Soft light spilled through the curtains as an alarm hummed gently, stirring him from a cocoon of warmth. His eyes fluttered open, heavy with the remnants of sleep, as he stretched slowly, arms reaching above his head until his joints released a satisfying crack.
"Good morning... ah.. right. He's not here."
Getting out of bed, Nero reached for the alarm clock and turned it off with a satisfying click. Then in slight reluctance, he pulled out his communicator and checked his messages.
IdioticMongrel67: [Oi, cancel whatever your doing and come down to the town square]
His faced churned just looking at it.
'That guys ego is so big just because he beat me once.. the second I comeback from the dream realm I'm gonna kill him. I swear...'
Sniffing the morning air slightly, he caught the scent of coffee and something tasty brewing in the house, instantly curing his foul mood. Quickly slapping on some casual comfortable clothes, he marched out of his spacious room.
Morning light poured through the windows, spilling across the polished marble island where a vase of fresh flowers stands like the heart of the room. The scent of coffee mingled with the faint sweetness of pastries cooling on the counter. Silver gleamed from the refrigerator doors, and the white cabinets glowed softly, reflecting the day's first light.
There, smiling near the oven was Elize.
"Morning mom."
Nero reached over and quickly swiped a chocolate filled pastry, as well as a mug of coffee.
"This is a bit much for two people isn't it??"
She chuckled.
"I've never had this much to be able to cook with before, let me have some fun. If you think so anyway, you can always invite those government friends of yours again."
"No, can do. They're busy today."
At the end of the day, Cyrus was a government awakened. They were always understaffed, so the fact that he was able to help him out so much was a miracle in of itself. Kalane on the other hand, was actually a mercenary who worked for hire, so it wasn't every day that she would actually be in the Colony. Nero hadn't even seen her for almost a week.
Anyhow, he needed a day off from all the hunting and practice anyway, for today was the last before the winter solstice. He was already as prepared as he could be with a trove of Soul Shards that could last him for 4 months from his flaw.
His Soul Core wasn't fully saturated, but with the amount of memories he had gathered, it wouldn't be out of the question for someone to mistake him for a legacy.
If you ignored his face.
A break and time to spend with his mother before he left, was just what he needed though.
'Well, it was meant to be.'
This apartment they were living in wasn't a permanent stay either. It was supported by Cyrus, just for until either Nero or Epsilon returned from the dream realm and had enough credits to move mom elsewhere.. or whether both of them died.
'Not like that would happen. And I'm gonna come back first, obviously.'
Quickly chugging the mug of coffee, he said,
"I'm going out for a while."
"Oh, alright. Make sure you don't go near the slums though, I've heard a maniac murderer has been running loose down there."
He flinched harshly, but Elize's back was turned away to see it.
Deaths were a common occurrence in the slums, but the recent murder was a too brutal to not gain any infamy.
"Al-Alright!"
**
The buildings that lined the street stood clean and bright, their windows glinting in the morning light. Fresh paint gleamed on the walls, and neatly kept signs hung above doorways that opened into cafés, boutiques, and bookshops. There was no trace of decay here, no crumbling stone and no peeling plaster unlike the slums he used to live in.
Before, he would've thought that this was luxury.. but now he questioned himself.
'Is this really just average everywhere else?? I thought everyone was struggling but..'
That wasn't the case at all.
Around him, people moved with easy confidence, dressed in jeans, jackets, and soft sweaters, the kind of casual comfort that spoke of quiet prosperity rather than struggle. Their laughter drifted through the air, blending with the hum of conversation and the distant rhythm of passing PTVs.
Seeing them all made him feel alien. Before he would've thought that he'd never have that kind of life, but now he was dressed just like them, and living just like them too.
Well not exactly. They weren't being sent to another world tomorrow.
'But they have their own struggles to worry about too. Mundane struggles.'
They were normal, he was not.
Just to remind him of that, he found himself walking past the familiar police station. Recalling how he was strapped to a table, with the threat of a machine gun instantly filling him with bullets if he failed that nightmare, he felt a little nostalgic, even if it wasn't that long ago.
'Good times.'
Feeling his communicator vibrate in his pocket, he didn't hassle to check what it was.
IdioticMongrel67: [Hurry up!]
"..."
He made sure to take extra time getting to his location. Eventually arriving though, he immediately noticed a well dressed and handsome young man laying against a lamppost. His hair was pitch black, shoulder length and unkempt, with a subtle amount of facial hair growing from his face.
In his mouth was a cigarette, although it didn't seem to be lit.
Of course, it was Mujin from the Red Sons, the one that had beaten and robbed Nero that day. The same night he moved in and got a communicator from Cyrus, this man visited him to exchange contact info.
Out of spite, he saved him with an appropriate name, he personally thought.
Slightly hesitant to go near him, he paused for a moment to take a deep breathe. But Mujin's head sharply turned in his direction, before taking his lollipop out from his mouth and waving at him with a cheer on his face.
"There you are! Why'd you take so long?"
'What the hell is he happy about?'
Before he could reluctantly take a step in his direction, Mujin was suddenly overcome by a swarm of girls.
They were laughing, shouting, with some even reaching out to hold him by his hand. They surrounded him in a blur of movement and bright faces, excitement rippling through the air like static. Their enthusiasm swallowed him whole.
"Woah! Ladies... calm down..."
Nero couldn't be asked pushing through them just to reach him, so in the end he just waited.. and waited.. and waited..
By the end of it, the sun was already setting.
Once the crowd of girls was finally gone, Mujin walked towards Nero, with a smug look hanging on his face. In his hand was his communicator, blowing up with countless messages all from those girls, already asking when they could see him again.
Looking off at the sun, he asked with a hint of surprise,
"Wow, its afternoon already?"
He could see the irritated look Nero was giving him, but did his best to ignore it. Taunting him lightly, he complained,
"Ahh.. being this handsome at my age really is tiring..."
Nero screamed at him,
'Asshole! You took that long on purpose! You think just because your hot, that you have the right to waste my time like this!? Your dead when I come back! DEAD!'
Of course, he dared not to say that out loud, but his hatred was apparent on his face.
It was notable that an awakened got more beautiful as their rank increased, so it wouldn't be wrong to say that Mujin was one of the most handsome people on the planet right now. Of course he'd be attracting stares wherever he went.. but a crowd of girls? This was just too much...
In contrast though, Nero was even uglier. Although he could brush his teeth with toothpaste now, they were still quite yellow. And no matter how clean he got and nice he smelled, it still wasn't fixing his face which was.. a bit better after he awakened, but still below average.
Perhaps Nero's own ugliness, was enhancing Mujin's handsomeness.
Snickering, he added,
"Jealous?"
Despite all his emotions, he held himself back from recklessly activating his Dormant ability, and destroying the whole area. Even if it would leave him more limp than a wilting flower. He could do nothing but bite down on his lip.
'Aggh, I'm sure Epsilon isn't doing any better. Emma is within his league anyway.'
Patting his shoulder, Mujin irked,
"Anyway, follow me. I've got something interesting to show you."