Eva dropped Emerald off at his home. He went through his daily routine and finally climbed into bed, turning the lights off for some rest.
"So you gonna watch me even if I sleep?" Emerald asked, looking up at the ceiling.
Eva stepped out of the mirror, her form materializing smoothly. She took a chair from the desk and sat down. "You can sense me, huh?"
"I do."
"Are you human anymore?"
"Who knows."
"Why are you so depressed?"
"Hmm, am I?"
"Yeah, you're so f*cking down, so f*cking down that I could even smell it in this room."
"A man's life, sister."
"Talking of which, where's the gifts from Genna?"
"Oh, about that, I sold it for half the price."
Eva's eyes widened. "Whoa, why would you do that?"
"I'm not a goddamn prince to be wearing hundreds of costumes every day. I picked up a few from it, the balance I just sold it."
"How much is this half?"
"Roughly, $200k."
"What are you going to do with it?"
"I sponsored the college trip, gave a few to some charities, poor people, and as usual, treat my friends to something good every day."
"Guess it's a happy life."
Emerald sat up, his white hair stark against the darkness. "Look me in the eyes and say it again, Eva." Eva felt a genuine chill.
"What's wrong?" Eva asked, suddenly serious.
"Everything is wrong. Me, my decisions, my life, and the only thing that's good is my family."
"You're making it a problem. This ain't like you."
"Respectfully, Eva, what do you even know about me?" He paused, allowing the question to hang in the air. "This guy, this simple kid who laughs and moves from one problem to another, or a guy who is diligent and extremely tactical about each and every move I calculate before I set my foot somewhere. If that's the idea you got about me, then you're completely wrong. I'm not happy. I'm nothing. I can't even trust you anymore. First it was Genna, and now you, too."
"What about me and Genna?"
"Oh, that's right, you don't know it. The friend you respect with each and every last ounce of your heart ain't Genna. She were Lascrea from the moment she was born. Zinan never made his move; Lascrea did it. She's the one who came to me. Didn't you find it a bit odd that Genna just took someone from the outside world into your kingdom and even put him up to fight?"
Eva lowered her head, speechless.
"And she didn't even try to hide it! When we last met, she put out the act, and today you're saying that you knew about the First Emperor residing within me."
"I only caught that after your fight with the Original brat, and I told you it when I got a time for just the two of us."
"Three, Eva," Emerald laughed, cold and unsettling.
"You're really weird, you know."
"I only got one year to live, so I gotta live it to the fullest. Can't complain what fate has bought home to me."
"Well, if that's the case, can I come over on your trip?" Eva asked, brightening slightly. Emerald gave it some thought, then nodded, accepting her companionship.
"By the way, Emerald, how do you know about Genna?" Eva asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, the First Emperor can talk to me in the head, just me and he, and he told me about it," Emerald replied.
"That's kind of freaky, isn't it?"
"Not as much as what you do."
"Me? What?"
"Crawling into a boy's room all alone."
Eva stood up abruptly. "Man, I'm leaving. Now you're starting to get freaky." She waved goodbye as she faded back through the mirror. Emerald went back to sleep, slowly laughing out all the burden over his heart, staring at the ceiling.
The morning came with a startling, insistent noise.
"Kuru kuru kuru kuru kururing, Kuru kuru, Kuruu kuruu, Kuru kuru, Kuruu kuruu, Kuru kururing, Kuru kururing, Kuru kuruu, kururing"
"Ohh man, dawn already," Emerald mumbled. He sat up, looked around the familiar room, grabbed his shirt, and then, completely exhausted, simply went back to sleep.
A few minutes later, Emerald felt a burning heat on his thighs. He initially dismissed it as a mosquito. When the heat intensified, he woke with a jolt. His dad was standing over him, holding a stick.
"What's the time?" his dad asked, his voice low and firm. Emerald just stared at him. His dad yanked the curtains open, flooding the room with light. "Can you understand what this is supposed to mean?"
"Yeah," Emerald replied meekly. His dad walked out without another word.
Without sparing any unnecessary thoughts, Emerald went to the bathroom, grabbed his toothbrush, applied the paste, and adjusted the excess by dancing it under the running tap—an ingrained habit. He washed his face and went downstairs. He saw his sister already up, diligently writing her morning class notes. He gave her a slight, creepy grimace.
In the kitchen, he searched for food, finding the dishes his mother had prepared. Emerald started munching on the boiled egg and pancakes. The pancakes were already cold from sitting out. He kept cracking the dried edges and chewing, maintaining his composure without a single complaint.
As his mother passed by, she stopped, looking at him with open curiosity. After enduring several moments of her gaze, he asked, "What is it, Mom?"
"Nothing," she said, her voice laced with an unfamiliar tenderness. "It's just that I'm not hearing any complaints about the cold food."
His mom left. Emerald kept gazing at the wall, his eyes tearing up instantly at the simplicity of her observation.
(To be continued)