EVERGREEN RESIDENCE A

VIRTUM, GRATA - 9:27 PM

Zack’s ringtone can be lightly heard in the background, drowned out by the sounds of machinery as he finishes the sniper rifle Entro requested. He eventually gets annoyed at the continuous ringing, and answers the phone.

“How’d it go?” he asks.

LUNE RESIDENCE

AURUS, PRECIDIA - 9:27 PM

“Uh, not so well,” Nick replies, seated on Elena’s porch.

“What, they haggled?”

“Nah, it's… Where’d you get this contact?”

“An acquaintance of mine. Why?”

“Well, you might wanna tell your acquaintance to do better research. I almost got duped by a fucking kid,” replies Nick as Zack laughs on the other side of the phone.

“A kid? Shit, did you at least get the money?” asks Zack.

“That’s what I’m trying to say. I’m gonna be staying in Precidia for a while to do some jobs so I don’t come home empty-handed. Is that good with you?” Nick asks.

“C’mon Nick, no need to make bullshit excuses. Just admit you want to enjoy the festival and get it over with,” Zack replies, assuming Nick was ashamed to come home due to the incident.

“Wha? I’m telling the truth!”

“Sure you are. By the way, you been able to contact Celeste and Luke?”

“No, why? Their deal was earlier, right?”

“It was, and they haven’t responded to any of my texts or calls,” says Zack as Nick’s heart drops.

“...Not to make you worry, but I saw a news report earlier about several people drowning in an apartment. Their usual meeting place.”

“You don’t think…?”

“I used to be imprisoned with someone who possessed liquid generating abilities… but I’d rather not speculate; could be Palladium for all we know. Regardless, I’d be out for blood.” Zack says, putting down the phone and going back to work. Nick on the other hand is left in silence, staring at the starry sky. Because of pollution caused by Eternal Drive technology, the skies of Aeternum were perpetually clouded. In Aurus, however, the stars and moon are quite visible. Very rarely do you get the chance to appreciate nature in the dystopian lands of South Lavia.

The door behind Nick slides open as Elena steps out into the moonlight.

“What’d he say?” she asks Nick as she sits next to him.

“He doesn’t believe me, but he gave me permission to stay.”

“That’s great! We’ll start early tomorrow, around 7,” Elena tells Nick as he nods.

“And uh, sorry again about the couch.”

“Please, I’ve slept in far worse conditions,” Nick replies, making Elena smile. His phone vibrates when a wave of text comes from an unknown number.

NICK!!! ARE YOU OKAY???

This is Celeste btw

My old phone died, pls save this new number

Same with Luke, he’ll text you soon

PLEASE COME HOME!!! PALLADIUM MEMBERS SAID THEY DON'T DO BUSINESS IN PRECIDIA!!

IT MIGHT BE AN AMBUSH SET BY E-DRIVE!! PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!

“Who’s that?” Elena asks, peering over Nick’s shoulder to read the messages.

“Just a friend of mine,” he says before replying to the messages.

Don’t worry, I’m fine. Wbu? Zack’s pretty concerned

We’re okay, just had a little setback. I’ll call Zack after this

Alright, I’ll be in Aurus for a while because of a setback too.

I’ll tell you all the details tomorrow, I’m a bit tired right now

Oh and btw we were informed that that Rhyne Fortune guy is still alive

Fortuna*

Sorry autocorrect sux

Apparently he got a nasty injury from a car accident and was confined to headquarters

Wtf??? How have I never heard of it??

He got depressed and went radio silent for a couple years

Nowadays he quietly works as a coach and observer

Well good for him, I guess

You should really go contact Zack now. He’s getting super worried

Ok. GN and stay safe

You too Nick texts back before putting his phone to sleep. He continues conversing with Elena.

“That kid, Zico. He your brother?” Nick asks.

“No, but he might as well be. He used to be from Terminus.”

“Terminus? How'd he end up here?”

“He was just five when his parents were killed by Eternal Drive. He chased after them, sneaked into their cargo and ended up in a shipping facility here in Aurus,” Elena explains as Nick listens.

“He was spotted by a couple of soldiers and they ended up harassing him. I came across the scene, told them he was my little brother who wandered off too far. Thankfully they let him off,” she continues.

“Since then I’ve treated him like an actual brother. He’s a crafty and slippery kid as you know, but he’s not bad.”

“I get that he’s still young and naive, but you really need to keep an eye on him. He’s lucky I was the one he tried scamming, if it were anyone else…” Nick tells Elena as she sighs, disappointed at her oversight.

“I know… And thank you for being understanding.”

“No, I get it. I’m a kid trying to get by, just like him. I’d probably have done the same thing in his position.”

“...What about you? How’d you get into this business?” Elena asks Nick.

“I- uh… My family died in an accident. One of my father’s coworkers took me in afterwards, he owns this underground arms dealing business, and the rest is history,” Nick replies.

“Was it your decision, or his?”

“It’s kind of a mutual thing, really. First he had me help manage this flower shop in exchange for letting me live at his place. Then he told me the truth when I turned sixteen; the flower shop was a money laundering scheme for his real business.”

“...Do you ever plan to stop?”

“...It’s always been my dream to join Palladium. I’ve idolized them for as long as I can remember, and one of them saved me when the accident happened to my family,” states Nick.

“But, you know… maybe you’re right; I can't ignore what happened during the earthquake. Maybe all those adverts are just lies and propaganda. Maybe North Lavia is a living hell,” Nick continues, contemplating his future.

“Well, maybe Valcove isn’t so bad if you’re a demediom. Better than the volunteers in Yundash who head straight to their deaths,” Elena continues, unaware of Nick’s true dilemma.

“Can I tell you a secret? Since you told me yours, anyway,” Nick asks Elena who nods. Nick raises his right hand, his fingertips sending sparks that travel between each other as Elena’s lamp flickers in the background.

“You’re a demediom too?!” she exclaims, stunned at the revelation.

“Yeah. I don’t really care about risking my life battling demons, I can handle myself in a fight. It’s just… My dad’s friend has done so much for me, y’know? I feel like I owe this to him,” Nick answers.

“I get it, but… if you live your life for somebody else, you’d spend every day thinking about what-ifs and could’ve-beens,” Elena replies.

“I’ve been in that situation before, and trust me; the time will come when you’ve had enough, and you finally start living life the way you’ve always wanted to,” she continues as Nick ponders.

“What was your old life like?” Nick asks Elena as she returns a half-smile.

“That’s a secret for another day. It’s getting late, and we’ve got a big day ahead of us. I’m gonna go get some sleep; you should too,” Elena says, standing up from the porch. Nick begins to worry, thinking that he triggered something within Elena to make her leave so suddenly.

“Hey, sorry if I pried too much. I won’t ask again,” Nick says, trying to end the day on a good note.

“Don’t worry, I’m just really tired. I’ll tell you another time, deal? And sorry again about the couch,” Elena says before opening the door. Nick follows her into the living room, where he is greeted by the soft, yet four-feet long couch which is nowhere near enough to fit him.

“Goodnight, Nick,” she says, heading upstairs to rest.

“Goodnight,” Nick replies before trying several positions on the couch, none of which were comfortable. Suddenly his phone vibrates, and he is greeted by a text yet again from another unknown number.

yo bro dont go to aurus

-luke

Nick turns his phone off, disregarding the message as he goes to sleep on the floor.

LUNE RESIDENCE

AURUS, PRECIDIA - 5:45 AM

Several alternating thumps can be heard as a groggily Elena heads downstairs. To her surprise, the lights in the kitchen and dining room illuminated the area as if it were daytime.

Elena finds the kitchen empty, but is greeted by Nick in the dining room who waves at her. She finds the table already set, with omelettes and strips of cooked bacon laid on three plates, with the third being half-consumed as Nick eats.

“Morning! Sorry if you were planning to use the eggs on something,” Nick says as Elena stands speechless.

“It’s uh, the least I could do for letting me stay here,” he continues.

“How was the couch?” Elena asks.

“Cold and hard,” Nick replies.

“Wait, you slept on the floor?”

“Elena, that couch can barely fit Zico,” Nick says before taking a sip of coffee.

“I know...” Elena sighs, sitting down to eat.

“I’ll talk to him, ask him if he’s okay with sharing his bed,” she says before taking a bite.

“Nah, it’s okay. Let’s not inconvenience the kid. I’m sure he’s in for the lecture of a lifetime when we get back,” replies Nick as Elena smiles.

“That reminds me, how’d you find us?” Nick asks.

“A young man, obviously from far away, heads to a bar hidden in a back-alley instead of enjoying the Aurus Festival. You can fill in the blanks,” Elena replies before continuing to eat.

“Wow, you’re serious about the vigilante thing,” Nick says in disbelief, realizing that Elena followed him that night.

“Just like how you feel indebted to your father’s friend, I feel indebted to Aurus, too. But I like what I do, and I’m happy with doing it for the rest of my life,” Elena explains.

“Ha, wish I could say the same,” Nick replies, taking another sip.

“Like I said... don't let those what-ifs and could've-beens pile up," Elena tells Nick, who nods.

"Noted," Nick answers as he sets down his glass of water.

“By the way, could I get a background on this business owner that we’re gonna meet?”

“Sure. She’s the widow of the former mayor of Aurus who was suddenly killed. There’s no confirmed suspects or motive, but it’s obviously Eternal Drive. Before his murder, he and his wife were super outspoken about Estreval’s monopolization,” answers Elena.

“Man… That’s so fucked,” Nick comments, appalled at the information Elena was dumping onto him.

“It really is. The worst part of it all? Their next project was going to be a school-slash-daycare for orphaned kids. A place for people like Zico to call home. And they completely tore it down in favor of the new outpost that we’re gonna attack.”

“A place to call home, huh?” says Nick, staring out the window. He had been away from his Nexos residence for more than a day now, the longest gap since moving in after Zack’s provision.

To Be Continued...