“The hell is your problem, huh?!”

Daniel was pushed back by the strangle he received from one of the gangsters. As his eyes dilated in surprise, his jaw clenched without the slightest thought of how to stand against the guy in front of him, not even a single way out other than to apologize.

“S- Sorry bro.” Daniel stuttered.

“Oi! Speak up, bitch! Speak up!”

Such a shout caused the boy's smartphone to slip from his hand, fell to the floor at the same time when his neck was pushed even harder until his back struck the monitor behind him. But Daniel instead smiled wryly just like a coward, explaining to everyone that he didn't know how to protect himself… Similar as when he begged, “I’m- I’m so sorry. I didn't mean to, I swear to god. So can we just calm down-”

“Nah… Use your stupid eyes… Here! Look at it! That’s a whole fucking bottle, you brat!”

“Hey. The boy said he didn't do it on purpose, and you heard it, right? So get your hands off him!” It was the man beside Daniel, who suddenly shouted back at the half-drunk gangster while grabbing and pulling his hand away from Daniel's neck, since he looked like he was starting to break out in a cold sweat.

However, his actions caused everyone in the room to rise up as if they were preparing for a fight, except for one... The man's legs rested still. Casually enjoying his drink yet his gaze then shifted to a third party, another new person who was on his way towards them with such a troubled face, while two people in the middle were still fighting over whose shout was the loudest.

As one can be heard taunting another man, he says, “So that's what you mean?! Trying to stand up for this garbage, dog? Then come at me, bro!”

The guy actually pulled the sword out of his back, but his movements stopped when someone called his name.

“Farell...”

“What?!”

“Stop it, mate. Not here.”

The voice came from none other than the only person who had been sitting behind all of them the entire time. His eyes told each to look to someone on the side, the internet café operator that was surprised when every eye was finally on him... Something he actually had been trying to do for a long time, but was hindered by his own fear.

At least he had gotten everyone's attention, so he decided to have the courage to say, "Don’t fight in this building, please. I'll clean up the mess, that's fine, but I beg all of you, just take the fighting outside of the building. Is- Is that okay, I wonder…”

“You heard him, Farell.”

Again, the guy was probably talking as the leader of the gang, seemed to be giving decisions to his one fellow at the forefront of the rest. But then everyone’s eyes suddenly turned to Daniel, who was equally shocked to realize that it was an invitation for a challenge should he choose to accept.

“Eh? Me? A sword fight? I’m not a carrier, you see? But, I mean, maybe I can pay for the thing? Is- Is that okay, I wonder… No?”

His innocent smile was met with disappointed faces from all… Even from the one that was supposed to be on his side, who then tried to turn the tension back instead, by saying, “No can’t do. It’s just an accident, and alcohol wasn’t even permitted inside this room in the first place. They are the ones in the wrong.”

[“Okay… What the hell did you say that for!?”]

Daniel shouted angrily but only in his own mind, of course.

~~~~~

“So what should we do then? Wait until the bottle fixes itself and fills up somehow?”

“No… You've hurt the boy, so you have to apologize to him.”

All the gangsters chuckled at the guy on Daniel's side's simplistic assumption, that one party saying sorry to the other would be enough for them to respectfully comply without any differences of opinion. Therefore, it’s only natural that no one would take it seriously, but then Farell's remark piqued everyone's interest.

As he said, “Well… If you really want me to apologize to this dumbass, which is kinda stupid thing for me to do anyway; then someone has to fight for it, am I right? So… What do you say? One on one, just you and me.”

“Sure. I’m fine with it.” Daniel's defender smiled with satisfaction.

“Uh… Guys? Not here? Please? Maybe somewhere else?”

The delinquents' leader rose from his seat in response to the internet café operator's concerns. "I don't want to interfere with your business, nor do I want to disturb this Internet café." He continued with a smile, "but I know a good spot to fight."

~~~~~

“Follow me.”

With just those words from the leader, all of his minions simultaneously moved towards the exit. Likewise the brave man who volunteered to play champion on Daniel's behalf was the last one to step out, but the boy abruptly grasped his arm to clarify something that had genuinely baffled him up until this point.

He said, “I'm not sure why it ended out this way, but there’s no way you can’t see that they are just a bunch of criminals, and nothing more. Right? So tell me, don't you realize they're all only going to kick your ass at the same time? With no rules?”

“Nah, it’s fine. You see, I actually know something they don't about this power, that I can even imagine how they will be shocked and beg for my mercy.”

“Hah?”

Daniel really didn't hesitate to show an expression of disgust towards the man who seemed to still have something he needed to say before he went into a literal sword duel, so he said, “You should go home by now, dude. I mean, the roads are very dangerous at this hour… And who knows, maybe their boss already has some people to secretly ambush you, right?”

To which Daniel nodded, realizing how it really was a very good idea.

So he gave up the brave man's departure for his own sake.

~~~~~

[“It’s a strange feeling, knowing that the guy would be dead by any minute now…”]

Daniel thought to himself while his gaze moved to the internet café operator squatting below, who was busily cleaning the floor which was littered with puddles of alcohol and pieces of glass. Where the boy obviously feels bad, so he attempts to assist… But was refused bluntly with the prior man's remarks heard coming out of him. “You should go home, man.” He resisted.

That's why Daniel decided to just obey and turned around in search of his fallen smartphone due to the previous incident. Checked whether the sacred object that had been dropped hundreds of times was still working or not, nodding happily when he found out the answer and then left the spot in peace.

Which it would take thirty minutes to walk from there to his house; or to be more precise, it’s the amount of time for someone as slow as Daniel had to travel on foot, just to reach the front gate of a small residential complex that was separated from the rest of the city, surrounded by rivers and has only one bridge connecting the highways. Whereby the youngster murmured a song while walking when it was already around ten o'clock in the dark of the night through a few identical housing complexes, till his movements slowed gradually after catching something with his own eyes from a distance.

That in the front of one house, standing several people talking to each other, some of whom Daniel knew quite well since most of them were neighbors of his own block… So he tried back to walk, forcing the head not to think.

And fortunately those people he passed, didn't say a word even until he stepped through the entrance of his own house, where he found his mother sobbing and being held by the folks who were also seated with her.

Strangely, the boy made no attempt to approach. He must have been confused about what was going on as his mouth wanted to ask questions, and no one approached him to explain anything whatsoever.

But truth be told, things are always like this when Daniel is around. Because if the way this boy has lived his life in the neighborhood is to be believed, then it’s true about how he never spoke to anyone and always looked away when someone turned their eyes towards him. Even with his friendly and open nature to people while he was at school or anyplace outside the neighborhood, things were just entirely different here where he actually lived. All because of whispers about Daniel being somehow a terrible person.

Nonetheless, it seems that the boy felt somewhat more relieved than one would expect when confronted with despair and perplexity, as he had a speculation… And he didn't see that one particular figure anywhere around the crowd, after all. So he simply accepted reality and walked casually, too casually in fact, as he entered his bedroom.

Where one can only speculate as to what was going through this boy's head for him to experience such inappropriate relief after such a tragedy. But things suddenly turned upside down when he saw someone standing in his room. There his father was looking out the window, before then glancing back, realizing Daniel's arrival.

~~~~~

The boy's pulse pounded even faster every second. His eyes enlarged, and cold perspiration coated his fingers. Daniel’s speculation was proven incorrect, leaving just one worst-case scenario that he was still trying to deny by remaining silent, waiting for something from the man in front of him to tell.

Unfortunately, his father opted not to say a single word either, instead simply strolling by Daniel and exiting the room as if the boy didn't even exist in the first place.

“Is Saskia okay?” The boy clearly couldn't hold back his ego over the matter.

“Why would you care?” Yet his father's cold response could only make Daniel bite his lip as he watched the guy walk away from him. Leaving his smartphone as the sole means to confirm, so he patiently waited for an answer when he dialed the number.

Sadly, no matter how many times he tried to call, the line was always unreachable. Providing concrete proof that something he was really concerned about had really happened.

But suddenly Daniel’s smartphone vibrated…

This caused his heart to beat so hard for just a moment it almost exploded, only to feel hurt again when the boy realized that it wasn't the number he was waiting for.

~~~~~

“Daniel? You alright? I’ve heard the news about your sister from my parents… I'm very sorry to hear that. And I just… I just wanted to let you know that I’ll always be here if you need me, okay? Stay strong, Daniel.”

It was Fanya on the other end of the line with her voice quivering as if she had just cried before deciding to call, which Daniel didn't respond to at all. Instead he took the smartphone away from his ear and then walked forward to the bedroom window, stepped on the table without having any shoes ready, the boy then left the house for a little walk.

~~~~~

Along with the pain that the boy had to endure, at exactly the same time but in a whole different location, where the sky wasn’t dark with night as it was in Daniel's eyes, but instead a bright morning sun with someone else's eyes reflecting rows and rows of soldiers from behind a thick window glass. Standing there in his pure white suit, nicely combed back blonde hair, watching the last line of troops pass by outside his gorgeous and artistic office, the same color like his clothing but with a slight touch of gold carvings in each corner of the room.

As Edward was listening to a woman standing in front of his desk… Most likely one of his many secretaries, who’s reading out some kind of list of tasks that had been completed and those that were still in progress before finally excusing herself.

“Sir… The other will be here in a minute with her update on the construction project's status of the headquarters in Indonesia that you previously requested." She added before taking a step back, leaving the door to the room closed from the outside with no more than three people left inside.

Only Edward, and two behind him, who also stood but with each of their polar opposite styles of dress and traits compared to the others. As one of them was an old guy, the same height as Edward, white hair and a suit just like a personal servant to some kind of high-ranking official, probably the only one for Edward himself.

And beside him, there’s a young asian girl in her full black techsuit. Roughly around one hundred and seventy centimeters tall, but it’s still obvious that she was way shorter than the two other figures, the same as her hair that is also quite short, black pixie wolf cut. Piercing pair of eyes embellished with something dark around it, maybe some kind of makeup, while her hands on her hips… Clearly waiting for something and getting bored halfway through. Forcing her glance to dart across the room; first to the ceiling, then to the tips of her boots.

Until she decided to inquire directly, despite the fact that she knew it was still not the perfect moment to ask. “Why Indonesia?”

“There's still more people to come, Lady Kamiko… And such discussion is not for public consumption, you know that very well.”

“It’s fine, Damond. I've ordered them to let Evelina come here with the documents instead.” Edward waved his hand to those behind him, suggesting the white-haired man to be a little more relaxed about something Edward had planned from the start.

“So it’s truly because of her, huh?” Kamiko asked with a proud smile of herself.

“Correct.”

“I see… But why tho? She’s literally a three in one great carrier. Doesn't that mean it will reduce the probability that there will be another great carrier in the same region as her?”

“Not quite right. I mean, you might regard this as mere theory, but a great carrier is something that always comes in pairs.” Edward was seen trying to find a comfortable sitting position in his big chair, before continuing, “So if we exclude Albert from the equation, then it is possible that there will likely be two more great carriers that the girl herself will soon discover. And of course, the only effective way to do so is to grant Evelina's request… Something all the elders have long opposed.”

“If I can recall correctly, lady Evelina refused to cooperate with us if she’s not assigned within her own country, am I wrong?”

Damond attempted to assist Kamiko in connecting the dots, to which the girl responded positively with a nod of her head. “In short, you believe that the little girl will naturally cross paths with another great carrier?”

“That’s right. And Kamiko, you will look after her. Apart from our backup plan, of course.”

Someone heard knocking on the door, right after Edward finished his sentence… But before he gave the signal to let them in, Kamiko seemed to hasten to ask one final inquiry.

“How did you know all of this, by the way?”

“Lady Kamiko…”

Damon seemed a little uneasy with the girl's courage, still Edward answered.

“Half of it all comes from my own experience, the other half is from the devil himself. Now, If you don’t mind, could you open the door for Evelina, please?”

“Aye sir…” Kamiko bowed, pretending to be polite before then carrying out Edward's direct order to her.

~~~~~