A short-winged bird chirped and landed on a window sill.
The curtained, ornate windows had a small gap, showing the interior of a fancy-looking room.
On the bed of that particular room, a black-haired young man held a phone against his ear, a serious frown on his face.
“From who?” On the other side of the phone, Cerberus laughter rang. “From our good old friend Alice, of course.
“She visited you, but she made the excuse that you had moved away.
“Ran away perhaps?”
Jesse scoffed. “Ran away? From who? Her or you?”
“Haha, well, you have been doing quite a bit of running lately.” Cerberus laughed once more. “From Yatagarasu to Tonshen, from Tonshen to Lowceiling, from there to Amaterasu, and finally, into your hole.”
‘He has no idea where I am.’ Jesse concluded and kept a straight face. “And, why did you want my phone number?”
“I, of course, wanted to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Haha, do I need a reason to?”
Jesse frowned. “Do you want me to hang up? I will if you don’t stop spouting bullshit.”
“Fine~ I want you to meet with Alice.”
Jesse laughed mockingly. “Why? Wait, I don’t care for the reason. Not happening.”
“Oh, you are making her sad. Are you that afraid of her? I understand; she crushed your heart, and you are angry at her.
“I know how you are feeling. I also had a crush back in the day, but since I was known as a street rat, she only spat in my direction and hooked up with some rich douche.”
“Enough!” Jesse laid on the bed and crossed his legs with an expression of frustration on his face. “What do you want? Tell me!”
“I want you to suffer.” The voice on the other side of the phone turned cold. “I truly despise you, and I will ruin everything you hold dear.”
“Over a video game?” Jesse laughed and sat up, coldness spreading from his eyes to his face. “I am not fucking afraid of you.”
“You are…” Cerberus whispered to the phone. “Hiding like a rat. Isn’t that why you don’t show your face anywhere? You are afraid.”
Jesse grabbed the phone tightly and even caused small cracks around the edges.
“I am not; I promise you that.”
Before Cerberus could say anything, Jesse looked at the phone and shouted.
“When I am ready, I will find you myself!”
Smash—he then smashed his thumb on the disconnect button on the phone and then threw the phone away.
Crack—the phone’s screen cracked as it hit the floor.
“Fucking motherfucker!” Jesse covered his face and took a deep breath. “He wanted to make me angry so I would do something reckless.
“What did Alice want?
“Cerberus wanted me to meet with her so she could find out my whereabouts…”
Jesse’s expression turned cold as he realized what they were plotting.
‘They tried to use my feelings to their advantage.’ Jesse sighed and wondered what would have happened if he had met with her. ‘I might’ve… revealed.’
He then stood up from the bed and walked over to the window.
After pushing the curtains to the side, a welcoming view of the grand landscape spread out before him.
‘Yeah, I forgot…
‘I forgot the reason why I wanted to become stronger in the first place.
‘Thank you, Cerberus.’ Jesse grinned as he looked out the window and felt a renewed sense of purpose. ‘I won’t hesitate in my training anymore.’
‘Next time we meet, I’ll be powerful enough to destroy you.’
…
At the thundering city of Thunderdome.
A green-eyed man looked away from the phone and looked silently at the dark room around him.
The room had barely enough space to fit a bed and wardrobe.
The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper, revealing the decaying plaster underneath.
“Jason, where the hell are you, boy?!”
A loud, booming voice echoed through the thin walls.
Jason raised his head and frowned.
He walked out of the room and came across a messy living room with alcohol bottles and garbage bags strewn about.
On the ragged sofa, a drunken man with a bottle of whiskey in hand was slumped over.
With his drunken breath, he turned to look at his son and shouted. “Where is the food? Do you want us to starve or what?”
The nearby door opened, and a short, cute girl with a cold expression walked out and stopped next to Jason. She looked at their father with unfamiliar coldness.
“Father, have you checked the refrigerator?” Jason asked with a twitching eyebrow.
“Of course, do you think I am stupid?” His father stood up in a drunken stupor and grabbed him by the hair. “Do you think I am stupid, boy? Answer!”
Jason didn’t even flinch, even though his father was trying to rip his hair off.
“No, I am sorry. I’ll visit the store right away.”
“Hmph!” His father then tossed him to the side and spat on the messy ground. “If you wouldn’t be spending all day inside that useless video game, you would actually be something of use!”
“I’ll come with you.” The cute girl grabbed Jason by his sleeve, and they then put on shoes and left the apartment.
It wasn’t raining outside, but there was loud thunder on top of the dark clouds. 𝑶𝗏xt.𝒸𝔬
It was still morning, yet it looked like it was nearing nightfall.
“I heard you calling someone.” The little girl said while holding her brother by the hand.
“It was nothing, June.” Jason replied and looked across the street at the neighboring buildings.
They all looked brand new, with freshly painted walls and well-kept fences, while their own house looked like it was in desperate need of repairs.
“It was something,” June said. “You were very angry.”
Jason sighed. “I called Ambrose. Alice gave me his phone number.”
“Why did you do that?” June asked and looked at her brother’s face. “That was very reckless. You should’ve known better. Did you at least get something out of it?”
“No…” Jason looked toward the dark clouds. “However, I now know what we must do.”
“What is that?” June asked.
“What do you say if we move away?” Jason said and stopped walking.
“With father?” June asked and stopped walking as well.
“That useless drunkard? He has been nothing but a bother.” Jason said and crouched to lower his eye level to June’s level. “We’re better off without him.”
June pursed her lips and looked conflicted.
“We now have a way to make money.” Jason grabbed his little sister’s hands and said with a smile. “Reality Market will be our way out.”
“Where do you want to go?” June asked, and then her voice turned a little bit more excited. “I’ve always wanted to visit Sundome!”
Jason shook his head. “I was thinking about… moving somewhere further away.”
“Where?” June asked curiously.
“How about… Nocklund?” Jason suggested.
June’s excited expression dropped. “Do you think nothing else than hunting him down? Have you considered what could happen if you hurt him in here?
“You could kill him and end up in prison!”
“Nocklund is only the first stop.” Jason said and caressed June’s soft cheek. “When we have gathered enough money, we could move overseas to start a whole new life!”
“Overseas?” June looked slightly excited at the possibility.
Jason then patted her head and said. “I’ll forget about chasing Ambrose for now. Let’s make tons of money so we can leave this wretched place.
“We will then purchase a proper house with three floors and several bathrooms!”
“No more waiting for bathroom turns!” June’s smile blossomed, and she nodded. “S-sounds good!”
“Good.” Jason smiled and with hand-in-hand, they walked under the thundering sky.