[He dreams of the lost days]

———xxx———

Lucas picked up a phone off the ground that had been abandoned when the delinquents ran off. He turned it on, the battery full, and a picture of a huge, fat cat greeted him.

"....."

He slid his finger past the screen, and it unlocked. There was no password, and he decided that the delinquents from earlier truly were stupid.

Please, for privacy reasons and personal safety, put a password on your phone! Otherwise, terrible and morally lacking men could easily sneak into it.

For example, a certain gangster who smoothly found the iMessage app.

His fingers danced across the screen, typing in a familiar string of numbers he remembered, before he pressed on the chat box. After a moment of contemplation, he began to type.

[???: Ahhh, I'm so scared! T^T I also just died, and I don't know what to do! Please say you're alive. I have nobody right now. They all died.]

An emoticon made him sound more approachable, right? He couldn't text under his own number in case of being caught, as he decided to investigate his brother's location through a false identity.

He realized something absently, staring at the screen in a daze.

Neither of them changed their numbers. In a decade, this number still worked. His, too, was never deactivated.

[unknown: I apologize, but it seems like you have gotten the wrong number.]

Lucas felt his heart stop, swallowing.

Was this really him? Or was it somebody else? His fingers trembled slightly, displaying a rare moment of weakness. He changed the contact name before replying.

At some point, the ignored child from earlier had quietly shuffled closer, curling beside Lucas, who sat with his back pressed against the wall.

[???: Really? I don't have anybody else... I wasn't close to the person I was trying to reach, either, so I don't have another way of contacting them. I'm so worried...]

[Kane: I am sorry to hear that. If you need any assistance, I can try to provide youwith  some.]

[???: Really, really?? No way! Please, please, I'm so scared! Thank you, lifesaver!! Can... I have your location? I don't want to be alone, please.]

The little boy peeked up at the indifferent and handsome face that directly contrasted the sweet, pitiful words. Was this how adults behaved? He felt as if they were in truly different worlds.

The typing bubble popped up and then disappeared several times.

[Kane: Unfortunately, that isn't convenient.]

[???: I see.]

Lucas belatedly realized he sounded too cold (like how he usually was) and added an emoticon on the end, and another flurry of text. He was disappointed, but also glad that his brother wasn't stupid enough to give out information that easily.

[???: That's too bad! T^T Am I allowed to call you, or text you when I'm scared?]

[Kane: Feel free to do so.]

[???: Thank youu!!]

The little boy dared to speak at that moment. "...mister, why are you texting like that?"

Lucas only now noticed the child, glancing back at the phone. "My brother's lacking love, so I'm giving it to him. Is there a problem, kid?"

"No, I think you're very, very skilled."

"....." It wasn't an insult, staring into those pure, glittering eyes, but he also didn't know how to feel about being complimented for texting in this energetic way. "Thank you?"

On the other side of the country, a handsome man draped in a long white coat stared at his phone from a soft chair. His head was bent low, dark eyes fixated on the screen. The surroundings were a mess of scattered paper and needles, various medicines spilled on the floor from the earthquake.

He scrolled up and down the chat several times, a little dazed. Then, his lips slowly curled on the impassive face, eyes softening into warm delight.

Of course, he couldn't be completely certain of the other's identity and had to be cautious.

But in that old phone, he continued to carry around even after buying a replacement, there was only one person who still knew that number.

Lucas had no way of knowing the reaction of the person at the other side of the screen and fumbled with the phone nervously. 

For now, he would gain his brother's trust and try to find the location again at a later time. He wasn't sure if there was enough time to simply wait, so he'd actively keep an eye out.

He turned to face the little problem beside him. "Kid, do you have anywhere to go?"

The boy shook his head, not displaying the usual anxiety of somebody his age. He didn't cry, kick, or scream. "My parents died a long time ago. My auntie was killed during the Cinderella Story."

"How did you survive?"

"I don't know how it was cleared..." The child pursed his lips, thinking. "I was the shoemaker's son, and hid in the house the entire time."

"Didn't you want to survive? Did you try to collect shoes?"

"Nope. I can't fight against the adults. Auntie tried, and she ended up dead."

Lucas realized off-handedly that the boy who spoke of his Aunt's death so confidently must have witnessed the gruesome murder in person. Yet aside from an uncomfortable frown, there were no fluctuations in his soft tone.

"...what's your name?

The little boy straightened his back slightly. "Rome Alistair."

Lucas nodded, introducing himself briefly, before standing up. "What do you want to do?"

"Can I..." Hesitation and uncertainty crossed the soft features. Lucas wasn't cruel and wouldn't reject the child's request so easily, waiting patiently. "Can I go with you?"

"Alright."

The bright beam of a smile displayed over the originally calm face truly radiated the innocence of youth. Lucas ruffled the fluffy mound of hair in response. His gaze was distracted, thinking of what his next plan was. There were a few places likely for Kane to have moved to within the country.

If the man had left America on that fateful night ten years ago, Lucas would need to start digging through his past to find the possible locations.

No, it was likely that he remained in America—the battle between Kane and Lucas' boss would occur in the first ranking.

Then, should he seek that mysterious figure whose name no one knew, only referring to him as 'Boss'? 

For some reason, the idea of that made him feel somewhat disgusted.

"Mister, isn't this cute?"

Lucas turned his head to see the boy holding up a tender plush, a pure white beluga. There was a strange air to it, not to mention the lack of stains or dirt, despite having been on the ground moments earlier. The man gradually frowned, narrowing his eyes.

Rustle.

The sound of crinkling paper.

He jerked his head down, gripping onto the plush tightly as the ground blurred into layers of smooth paper, and the entire scenery started to fade.

"Damn! Move!" Yanking the startled boy back, he flung the child a few meters away.

Rome groaned pitifully as he skidded across the pavement, curling up into himself to prevent any serious injuries. When he landed, he scrambled forward as the papers grew larger and larger, eventually curling around Lucas and swallowing him whole.

His knees were bleeding, skin battered and scarred—but whatever waited beneath the fluster of pages was likely to be much worse.

The mournful boy didn't know why he decided to pick up the abandoned toy on impulse, but it was his fault that this happened. Silently, he curled up near the area Lucas disappeared and lowered his head, long eyelashes trembling in wait.

Lucas, while falling, crossed his arms and legs with a dead expression.

It'd been less than a day since the Cinderella Story... what kind of luck was this?? He held no blame for the boy—there was something strange about the toy, regardless, likely affected by a charm to lure in an unsuspecting victim.

Blue light cascaded down from the sky, mirages of ocean colours decorating his tired sight.

Just like the last time, several corners sliced through his skin, and he was deposited roughly on cold metal, slamming against the ground. His entire body protested, and he cursed in his mind.

 Did the Stories purposely injure them in order to make them fail later on?

He remained spread on the floor like butter, lazily lifting his head to peer around. Rows of glass surrounded him, a dim light from the water's reflection and the vibrant colour of fish filling the room.

An aquarium?

Childish laughter rang down the passage, and he pushed himself to his feet. It echoed all around the glass hallways that twisted and turned every few meters. 

The giggle was innocent but continuous, giving the emptiness an eerie feel.

When he took a step on the metal floor, a harsh ringing erupted from his feet, and Lucas scowled. Eventually, the sound faded, and he continued walking. The lights were dim, a glow of blue bouncing off the black metal walls. 

Through the glass, the aquarium felt rather sparse, containing various creatures that moved mechanically, but no plants or anything else.

It lacked the substance of life.

A chill ran up his spine, and he stopped in the middle of a turn. Lucas stiffly turned his head, seeing a small child staring up at him with impossibly big, black eyes. 

Unblinking. Smiling.

A pale, sickly face that made whoever saw it uncomfortable, as the tender red lips were twisted into a smile. The beluga from before was stuffed under tiny arms, stitched up, and fraying at the edges.

Neither moved.