

“Who the hell are you?! Personal bubble?!”

“Glinda!” Clyde exclaimed, pulling her off of Sasaka’s arm. “You can’t go around sexually harassing people you just met!”

“Deary me… Clyde yelled at me again…”

“And I’ll continue to! Beat it!”

“Oh, all right…” The old Glinda spoke, as she began to scuttle off. “See you around, cutie…~.”

Sasaka felt his heart drop at the nickname.

“That wasn’t towards me, was it…?”

“It certainly was. You’ll get used to her, too.”

“I’m not sure I wanna get used to any of these people?!”

Clyde scratched his cheek and looked away.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you stay vigilant… Anyway, the chief is right over there.”

Clyde gestured towards the back of the bar with his chin. Sasaka followed his gaze and muttered to himself.

“I hope this guy isn’t another work of…”

Upon seeing the “Chief,” his heart sank. He was a familiar-looking man, sitting at the bar, hunkered over his drink. He’d recognize that ribbon from a mile away. It looked as if he had been drinking for a while, given the multiple empty mugs surrounding him.

“Clyde? Man, what the hell is it?” The chief sluggishly groaned. “I’m busy drinkin’ my sorrows away.”

“I just wanted to talk about letting my new buddy into the party?” Clyde said as he leaned onto the bar beside him. “There’s room, yeah?”

The Chief shot Clyde an annoyed look. 

“You’re always bringin’ new chumps to me… This one better be… Hah?”

The Chief looked towards Sasaka, and an awkward silence commenced upon eye contact. Sasaka’s jaw stiffened, along with all of his posture, and the Chief’s gaze turned slightly sharper. Clyde stood to the side and noticed the shifts in both of their demeanors, causing his carefree smile to drop into a more confused frown.

“Wha…? Have you two met…?”

“We sure have…” The Chief grumbled.

The ‘Chief’ was the last person Sasaka wanted to see. The man in front of him, ‘Lil’ Faith,” as Rom called him, was not at all a sight for sore eyes.

“Oi, Clyde… The hell is this…? Bringing runts like him into our tavern?! What happened to shame?! He's gonna make us all look bad!!”

“Runt?!” Sasaka exclaimed. “Is that what everyone calls me around here?!”

Clyde seemed to be pretty surprised that Sasaka and Faith knew one another, but not too shocked that it wasn’t in a positive way. He leaned against the counter and waved his hand, trying to clear the tension.

“Chief, don’t be too hard on Sasakaka here! He’s trying his best.”

“It’s Sasaka.”

“Sasasaka?”

Faith slammed his drink down on the counter. He didn’t look like he was in the mood for this kinda talk, let alone one involving Sasaka.

“This is ridiculous, Clyde… Just hurry up and get him out of here.”

“But chief!!”

“I said get him out!! His ugly mug is sourin’ my drink here!”

This was enough to rile Sasaka up. Stepped forward, red in the face, about to explode.

“Excuse you?! Who the hell do you think you are?! What gives you the right to-”

Sasaka attempted to grab Faith’s shoulder and spin him around to face him, but he couldn’t get him to budge. Instead, Faith slowly turned himself, causing Sasaka to instinctively step backwards, going slightly pale. 

“You heard me.” He threatened. “Get.”

Sasaka wanted to continue shouting, but he figured that this was a lost cause. Besides, he didn’t want to end up getting kicked around again. After a moment of silence, he just shoved his hands into his pockets as he backed off.

“Ahaha… I’m sorry, Sasaki.” Clyde stammered, attempting to cut through the tension. “I’m sure we can find you another guild, yeah? I have connections! Just-”

“Whatever. Don’t bother.” Said Sasaka, attempting to make his way out of the tavern. “I don’t need to be a part of his shitty guild, or any. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh?”

The coldness of Faith’s voice brought Sasaka to a complete stop. 

“Sasasa…” Clyde muttered as Faith fully spun his chair around to face Sasaka.

“You wanna repeat that?”

A cold sweat ran down Sasaka’s neck. He must have struck a nerve. 

“Shitty guild, was it? My guild? Need I remind ya who kicked the shit outta you yesterday?” Faith continued.

Sasaka stayed silent.

“Nothin to say, huh…” Faith murmured.

He pondered for a moment before his gaze locked onto Clyde.

“Hey.” He called out to some other guild members sitting beside him. “Hold him down.”

The two men quickly got up from their seats and restrained Clyde from behind, locking his arms. In response, Clyde laughed, though he seemed to wince in pain at the force.

“Easy on the arms! I just got that one tatted!”

Ignoring Clyde’s quip, Faith motioned to Sasaka. Sasaka wasn’t expecting this to happen. Initially, Sasaka had suspected that Faith had taken offense to his jab at the guild, but it seemed more likely, given the events that just transpired, that this was just a matter of pride.

“You want in my guild, don’t you, boy?”

Sasaka stammered in response.

“Hk-... I said I-”

“Yeah, no, I’m not buying it. You wouldn’t come all this way if ya didn’t. Listen, yer not gonna last without people to call your own, boy. Don’t lie to me. Hell, don’t lie to yourself. You came here because you want to be supported, yeah? So here’s your test. Pass, and I’ll consider letting you in.”

“I… Huh?”

A confused look painted over Sasaka’s face as Faith reached for his belt and unhooked a sheathed knife. He tossed it to Sasaka, who clumsily caught it. 

“Stab him.”

“What?!”

Sasaka hadn’t wanted things to turn this way. There was no way he could stab anyone, let alone someone like Clyde, who offered him a helping hand. This had to be a joke. He looked up at Faith with an uncertain glare.

“Are ya deaf? Ya heard me. Stab him.”

“Th- That’s ridiculous…”

Faith leaned back against the bar and crossed his arms.

“From what I can see, ya don't have guts, boy. Yer soft. A wuss. So doing this is gonna prove that ya ain't. So go on. Stab him.”

Clyde slumped in the arms of the thugs holding him, who themselves had an unreadable expression.

“Chief?” He called out. “Is this really necessary? It’s been a long day y’know… I was just hoping to kick back, relax and-”

“Zip it, Clyde!” Faith shot back. “Boy, you'd better man up and get on with it!”

Sasaka stared down at the knife in his hands. Shaking, he slowly unsheathed it, revealing its blade. It looked as if it was used often, but not dull in the slightest, as if Faith had been on top of sharpening it. This blade had probably stabbed before. Maybe even taken multiple lives. Having such an item in his hands made Sasaka feel sick.

“This is fucked… I can’t do this…” He thought to himself.

Looking up at Clyde, he couldn’t get a read on his expression. Granted, he was probably too stressed to get a proper read on anyone in the moment. He breathed heavily. He couldn’t stop shaking. Was he really about to do this? Was he really about to take a life? Was he going to do this to ensure his own stability? Is this really what his life had come to?

Gripping the handle of the knife, Sasaka approached Clyde, though his body screamed not to. He steeled himself to do it. In his mind, he repeatedly began to tell himself that he would. He would do it.

He would do it.

He would do it.

He would do it.

He could do it, right?

“Boy!!” He heard Faith shout.

“Sasaker!!! Take your time, man!” He heard Clyde exclaim.

Sasaka shook. He squeezed the handle within his hands. He grit his teeth. This was for his own well-being. This was for his future. This was so he could live on a full stomach. He was so hungry, even now. That feeling of starvation deep within his gut screamed at him, despite the situation. It was so loud. So, so loud.

He would do it.

He would stab this man, and possibly take his life.

He would do it.

He would do it.

He would do it.

“...”

He couldn’t do it.

In a fit of frustration, he grit his teeth and plunged the knife into the countertop. He glared up at Faith, his breath shaky and a hateful glare in his eye.

“You’re sick, y’know that…?”

Faith said nothing.

“Making someone stab their own ally?! How twisted can you be?!” Sasaka continued. “Is this how you operate around here?! This isn’t camaraderie!?”

“The hell does a kid like you know about camaraderie?” Faith inquired, sharpening his gaze.

“I know comrades don't kill each other!?”

“It's a kill or be killed world!”

“Maybe for someone as fucked in the head as you are?!”

“Boy…”

“...Chief.”

“Hah?!”

A thug from one of the tables Sasaka stopped at earlier put a hand on Faith’s shoulder, causing him to whip around. He was a cream-colored lizard-man with a brown pattern cascading down his scales.

“The kids right. This isn’t okay…”

“Huh…?”

“Do you really want the runt to stab one of our best guys?” The thug explained. “We don’t have easy access to healing, dude. We’re gonna be fucked if that happens.”

“Dumbass, Clyde can-”

Faith suddenly stopped what he was saying and looked toward the thug with a disgruntled expression. 

“Think about this, man…”

Faith facepalmed, groaned, then shouted in defeat. It seemed like he had something that he might have wanted to say, but for some reason held back from doing so. Whatever the reason, Sasaka didn’t know.

“Fine!! I get it!!” Faith complained. “Let Clyde go!!”

Clyde sighed a huge sigh of relief as he was let go. He put a hand on his chest as he dramatically leaned against the counter.

“Oh, thank goodness…”

Sasaka stared at Clyde with an uncertain expression. Clyde seemed to note how nervous he was, so he reached out and patted his shoulder. As Clyde did so, the lizard-man calming Faith down chimed in.

“I don’t know what got into the Chief just now. I’m sorry bout’ that.”

“Right…” Sasaka said, looking towards the floor.

A loud groan came from Faith, who was slumped against the counter while grumbling.

“You all are no fun, ya know? You have no idea what was on my mind during all that… Of course the other new guy had to come in and…”

“What the hell were you trying to do then?!” The lizard-man who stopped Faith protested. “You just looked insane!!”

“Don't try to understand me!!” Faith shot back.

Sasaka rubbed his eyes. He was so tired. This was all too much for him. He just wanted to go lie down somewhere quiet and forget all this. He wished he was up atop his usual roof, watching the sunset while drowning in his own misery. That would be better than this.

Faith finally exhaled and took a swig of his drink. 

“I won’t have ya stab Clyde, boy.” He spoke as he set down his mug. “But I still don't want a wuss in my guild.”

“…”

Faith frowned at Sasaka’s lack of response.

“Yeesh, yer quiet, aintcha?”

“I just don't have the words to say to someone like you…”

“I can’t argue with that.” Faith admitted as he scratched his ear. “Alright, anyway, here’s the deal. You’re not off the hook yet.”

Sasaka ‘s head snapped up, and he looked at Faith with a baffled glare.

“I’m not?!”

“Of course you’re not!! I got something else in mind. Someone else yer gonna stab.”

“WHAT?!” Sasaka loudly cried out. “Why the hell do I need to go around stabbing people!?”

“Guts, boy. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Gh-!”

Sasaka balled his fists tighter than he had ever done before in his life. “This is stupid.” He thought to himself. However, the intense emptiness of his stomach continued to cry out to him. After a moment of thinking to himself, he opened his eyes and glared towards Faith.

“Whatever. I’ll do what I need to do. I like to think I’m not as runty as I look.”

His words got a chuckle out of Faith, who had gotten up and pushed in his seat with a loud crash as it hit the counter wall.

“Well then, get ready, everyone. We’re off to the city. The boy here is gonna do us a huge favor.”

△▼△▼△▼△

The wind was blowing quite harshly that night. Sasaka noted as such as he and the group made their way through the dark streets of the capital, only a few passersby out at the time. The wind kept tickling his bangs, pushing them into his face, or sending them the wrong direction.

“I really should get a haircut, huh…?”

He thought so, but he had grown attached to his own style. He also wasn’t the type to go for a style that left his head exposed. He wasn’t a very open person, anyway, preferring to keep to himself, and that mentality affected him both mentally and physically. It manifested in certain ways, one being his fashion choices, which leaned more towards long-sleeved shirts and pants over short sleeves and shorts. There were some exceptions, of course; for example, he loved the style of a Hawaiian shirt, but those exceptions were few and far between. Sometimes these choices benefited him; right now, the dirty cardigan he sagged on his first week in Lugunica was keeping him relatively warm, while at other times it was a hindrance, like his shaggy hair, which covered most of his head and was currently blowing around and getting in his eyes.

“You doin’ alright, Kasasa?”

Clyde slowed his walk to match Sasaka’s more sluggish pace as they made their way through the dark street. He appreciated that Clyde was looking out for him, but he wasn’t too happy that his train of thought was interrupted. Either way-

“I’m fine… I’ll be fine.” He said. “Don’t worry about me. I’m not so pathetic that I’ll agree to such a thing and then mope about it.”

“You sure you’re okay, though?” Clyde frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so pale before.”

“That’s just because of the wind!! It’s cold!”

Sasaka shouted defensively, and Clyde just frowned even further. He checked if anyone was listening before he leaned in closer to Sasaka and spoke quietly.

“…You know, you can slip away whenever you’d like. I’d cover for you. You really don’t have to stick to this, man.”

His words caused Sasaka’s face to soften just a little, with a hint of surprise.

“You’d do that…?”

“Well, yeah. Getting you into this was kinda my fault, so I can’t help but feel bad about it.”

“I mean… I guess…”

He understood where Clyde was coming from. It made total sense that he would feel this way. His initial act of kindness in trying to find some people to help Sasaka out had turned into a sick game to prove Sasaka’s own manliness, something completely removed from what Clyde had likely been hoping for. 

Sasaka looked downwards and contemplated Clyde’s proposal. Clyde was a good guy. He was sure of it. However, Clyde was the first good guy who had reached out to him in an attempt to help. So because of that-

“Not gonna bolt, huh?” Clyde asked, seeing the determination in Sasaka’s eyes.

“I can’t. I need this. I’ve made up my mind.”

“I see.” Murmured Clyde.

“Whoever Faith sets me up to hurt… I’ll go for the kill.” Sasaka said with a hint of stubborn determination in his voice. “That’s what’s expected of me, right? I’ll go above and beyond. I’m gonna prove I’m not just some runt.”

He bit his lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to hurt. Clyde could only look towards him with an uneasy look on his face.

“Kasaka…”

After some walking, the party eventually made their way up to a rooftop clearing.

“Damn, the wind is making it cold as shit up here!” Faith exclaimed once a particularly strong breeze blew through him. “Give me your jacket, scrub!”

The scrub in question jolted whenever Faith called out to him.

“But I’m not wearing anything under this…”

Faith stiffened at the scrub’s remark.

“Oh, yer raw doggin’ it?! I’d rather freeze my balls off than have to see you bare. Forget it.”

Faith had stepped up in front of the group, standing on the edge of the building. He was right about the cold; it was significantly more apparent on the rooftop.

“Listen up! “He shouted. “Some of my boys have tipped me off about somethin’ juicy. A few blocks away is a small base of operations. Belongs to Hudd’s group.”

Sasaka knitted his eyebrows when he heard the unfamiliar name.

“Hudd?”

“This dumbass doesn’t know who that guy is?” Faith remarked. “Clyde, fill him in.”

Clyde, who was staring off into space, snapped back to reality once his name was called. He turned to Sasaka and fiddled with his goatee. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Ahem, you see, Hudd is this super mean rival the chief has.”

“That’s all?” Sasaka asked.

“Course that’s not all!” Faith griped in return. “But it’s all ya need to know. Soon, the big catch is about to come swimming back home, and before he does so, you’re gonna get him for me. That sound easy, Sasassy- Sasacker-? Sasucker- sucker?”

Sasaka snapped towards Faith’s direction when he heard the moniker.

“Sucker-?!”

Despite his offense, he took more issue with what he was being told to do.

“And you want me to shank some guy you got beef with so you don’t have to yourself?! You’re taking advantage of me here!”

“Yeah! That’s not cool, Chief! Do it yourself!” Clyde called out from Sasaka’s side.

Sasaka felt much more at ease with Clyde on his side. Unfortunately, though, he knew that his support definitely would not be enough to change Faith’s mind on the matter.

“Yeah, so what!?” Faith went on. “If Sucker succeeds, he’s in. If he fails, he’s dead. And besides, it looks to me like he was gonna die on the streets regardless of if I put him up to this or not.”

Sasaka lowered his gaze. Unfortunately, Faith had a point. Sasaka was as good as dead without this opportunity. Of course, he didn’t want to end up killing somebody to secure his own life, but if things had to be done this way, then-

“Well, Sucker? Ya gonna do it?”

Faith’s intense gaze caused Sasaka to stiffen. 

“Don’t make me stand here all day… The winds givin’ me goosebumps…”

Clyde’s hand made its way to Sasaka’s shoulder.

“Sasaka, remember. If you really want, just say no. Yuu can walk away and-“

“I’ll do it.”

“…”

Faith clapped his hands at Sasaka’s determination.

“That’s the spirit! Alright, yer window of opportunity is real soon. Try not to mess up, boy. We’ll be watching.”

Sasaka huffed and attempted to divert his gaze, but was stopped by the sight of a sharp blade piercing the wind, heading straight for his face.

“Gah-!!”

He ducked in time, and the blade was caught from the handle by Clyde, who had stepped out to do so just in time, before it was to pierce the face of the man standing behind Sasaka. The man in question looked incredibly pale, like his life had flashed before his eyes.

“Chief…” Clyde mumbled. “You didn’t have to throw it unsheathed…”

“Did I? Oopsie daisy.” Faith mumbled back as he nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

Clyde offered the blade to Sasaka, who took it with a frown on his face.

“This again… I don’t need your-!”

“Pity?! Don’t need my knife?!” Faith scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “What, were ya gonna stab him with yer finger?! Ya gotta knock that pride down a notch, Sucker. Listen, I’m throwin’ ya a bone here. I’ll let ya keep it if ya survive.”

Sasaka was actually surprised by that later comment. He took another look at the blade’s metal. He could barely see his reflection in it due to the dark. Yet from what he could make out, he still looked like a mess. Going through with this would help with that, wouldn’t it? Either way, he felt wrong about this.

“Chief…” Clyde began. “That knife… Are you sure-”

“I know what your play is here.” Sasaka interrupted. “You like this thing, huh? You’re betting on my death and are just gonna pry it from my dead body, aren’t you?”

Faith didn’t respond. He just glared at Sasaka.

“Right. That’s what I thought. Okay, okay, I get it. I’ll play your fucked up game. Sure.”

“Sucker…”

Sasaka steeled himself and tightened his grip on the blade. He lifted it to point towards Faith and shot him a glare of his own.

“You’re never getting this thing back. I’ll make you regret doubting me. Your lack of faith in me is gonna be your downfall, asshole.”

△▼△▼△▼△

The wind's blowing caused a melodic hum to sing across the capital. Sasaka stood on the roof of a rather tall building, overlooking a certain alleyway. A few buildings away, he could catch sight of Faith, Clyde, and a couple of extras hanging by to watch.

If one thing was for sure, Sasaka still found the capital’s skyline to be beautiful. This, in tandem with the dark sky and visible stars, made for quite a sight. Yet still, something about it was dull. Colorless. Maybe it was just something within his own self that prevented him from seeing the true beauty of this world.

“God, it really is cold and windy, huh…? My delicate arms aren’t as insulting as those meatier guys…”

He slumped against his knee, propping himself up to the edge of the building so that he could look over the alleyway. There was no sign of the people he was looking for.

His eyes drifted toward Faith and the rest of the party, and the sight of them only caused Sasaka to frown.

“What’s wrong with me… I’m gonna look so stupid if I talk big like I just did just to end up dying…” 

His mini self-doubt session was derailed, however, once he heard voices make their way into the alley. He looked downward to spot a group of three thugs. Two of them were run-of-the-mill, but the one in front was different. 

“Those girls just wouldn’t give us a break, huh?” One of the run-of-the-mill thugs was saying.

“They were real hot though, weren’t they?” The other followed up with. “That one girl’s tiddies were huge!! I couldn’t get enough of ’em!”

“Damn right!! To get a mouthful of those someday… Haha, a man can dream, can’t he?”

It seemed as if they had come back from a brothel of sorts. Sasaka wasn’t surprised such things existed in this world. If anything, the nightlife of this world was likely even dingier and dirtier than the nightlife of his previous one. Not that he really had any experience with it.

“Hey, boss, which girl was your favorite?” One of the thugs directed towards the man in front of them both.

He stayed quiet.

“You’re not gonna get a word outta him, rookie.”The first thug commented. “The guy's real quiet.”

“I could garner that much!!” The other retorted. “I just wish the guy would lighten up a little!! Just because you’re mute don’t mean you can’t show a little emotion. right? boss- gahh!”

The thug had placed a hand onto the boss’s shoulder, resulting in his finger being pinched and twisted into a direction that it probably shouldn’t go.

Sasaka frowned upon witnessing these exchanges. 

“They look like a nice bunch… Girl clubs, huh? Guess you gotta keep the pervs of the world satiated somehow.”

His attention shifted to who he assumed was Hudd, the boss. He was tall, dressed in tight black, and wore what appeared to be a monocle. His face was serious, and he had slick dark hair. 

“What a zest fest… Guess that’s my target.”

The word “target” made Sasaka grimace. He was essentially doing mercenary work. It wasn’t a profession he had ever wanted, nor was it one he had ever imagined he’d work in.

“Gah- doesn’t matter. Whatever. Kill or be killed. I gotta feed myself somehow…”

He muttered to himself as he tried to get serious. Leaning a little further, he gazed down the side of the building and into the alley.

“…Yeesh…”

The drop was quite high. 

“Am I supposed to jump…? Is that what Faith wants me to do?!”

It seemed ridiculous. Maybe people in this world had stronger knees or magic that could soften the fall, but he had no such thing. For him, a fall from this height would only lead to broken legs. Or maybe they just landed in smart places? He began to scan the surroundings for a softer landing. There was a pile of trash that could either soften the blow or bang him up, a stack of crates that could make the fall shorter, or the shoulders of one of the thugs. He could probably make a smooth landing if he played his cards properly-

“Nononono— No. I’m not gonna. I’m-“

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew, nearly causing him to lose his balance.

“Wah-!! Gah-!! Woah-!!”

Involuntary cries and woahs escaped his throat as he flailed around, trying to regain his balance. The noise seemed to alert Hudd, who glanced up towards the roof. Sasaka quickly covered his mouth and pulled away.

“Shit- Shit- Did they see me? That’s not good… Shit…”

He waited a moment and listened, but the conversation down there just seemed to go on. But it was apparent that Hudd had been put on guard.

“Do I just gotta go now? Jump? Jump? I gotta jump, don’t I? Fine. I’ll jump. I’ll do it. I’ll jump. I’ll jump down, stab him before he realizes I'm here and-“

△▼△▼△▼△

Clyde and Faith had been watching Sasaka’s inner struggle from those few rooftops away.

“Hey? Where’s the boy going?” Faith asked.

“Probably using the steps at the back of the building, Chief. That fall might break his legs, Y’know.”

“Damn pussy…”

△▼△▼△▼△

Sasaka hastily made his way down the back entrance as quickly as he could, doing his absolute best to stay silent. Once he reached ground level, he slunk over to the corner and pressed his back against the wall, just out of sight.

He peeked over the edge to catch a glimpse of the thugs, none of whom seemed to be aware of his presence. It was the perfect chance to strike—especially Hudd, whose attention kept turning towards the rooftops where Sasaka had yelped earlier.

“Guess that blunder was a blessing in disguise… He thinks I’m still up there…”

He gripped his knife tighter. No more games. It was time to make the play. Hudd’s attention was elsewhere, and the thugs were blabbering on about who knows what. 

Taking one last look into the metal and seeing his face one last time- his last time seeing his face before becoming a murderer. He would become a murderer to secure his own life. To kill, or be killed.

The people he loved from his previous world would no doubt be disappointed in him. If they were here, they’d probably tell him there was another way. But they weren’t here. And if they were, they’d surely know that this world wasn’t as kind as his previous. He was stripped of privilege here. He didn’t have the luxury of not having to take a life.

Sasaka considered apologizing to the people of his previous life, but decided against it. There was no point in apologizing. If he were sorry, he wouldn’t be steeling himself in preparation to commit this act. Besides, it wasn’t like his apology would reach them. So instead, he just swallowed and made his move.

Sasaka sprang into action. He sprinted towards the wall in front of him, jumping up and kicking off it to turn himself around with better momentum. Every second counted, and kicking off with normal speed didn’t seem viable, so the wall kick was what he settled on.

The sudden noise alerted both Hudd and the thugs, but the thugs were too far back, and Hudd had his back towards Sasaka. He had the perfect opening. 

“What the hell?!” One of the thugs called out.

“Boss!!” Cried the second.

They wouldn’t make it in time. Sasaka moved towards Hudd with murderous intent, set on taking his life. He would do it. Sasaka would become a murderer. He silently lunged to plunge the knife into Hudd’s back, sealing his fate-

Except it didn’t happen.

The knife didn’t move forward.

His arms froze. His legs froze. His breathing froze. His heart froze. Everything froze. 

He didn’t know how long he had frozen for. It could have been a single second; it could have been five. But the length of time didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had hesitated. He couldn’t bring himself to kill. And in return for his hesitation, he met with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

He stumbled back, letting out a groan. That really hurt. Being kicked in the jaw hurt. What hurt more, however, was the reality before him. He had screwed up. He missed his chance.

“Hey, hey, the hell is this? Runt, did you really just try to kill the boss?”

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

Hudd didn’t say a word. He only stared silently at Sasaka with a vicious, cold glare. Sasaka couldn’t help but begin to shake.

“Shit…”

There was no way he could talk his way out of this. He had to fight- there was no other choice. He wiped the grime from Hudd’s shoe off his face and gripped the handle of his knife, getting himself ready. He glared back with a newfound determination.

“You think it’s onna faith’s goons?” One of the thugs asked.

“Probably… Damnit, this little shit is in for it now.”

The thugs unsheathed their own knives and hastily lunged towards Sasaka, passing Hudd, who only continued to stand and glare. 

Sasaka grit his teeth. The fact that these thugs had knives of their own was starting to dwindle his confidence. He had never been in a fight like this before. He’d have to be seriously careful. If not, he could easily be killed, or worse, kidnapped and tortured.

The first thug swung his blade horizontally. Sasaka ducked low and hopped back, only to be met with the second thug’s blade being swung down at him vertically. He swiftly swung his own blade to deflect the attack, popping back up to kick the thug, but was hit himself by the thug’s large fist. 

The blow knocked Sasaka backwards, causing him to panic. The quick thinking he just exhibited had to be luck. There was no way he could keep this up.

The second thug swung his blade at Sasaka, who dodged out of the way, and instinctively slashed towards the thug’s arm- slicing his hand clean off.

“Gah-!! Ahh-!!!!! My fucking hand-!! Ahhh!!”

“Kid, what the fuck?!”

Sasaka felt sick. He hadn’t been thinking. Did he really just do that? The blood on his knife, paired with the blood gushing from the thug’s arm, wasn’t a sight he was used to seeing. And for someone like him who couldn’t even bring himself to watch slasher films in his previous world, he began to feel vomit rising in his throat.

The thug who had lost their hand was barely thinking as he held his bloodied arm.

“Kill him!!!!! Rip his fucking throat out!! Gghhaaahhhh-!!”

The first thug, seeing the state of his friend's arm, swung his fist at Sasaka in pure rage. The blow struck the still stunned Sasaka right in his already bruised face, before he could hurl. The impact of the blow knocked him to the ground, where he preemptively jammed his blade into the thug’s foot.  

“You fucking-!!” The thug yelped.

The thug crouched in pain, and Sasaka struck him with a knee to the jaw as payback. 

Once the thug fell to the ground, Sasaka hopped back and observed his work. He really was lucky. One thug rolling on the ground, missing a hand, and the other in pain due to a bent jaw and a bloodied foot. Sasaka couldn’t help but feel guilty, but the feeling was soon interrupted when a blow from Hudd sent him flying into the wall.

“Gah-!!”

He didn’t have time to react at all, as Hudd immediately went to work, punching him and striking him in all the places that hurt. His arms, chest, gut, jaw, face- everywhere. If this kept up, he’d probably black out. Not willing to let that happen, Sasaka kicked his foot, sending Hudd stumbling back, which was mildly effective.

He moved to swing his own fist at Hudd, but was stopped by the thug with the missing hand, who had gotten back up during his scuffle with Hudd. The blow knocked Sasaka to the ground, and the thug and Hudd wasted no time kicking him. 

The blows hurt. Each kick stung. His bruises ached. He possibly felt a bone inside him break. This was it, wasn’t it? Sasaka could do nothing but curl into a ball and hope for the best.

△▼△▼△▼△

“…”

Over on the rooftop Faith and his crew occupied, this whole scuffle was being closely observed. 

“Chief!!” Clyde exclaimed. “This is too much for him to handle!! Sassaky is gonna-!”

“It’s on him for trying to get into a world too big for his britches.” Faith bluntly said, folding his arms.

“Chief-!”

“Nope. He’s gotta see this world for how it truly is. Kill or be killed. If he ends up killed, then so be it.”

Clyde had had enough with this attitude. He grabbed Faith’s shoulder and forcefully swung him around so that they were face-to-face.

“No, you gotta see it for how it truly is!! We’re all comrades! Maybe you don’t see him as one,  but I do. And I’m not gonna let a comrade of mine get killed right before my eyes- especially as the one who dragged him into this!”

“Clyde…”

Without a word, Clyde leaped off the rooftop, gracefully scaling his way down to the street level. Faith could only click his tongue as he watched him leave.

“Fuckin’ idiot…”

…

Thwack.

Thwack.

Thwack.

Sasaka could sense a blackout creeping up on him. He really was trying his best to stay conscious. He could think of something, couldn’t he? Right? There must be a way out of this situation, right? No. He was smart enough to know when he was through. It was his time. He’d black out and either end up killed or kidnapped. No matter what happened, he’d end up dead-

WHAM!

-Or so he thought.

A bone-splitting impact was sounded, and Hudd was sent sprawling away. Clyde had struck him with his bat. He then proceeded to jam the handle of the bat into the other thug’s stomach, causing him to hunch over, allowing Clyde to knock him clean out with a strike to the head.

Sasaka lifted his bruised head and couldn’t help but feel relief.

“Clyde…” 

“Sasaki!! Are you doing okay?!

Clyde crouched to rest a hand on Sasaka’s shoulder, the go-to move Sasaka had come to expect from him. 

“I… was… fine…” Sasaka sputtered.

“Like hell you were, you big doofus!! I could feel those kicks from all the way over there!!”

He helped Sasaka up to his feet, lending him his shoulder to lean on.

“Cmon’,  let’s get you out of-“

“Hey, the hell is going on out here?”

The door to the hideout opened, and out stepped a group of thugs, seemingly more of Hudd’s boys. Sasaka felt his stomach drop.

“Shit…” He grumbled.

About nine guys had exited the building, and the alleyway became crowded pretty quickly. One of the guys spotted Hudd, who was slowly dragging himself to his feet.

“Oi, Boss?! Are ya alright?!”

Hudd looked up and didn’t say a word, as expected. He only nodded while adjusting his monocle. 

“These guys trying to shank ya, huh?”

The thug turned his gaze towards Sasaka and Clyde with a furious glare, but it faltered once he realized who he was looking at.

“Hey, wait- Clyde?!”

Clyde stiffened a little upon recognizing the thug in return, and forced an awkward smile.

“Ohhh… Hey, Bomber…! Long time no-“

“Clyde, you rat fucking bastard!!” Bomber angrily shouted. “You know how much deep shit I’m in because of you!?”

“Me?” Clyde asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah, you! You pinched my wallet and the loan fuckers beat my ass into my skull!!”

Clyde was quiet for a moment, clearly taking the time to let the gears in his head turn as he tried to recall the incident in question. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t seem to remember, though he assumed that the incident had likely happened anyway. 

“Oh, um, whoops! Sorry about that. Should probably sew up those pockets so people can’t get their fingers in there.”

His words only seemed to tick Bomber off, who promptly exploded.

“You-!! If I sew them, how am I gonna get into them myself?!”

“Haha… I dunno!”

“…I’m gonna kill this guy.”

The thugs began to spread out, slowly surrounding Sasaka and Clyde. 

“Listen up, Susucky.” Clyde spoke after clearing his throat. “There’s two of us, and nine of them. You think you got this?” 

Sasaka, who was still leaning on Clyde’s shoulder, slumped against it a little harder.

“Dude, my head is still fuzzy from getting beat up…”

“Oh- um, well, then I guess it’s more like there’s one of me and nine of them. You cool dying together?”

Sasaka had come this far. He was lucky enough to hold out until Clyde came to save him. It really was a miracle. Who knows how often this kind of situation has happened to people without any backup to arrive and save the day? Dying here would be a waste. And besides, despite hating his current life, Sasaka had hope that it could be better someday.

So-

“…Nah… I don’t wanna die…”

Clyde smirked in response to Sasaka’s words.

“Then good luck!”

Clyde swung his bat, striking Bomber right in the head, knocking him out cold. The suddenness of the action caught the entire group off guard.

“Ah-“

“Huh.”

“Guess that evened the odds just a little.” Clyde remarked.

At this, Hudd snapped his fingers, sending a loud click throughout the alleyway. Immediately, the thugs moved to attack Sasaka and Clyde.

Sasaka ducked to dodge a horizontal slash aimed for his head, picked up his knife from the ground, and quickly raised it above his head to block a vertical strike. He caught a glimpse of his reflection once again.

“Luckily, still not the face of a murderer…”

On Clyde’s end, he had just blocked two knife strikes of his own, catching the blades within the thick wood of his bat. He swung his leg, knocking both assailants backwards, and removed the knives from his bat. He wasted no time in throwing them right back at the thugs, piercing them in the leg and arm, respectively. The sight once again made Sasaka queasy. But before he could process that feeling, he saw a blade heading his way. He jumped out of the way, grabbed the assailant’s arm, and broke it with his knee, disarming him. He finished him off with a kick to the stomach.

“Oh my god…” He sputtered.

He had always imagined fake scenarios in which he would do moves like that, pulled from a video game he once played. Actually pulling it off in real life made him feel somewhat cool. 

As he was caught up with mentally patting himself on the back, Hudd took the opportunity to strike, knocking him to the ground. Sasaka rolled and got out of the way in time, preventing more strikes, but he would just run into more numbers. Just when he thought things couldn’t look any more dire, the door swung open once again, and ten more thugs exited to join the fray.

“Geez, more?!”

“You should always expect more, Saska!!

“Dammit…”

He quickly dodged another attack, though with his already accumulated wounds, he knew he couldn’t hold out for long. 

However-

SLASH

The thug in front of him was cut down and fell to the ground, revealing a certain man behind him grasping a small knife.

“Chief!” Clyde happily exclaimed.

The other party members Faith had brought along dropped down from the roof as well, immediately jumping into the fray.

“Y'all were looking a bit too pathetic down here.” Faith shrugged. “It tugged at my heartstrings, so I figured I’d jump in.”

“You big softie…”

“Faith!!” One of the thugs shouted, causing Faith to turn his head with a “Huh?” “

“Of course it’s fuckin’ you!!” The thug complained.

“Haha, sorry! I thought I'd try and stick this boy on ya- but now I see that pounding yer sorry mugs looks a lot more fun.”

“Gh-!”

Faith wasted no time in swinging his blade and cutting down thugs in an instant, leaving large, gushing wounds across their chests.

“Holy shit…”

Sasaka was stunned. The blade Faith was using was one he had seemingly picked from one of the fallen thugs. Looking at the bodies of the fallen assailants, however, one thing was clear to Sasaka.

Faith wasn’t killing them.

“Look alive, Sucker!” Faith yelled out.

“He’s talking to you!” Clyde shouted towards Sasaka.

“Me?!”

Sasaka whirled around to be met with a thug just about to cut him down, only for the attempted strike to be blocked by Faith. He disarmed the blade and kicked Sasaka’s assailant down to the ground. He gave Sasaka an irritated huff and then jumped to his next target.

“Huh…”

Faith’s actions seemed out of character- or at least out of character from what Sasaka came to expect from him. For someone who spoke about killing or being killed, his attacks seemed very precisely non-fatal. He wasn’t a force to be reckoned with, however. He was doing most of the heavy lifting in this battle.

Faith soon locked eyes with Hudd. A seemingly familiar spark was lit between them, as if this wasn’t their first brawl.

“Well, ain't it, Hudd? Still got nothing to say?”

“…”

“You know I hate the silent treatment… How about we talk it out with our fists, then, eh? Ah, but I'll be using this knife. Hope ya don’t mind?”

Hudd stayed silent, only slicking his dark hair back before lunging at Faith. 

Hudd easily dodged Faith’s knife slash. He was tall and lanky, and avoided most of Faith’s attacks with grace, occasionally striking Faith with pinpoint accuracy.

“Nimble one, ain'tcha??” Faith remarked.

Hudd was about to smirk, but was suddenly knocked in the head by Clyde’s bat, falling to the ground.

“The hell, Clyde?!” Faith complained, shooting Clyde a glare. “I was having fun with that!!”

“Tell me, were you really gonna let Sakakasa die? Even after he passed your test?”

“Huh? What’s it to you?”

“I mean, you usually let people on after they pass the whole stabbing thing…”

Faith could sense Clyde’s curiosity, so he slumped his shoulders and scratched his head.

“Sucker is a chump. Figured I'd just let him be a lil’ distraction so we could pummel these guys and raid their hideout. Whether he died or not doesn’t matter to me. And if he did kill Hudd, then it’s a win-win.”

Clyde frowned.

“So he was bait?”

“Yeah. Basically.”

“That’s not right…”

“Heads up!”

Faith extended his arm, grabbing Hudd’s leg before he could kick Clyde. He forcefully pushed Hudd away, earning a nasty scowl.

“Now screw off, Clyde. I got this guy to deal with.”

Clyde hung his head and sighed. Before going to fight more, he gave Faith one last look.

“You’re gonna apologize to Sasasa after this.”

“Hah. If he lives.”

Some meters away, Sasaka continued to try his best to fend off his assailants. He was fighting more to defend himself, rather than to do actual damage. It was clear that he couldn’t keep this up forever and would eventually tire out and fall. His game plan was to hope and pray that Clyde, Faith, and the other numbers could pull through.

“I can’t keep up with this…”

His body was screaming at him to rest. His mind was telling him that it was over. As he barely stood his ground against his opponent, Sasaka realized that his time living may be over.

“I wish I could have done more with this life…”

He was just about to give in to his weakness and let himself be killed, when-

BLAM!

“Huh…?”

He couldn’t process the sight right before his eyes. It happened way too fast. 

The alley went quiet. Sasaka couldn’t tell if he was shaking or completely still.

He reached up to touch his face. It was hot. Wet. He looked down at his fingers; he saw that they were stained red. Stained red. With blood.

It made sense. The man in front of him was missing his head. It had been completely obliterated. Or rather, blown to bits, and scattered across the alleyway, and mostly across Sasaka.

He couldn’t see his own face, but it was likely completely stained red with blood and brain matter. He didn’t have the stomach to look at his reflection within the blade Faith had given him.

“…”

His breathing became heavier as what had just happened began to register in his mind. Though just because everyone in the alley had stopped moving, it didn’t mean the world had.

Crimson red blades of different shapes and sizes suddenly soared across the alleyway, piercing and slicing every single one of Hudd’s men. Hudd himself was sliced multiple times by the soaring blades, falling apart into cube-like chunks of flesh.

They were all dead. Mutilated in an instant. The only survivors were Sasaka, Clyde, Faith, and what was left of Faith’s crew. 

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Ah…. Aaahhhhhhh-!! Blegh-!!”

One of the men in Faith’s crew began to scream and vomit at the sight, but was quickly silenced by a soaring blade piercing through one side of his head and out the other.

If Sasaka wanted to scream himself, then that sight ensured that he wouldn’t.

Everyone stayed completely silent. Nobody moved a muscle. Seeing Faith with a frozen, confused look of dread made Sasaka uneasy. If Faith gave him any kind of vibe, someone who’s easily spooked did not fit that bill.

Eventually, the silence was broken by distant footsteps growing closer and louder with each step. 

“I’m sorry- I’m sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry- Did I make a mess? Why, someone will have to clean that up! That’s unfortunate-it’s unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunate, unfortunateee~!!! It really is unfortunate, isn’t it?”

A high-pitched voice rang across the alleyway. Most of the fear-frozen crew didn’t bother to turn around to see the perpetrator’s appearance, but Sasaka was positioned in such a way that he could see.

And what he saw only heightened his unease. 

He saw a girl who appeared to be no older than 14. She had faded pink hair and a frilly dress that would look cute on any girl her age- except “cute” was one of the last words Sasaka would have used to describe her appearance. 

She had a crazed look in her eye, and paired with the uncomfortable-looking stitches lining her face and hands, she looked as if the dead had begun walking. 

Behind her were three pale, tired-looking men. They seemed to follow her willingly, but gave a “dead-inside” impression. Definitely alive, but not mentally well.

“Kehehehehehe, you all look so confused! Is it because of me? Because of me, isn’t it? Me, me, me, me, me, it’s because of me? Oh dear- oh dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear…” 

Her speech was just as unnatural as her appearance. She spoke with a jitter, and it was reflected in her body language. She seemed to have a slight, perpetual shake. The kind of shake you get when you don’t sleep, and are running on what little energy you have left.

She really, truly looked dead. 

The girl stopped and scanned the alleyway, and perked up once her eyes landed on Faith.

“Faith!! Oh, Faithy, I’ve been looking for you! Yes, yes, yes, yes, you!”

Faith turned to face her, and his eyes widened upon seeing the girl.

“Elenor…?”

“Ah, you know me? But of course you know me! You hang out with them, don’t you? Don’t you? Don’t you? So, of course, you've seen me! That makes things so easy then!! It’s easy, easy, easy, easy, easy, easy now!”

The look on Faith’s face screamed both recognition and disbelief. He must have known this girl, seemingly named Elenor. And based on his reaction, this look for her must be a recent development.

“What the fuck…?”

“Ah, no, no, no, no, no- Cursing is no good!” Elenor exclaimed. “Bad Faithy, bad~. Kehehehehehehehhe…”

Shaking, Faith took a step towards her.

“Girl, what happened to yo-?”

As soon as he put that foot forward, Elenor raised her arm, and the skin of an arm belonging to one of the men following her bubbled and burst open. Blood flowed from it and took the shape of a crimson arrow. The arrow immediately took flight and pierced right through Faith’s arm.

“Gah-!!” 

He stumbled backwards, grasping the hole in his arm, and slumped against the wall in agony. The arrow was rather large, so the hole was quite gaping.

“Now, now, now, now, now, now, I can’t have you hurting little cute Elenor now! I'm very fragile, you see! Yes, very, very, very, very, very, very, very fragile! These stitches aren’t settling like I hoped they would… What a pain, isn’t it? What a pain, what a pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain…”

Sasaka turned towards Faith and whispered under his breath.

“Do you know this girl…?”

“None of your business, Sucker…”

Faith’s lack of explanation definitely set Sasaka off, but he knew that this wasn’t the time nor the place to cause a scene.

“Ah, right!! I was here for the mute over here, but it went a lot easier than I thought!” Elenor said, pushing the pile of cubic flesh that was formerly Hudd over, causing the chunks to spill out. “That's thanks to you, Faithy! He had no idea I was coming at all! Kehehehehehehehehehehe, not at all!!!!”

“Hudd…”

Seeing him dead was what Sasaka set out to do, but seeing him diced into a pile of flesh was beyond his own expectations. He averted his eyes, trying not to look, as the sight made him feel the need to vomit, and he didn’t want to end up like the last guy who did.

Unfortunately, though, his movement caught Elenor’s attention.

“Aw, you look spooked! I’m to blame, aren’t I? I’m to blame, to blame, to blame, to blame, to blame… But yes, I had business with him!! Running shakedowns on the wrong turf is no good after all, kehehehehe…”

Sasaka is speechless. Terms like “shakedowns” and “turf” made words like “gangster” and “yakuza” flash through his mind, but the situation at hand, bundled with the smell of blood tainting the air, made him unable to think straight.

“Why the hell are you playing gangster now, Elenor?!” Faith shouted out. “You’re just a kid!”

Faith’s words caused Elenor to stop and stare at him for a moment.

“Just a kid…?”

She seemed to be confused or taken aback for a moment, though she pretty immediately slipped back into her natural flow.

“Kehehehehehehe, that’s true, that’s true!! That’s true true true true true!!! What a dangerous world it is out here, hm? A sweet young girl like me being roped into this life, kehehehehehe…”

“Elenor…”

Faith looked genuinely saddened and confused at Elenor’s existence here in this context. Whatever history Faith had with this girl, this certainly was not the desired outcome.

“Anyway, this works out. It works out! There’s something I want from you! Yes, you! You, you, you, you, you, Faithy? Well, it’s less you I need, but rather people you can lead me to, but that involves you, so it’s you I need!”

Clyde slowly shuffled his way closer to Faith.

“I don't like this one bit, Chief…”

“Yeah… This is fucked up…”

Clyde then glanced towards Sasaka.

“Skasasa, make sure to bolt as soon as we give the signal.”

“Eh…?”

Faith closed his eyes and looked as if he was really thinking things out in his head. After a moment, he opened his eyes, which had an apologetic sadness to them.

“Sorry, Elenor. Lizzy and Belle are gonna hate me for this, but something bout’ this ain't right.”

He gripped his blade tighter and steeled himself to take down this twisted existence of a girl he once recognized.

“Oh, you’re gonna fight me? That’s so rowdy, Faithy… You can’t attack a little girl!! You can't!! You can’t, you can’t, you can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t, can-“

“Shut the fuck up!”

Faith jumped forward, immediately moving to swing his blade at Elenor. She jumped back with surprising grace and ripped blood from the arms of two more of her men, forging them into large blades of her own. The two men looked to be drained of lots of blood and collapsed, looking dry and lifeless.

“That’s all kinds of fucked!!” Faith exclaimed in disgust.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Faithy! I said cursing is no good!! I ought to punish you for that, kehehehehehe…”

Sasaka was caught in a daze watching their clash, but was snapped back to reality by Clyde’s voice.

“Saska!!”

Sasaka immediately turned to run, no longer bothered by the pain from the wounds covering his entire body. He had to get out of here. He had never been in more danger before in his life. This girl, Elenor, really was terrifying.

So he ran. He ran as hard as he could. He ran long and far-

Except he didn’t.

“Eh?”

He came crashing down to the floor. The reason why?

An arrow of blood had pierced a hole through his leg.

“Gah!-!!!!!! Aaahhh-!!!” 

Sasaka let out a horrified and bloody scream. This was the first time he had been injured in such a way. The pain was agonizing; it assaulted every nerve in his body.

“Oh shit- dude!!”

Clyde had noticed him fall, but Sasaka had not the capacity to pay him any mind,

Pain. He felt an incredible amount of pain. More pain than he had ever felt in his life. His leg was screaming at him, wailing at him, begging for help- but there was nothing he could do. It hurt. It just hurt. It hurt so badly. He couldn’t believe he ever thought that a hangnail was the epitome of physical human suffering. He just didn’t know. He didn’t know how this felt. How it felt to have a hole torn through his leg. 

His senses were completely assaulted. His sight was of blood and gore. The air around him reeked of blood and dead bodies. He could only taste that sickening metallic taste of blood. He could hear the sounds of the other members of Faith’s crew getting sliced. And worst of all, he could only feel pain. 

This was hell. It had to be hell, right? No one person should ever have to experience this. This was hell. It was hell. It was hell. Hell. Hell. Hell. Hell. Hell.

He watched as Clyde was pierced through the abdomen. He fell beside Sasaka. Sasaka could do nothing but look at him with a wild fear in his eyes.

“Sasaka…”

“…”

Through blood, pain, and sheer grit, Clyde reached his arm out to Sasaka, his bat clenched in his hands.

“Go… I’m sorry…”

Was it right to leave him here? Should Sasaka have been grateful that Clyde offered him one last chance to survive? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. Sasaka was afraid. He didn’t want to die. He took the bat and used it to force himself to his feet.

He took a wobbly step and used the bat as a crutch. His pierced leg was useless, so it just dragged behind him. He must have looked pathetic. Covered in blood and gore, using his fallen comrades' weapon to save himself and hobble away. But what else could he do?

“What are you doing?! That’s so lame!! It's lame, it’s lame, it’s lame, it’s lame, it's lame, lame, lame, lame, lame! Kehehehehehehehehehe!”

Were those words directed towards him? Were they directed towards Faith? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He just kept hobbling…

“Shut your mouth!”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Oh, Faithy, don’t you know when to back off? You should learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn…”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

The sounds of ripping flesh and blood screamed in his ears.

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

The sight of allies falling to their deaths.

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Why…”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Why……”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“What did I do to deserve this…?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Did I mess up in my past life?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Should I have been better?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Did I disappoint everyone?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Is this because I didn’t try…?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Is this because I drifted by in life…? Because I didn’t care…?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Was that really so bad…?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Was it so bad?!”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“It’s not my fault, I had no passions!”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I just couldn’t figure things out in time!”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“That’s a lie.”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I had all the time in the world. I just didn’t do it.”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I never pushed myself. I just wanted to do things that made me happy. Work was too hard.”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I just wanted to spend time with my friends. I just wanted to engage in things that made me happy. I neglected my responsibilities just because I didn’t want to do them.”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“It’s my fault. I let everyone down. I deserve to be punished, don’t I?”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I deserve this hell. I don’t deserve things that made me happy.”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“I just wanted to feel happy!”

Hobbling… Hobbling… Hobbling…

“Was that so wrong?!”

WHAM!

Faith had flown by him and slammed into a wall. The suddenness took Sasaka out of his thoughts.

“Gahh… The hell you looking at… Sucker…”

Sasaka stared for a moment before snapping back to reality once more.

“I’m looking at the guy who just came flying past me?! The hell do you-!?”

“Ah, Sucker? Is that your name? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that can’t possibly be it! No mother would name their child such a rude name!”

Sasaka stiffened as soon as he heard Elenor’s voice behind him. He slowly turned and found her standing eerily close to him. Turns out he didn’t make much distance at all.

He also finally got to see the true horror of Elenor’s work. Bodies upon bodies, sliced and diced in the most gruesome way he could ever imagine.

“Oh? That’s not a pretty sight, is it? Hmmm, you seem pretty young… yes, young, young, young, young… So young… I wouldn’t want to show such a sight to a young boy!! Oh dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear… How about I kill you quick, and-!!

Her words were cut off when Clyde body-slammed her, knocking her down.

“You gotta hobble faster, dude!”

Sasaka couldn’t believe his eyes.

“You’re…”

“Alive? Yeah. You learn to tough it out.”

As Clyde puffed his chest out, Faith dragged himself to his feet.

“Clyde… Thanks for the save…”

“Of course. Salsaka, you okay?”

Sasaka looked back and forth between Faith and Clyde. He absolutely was not okay.

“What's… happening…? Who is that…?”

Clyde scratched his goatee as he saw Sasaka’s frayed mental state.

“I don't think any of us expected things to go this way. Are you scared?”

“…I’m not-”

“It’s okay. We got you. Chief?”

“Tch, I’m not going out of my way to help this chump-”

“Ah- ahhh… That doesn’t feel good at all… Not at all, not at all… No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…”

He was cut off by the sound of Elenor clawing her way back to her feet.

“Shit…”

Once she got back up, she stared at the trio, her one eye quivering maniacally.

“You three… Please don't make this difficult for little cute me… I just want to talk to Faithy… Yes, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy, Faithy…”

Her body wavered and jolted unnaturally as she forced herself up. The sight was truly unsettling to behold.

“What the hell could ya possibly want from me, girl…”

“You know, don’t you? Don’t you, don't you? Don't make me say it…”

“Yer right… It must be that…”

“This is too vague, Chief!”

Both Clyde and Sasaka were irritated at Faith’s continued question dodging. He had been doing so ever since Elenor had shown up, but in his defense, it wasn’t as if it really was the right time and place to explain this sort of thing.

“It’s not yer business!!” Faith shouted. “And yer probably dead anyway, so what good will knowin’ do ya?!”

“Don’t say that!! You’ll scare Sakky!!”

“I told you, I’m not scared!” 

Sasaka balled his fists and then shook his head, attempting to calm himself down.

“No… No, I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. Seriously, I’m fine.”

Sasaka gripped the handle of Clyde’s bat tighter. There had to be something they could do to save themselves… There had to be.

“Oh, you’re actually gonna try and put up a fight?” Elenor brought a hand to her mouth and giggled slightly at the sight. “How cute, how cute, how cute, cute, cute, cute, cute…” 

Sasaka shook his head and mustered what little confidence he had remaining in him, speaking in an incredibly shaky voice.

“…Hah, that’s what you think? You shouldn’t come to such swift conclusions, kid.”

“Oh?” Elenor questioned as she cocked her head.

“Clyde, and Asshat.” Sasaka called out. “Cover your eyes and get ready to run.”

In Sasaka's time in this world, he had come to discover something rather useful. Magic affinities. Most people in this world were granted a special element, allowing them to harness it for themselves. Sasaka’s exposure to such things was limited, but he wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the concept.

“I don't make the best teacher, ya know…” 

Sasaka began to recall a conversation he had with the old giant from the loot house.

“Well, you’re the only one I can talk to!! Everyone else is gonna pummel me, or-”

“Right, right, ya made your point. Now, how do I put this into words… Ya really never used magic before?”

“W-well- I’ve just… Never had the chance… And, uhm… where I come from, we don't really use it… for some reason… and I didn’t know it was a thing until… Ugh- Why’s it matter?! Just tell me!!”

“Yer not making too much sense… But if there’s a reason, then I suppose I can’t blame ya. Okay, so first…”

Sasaka had gotten some help from Rom when it came to figuring out the basics of what he could do. He wasn’t confident this could work, but he had to try.

“Imagine the mana flowing through my body…” 

As much focus as he could muster…

“And expel it through my gate… Just like…!!!!!!!”

A large flash of light suddenly engulfed the alley, lighting the sky up in a way similar to thunder. Sasaka’s flashbang technique had been successful. 

“Not bad, Sucker!”

Sasaka felt the back of his collar being grabbed as he felt his feet leave the ground. He was hoisted into the air by someone he assumed was Clyde. The last thing he heard was a frustrated shriek from Elenor, before passing out from his own weakness.

△▼△▼△▼△

“Hmm…?”

The first thing he noticed upon waking up was the purple sky. The sun must have begun rising. The second thing he noticed was his cold surroundings, as he was on a stone roof in the capital. That, and the wind had yet to stop blowing.

“Geez… I can’t feel my fingers…”

“Sasasa! Good morning.”

“Hm..? Oh, Clyde…”

Clyde and Faith were also up on the rooftop with him. Clyde sat beside him, and Faith was on the edge of the roof, watching the sun rise.

“How are you holding up?” Clyde asked him.

“Alright, I suppose…”

Clyde nodded, glad that he was doing well. He began to stroke his goatee as he tried finding the right words to say next.

“Listen, man, I’m… really sorry…”

Sasaka lowered his head.

“No, no... Don’t give me that. This wasn’t your fault. I know what you’re gonna do, you’re gonna say I’m sorry for dragging you into this, or something, but I don't wanna hear it… You were just trying to help…”

“…Guess I was, huh?”

Sasaka and Clyde shared friendly smiles. It was good to finally have someone in this world with whom he could be on the same page.

On the other hand.

“Faith…”

Sasaka grit his teeth and was about to stand up, but he was stopped by Clyde, who kept him sitting.

“Finally up, ey, Sucker?

Faith was still turned away, eyes on the sky, his arms folded across his chest.

“Chief, don’t give him a hard time… He-“

“Nah, I wasn’t gonna do anything of the sort. You want in the guild, boy?”

Sasaka was taken off guard. He expected gruff harshness, not an invitation.

“What…?”

“I don’t blame ya for not wanting in after that.” Faith began. “Shits scary, I know. But what you did right there, you saved our lives. Or maybe just yourself and Clyde’s, but ya still did a good thing.”

“Was that a compliment, chief?”

“Zip it, Clyde. I’m talking to the boy.”

Sasaka hung his head. Faith was right. What just occurred was scary. Extremely scary. Nobody would judge him if he didn’t want to join. If anything, any sane person would turn and leave right here and now. But regardless-

“I want in…”

“Huh?”

Clyde shot Sasaka a surprised look, as Faith finally turned around to stare at him, evaluating his tattered state.

“Your life will be at risk, boy.”

“I know,” Sasaka admitted. “But I'll die of starvation soon enough if I don't…  I think I’d rather die trying rather than go out slow and sad like that…”

Faith continued to stare at him with an unreadable expression, before turning back towards the sky. 

“Believe it or not, but this kind of shit doesn’t happen often.”

“No...?”

“That girl wasn’t normal. Somethin’ happened to really screw her up. From what I knew, she used to be pretty nice. Those stitches don't paint a pretty picture either.”

“I see…”

“So all I’m saying is that we may be up against some shit that ain't pretty. Just know that goin’ forward.”

Sasaka nodded his head in response.

“Mm. I’ll keep that in mind…”

Faith sighed. He stayed silent for a moment, evaluating something in his mind before turning to Clyde.

“Clyde, we lost some good boys back there.”

“I know, chief.”

“Round up their bodies. I wanna give 'em a proper burial. And Sucker… I won’t make ya help. Yer probably tuckered out, huh? Just go an’ get some rest. Meet us at Nessa’s this afternoon. We’ll talk then.”

“…That’s surprisingly considerate…” Sasaka cocked his head. “I thought you’d put me to work immediately… Not that I can’t handle it-“

“Don’t keep playing tough, boy. Just go.”

“…Right…”

He slowly stood up to begin making his way back to the slums. His leg hurt considerably, but he could actually stand on it, which was a surprise. It looked like it had been healed somewhat, though not to a perfect extent.

“Feel alright?” Clyde beamed. “That’s my handiwork there. I practice healing magic from time to time.”

Sasaka looked towards Clyde with a curious look on his face. That actually caused a lot of puzzle pieces to click into place. If Sasaka had actually stabbed Clyde, he could have remedied it via healing. That was also likely how he was able to walk off an arrow to the abdomen.

“It’ll do… Thanks.”

Clyde and Sasaka nodded to each other before they parted ways. He then limped over to Faith, unhooking the knife at his belt and handing it to him.

“Do you want this back?”

“…Nah. It’s yours.”

“Chief…” Clyde called out.

“What?” Faith retorted in return. “Who cares how important it is to me? I’m a man of my word.”

Sensing Faith’s stubbornness, Sasaka nodded and hooked the knife back to his belt.

“Thanks then, I guess… whatever…”

“Mhm. Now get.”

Sasaka slowly turned to make his way down to the streets. His ears caught a “See ya later!” from Clyde, and he responded with a wave of his hand.

The morning glow began to shower more and more light over the capital. People began to exit their homes and get to work. He must have looked horrible, walking through the streets, scuffed and covered in blood. 

He took a look at himself in the reflection of the knife given to him by Faith. He was happy to see that the face looking back at him was not one of a murderer, but what he saw still wasn’t enough to ease his heart.

He saw himself. But now with a newfound dread and fear in his eyes. He sighed with a feeling he couldn’t quite pinpoint, and sheathed the blade.

He didn’t have it in him to lose his mind over what he saw. He didn’t have it in him to be affected by the deaths of multiple people; he didn’t have the current brain capacity to truly process the slaughter he was just exposed to. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

Despite the inability to think about the sights he had seen, one thing persisted in his mind.

The cackling of a horrific little girl, a horrific little girl who had painted his grey world with an uncomfortable, sickening red.

△▼△▼△▼△

(Art credits: @yjirch, @lauuiscooked, @ponlypone)