25. The Christmas party

People wearing suits, haoris, or expensive dresses, rebels in casual clothes, waiters in uniform… The hotel bustled with activity.

I felt awkward as I walked through the hall.

Beside me, Ray looked even more nervous. Though he was dressed quite elegantly, he had kept his baseball cap, lowering it as if he didn’t want to see anyone at the party.

Yeah, oddly enough, I was attending a Christmas party at a very posh hotel in Somerville District.

Apparently, the one organizing it was the Sunclaw family’s head, a powerful, filthy rich company owner and the “secret” leader of one of the most famous gangs in the Underworld: the Black-Hearts. Ray and I had had a bitter encounter with Sally, the fourth child of that man, who now wanted to apologize to us. Or so I was told.

I stopped as the Lord Necromancer in front of us showed our four invitation cards to the manager. Louise spun on her feet, her eyes shining like stars. Like me, she was in casual clothes, wearing her favorite short pants with black leggings and a punk style blouson. Pff, she was way prettier than the elegant women who were weighing her up mockingly in the hall.

“Why did I come?” Ray sighed fatalistically under his breath.

If he asked that to himself when he was the Lord Necromancer’s son, then… what was I, a simple undead, doing there?

I rolled my eyes. In any case, I was glad Ray was doing well. The day before, after I played the violin for several hours, the Lord had finally walked in the room and said, “get out”. It did feel like an order more compelling than a normal one, but it didn’t feel like I couldn’t fight against it, so I guess Uncle Adrian had really freed me from the Lord’s ties… I still complied and left. The Lord didn’t mention what his uncle had done, but I was sure he knew. And he was angry.

Apparently, Ray woke up in the evening but I knew nothing of it until Louise came to Ray’s house late in the morning and told me:

“Alumen! Ray is awake! We’re going to a party tonight, get ready!”

I only paid attention to the first part and bombarded her with questions about Ray’s condition. Around 15 o’clock, when she talked about that “party” thing again, I thought she was making it up, and I just kept doing housework, cleaning the wooden floor and the windows… I tried not to think. Why Ray hadn’t called me yet? That question was the one that troubled me the most.

The thing is, just one hour ago, Louise told me to come with her to that “party”, and we ended up in Somerville District at the Marvel Hotel. Much to my surprise, there was actually a party, and when Louise said we had to wait for the Lord and Ray at the entrance, it turned out they really showed up. I was taken aback as Ray muttered an explanation. It seemed that both of us had been invited to the Sunclaw’s Christmas party to accept further apologies from the real culprit of all this mess: the red-haired medusa that had thoughtlessly attacked us, Sally Sunclaw, the Red Viper.

I scanned the busy hall with a nervous look.

“They are not here,” Ray said.

How did he know I was searching for Sally and Erma?

Instead of making us wait in the hall, the manager immediately called an assistant to lead us upstairs, to a palace-like room that seemed to occupy the whole floor. Tables with food were scattered along the walls. Everything was grand and fancy, from the lustrous dishware to the large pots with plants arranged around the room.

A group of people was there. Among them, I recognized some people: the medusa Sally I hated now so much; Lei Sunclaw, the martial artist that had wanted to take me in his group; and Erma. Her pink hair pinned in two pigtails, the Lil Witch straightened as she saw me, but kept silent as a man stepped forward.

“I’m glad you came, Doctor Styxer! Oh! Is that your son?”

“Evening, Ruslan,” the Lord said casually.

“Good evening, Mr. Sunclaw,” Ray greeted.

Mr. Sunclaw? Could he be the family’s head? His hair was long and pink as Erma’s; his face, surprisingly young; he wore a richly adorned, dark blue tunic.

But wait… did he just call the Lord “Doctor”?

“Is my patient doing well?” the Lord asked.

Ruslan Sunclaw nodded.

“Our elder is doing just fine. Sometimes I think he’s doing too well, actually. He went skiing in the Hawaii Mountains last week and came back with a girlfriend. He’s out with her right now. No one would say he will be a hundred years old in April.”

They both laughed. I had a bad feeling about the meaning of “patient” there. Was the Sunclaw’s elder an undead? Or was his health being improved with necromancy techniques? Anyway, if the Lord really did that kind of business, it was easy to understand why the Sunclaw family was so kind to the Styxer family… and why the Lord Necromancer was so highly respected in the Underworld.

“So, Ray, was it?” Ruslan went on. “You’ve grown so much. You were, what, eight years old the last time you came here? You may not remember my kids. Unfortunately, Joan and Zoe aren’t here, but let me introduce the rest of them to you: this is Daniel, the eldest. Some say we’re like two peas in a pod despite our age difference.”

Daniel gave him a cold look, nodded in Ray’s direction, and said:

“If you excuse me, I’ll go welcome the other guests, Father.”

Ruslan waved.

“You may go. Those are Lei and Axel. They are twins and are about your age. Linah is the youngest. And this is Sally. She’s barely two years older than you.”

“They were good friends, back then, weren’t they?” the Lord said happily.

“Ah, they were, they were!”

Had those two forgotten that Sally had almost killed Ray just a few days ago? Clad in a dress as red as her hair, Sally looked embarrassed. She should. I gave her a venomous glare. Yeah, she definitely should regret what she had done to Ray.

“Ah…” Ray drew all the attention. He had never been good at handling public reunions, even at school, and I thought he would just freeze, but then he said firmly: “Apparently, Sally said she wanted to apologize.”

Before her dad’s insistent look, Sally stepped forward and bowed to Ray, quite reluctantly.

“Ray Styxer. I didn’t recognize you when I saw you last time. I thought you were just a thug trying to take advantage of my little sister. I acted rashly. I ask for forgiveness.”

Just seeing her contracted face, it was obvious that she was having a hard time apologizing. Not only had she been forced to accept that she was in the wrong, but she also had to say those words in front of her whole family. I could almost hear the huge blow her pride was taking. I smirked. Serves you right, damn medusa.

“It’s okay.”

Ray’s words struck me like lightning, and I looked at him with an incredulous face.

“The hell’s okay?” I snorted. “She nearly killed you—!”

“Armen, be quiet!” Ray snarled, clenching his fists. “Sally apologized. I should apologize too. For what happened when we were kids… I’m sorry. The other day, I lost control of my power again and even attacked Linah. I’m sorry. Luckily nothing irremediable has happened. If it’s possible, let’s forgive and forget.”

How? How on earth could I forgive Sally for what she had done? Erma and I looked at each other, and from her expression, I understood she wasn’t satisfied either. She resented her own sister and wanted to see her punished. Yet, she said nothing as Ruslan Styxer and the Lord proposed to celebrate the good news with a drink. As the two of them got closer to the tables moving on to other matters, Sally grumbled a “what a pain” under her breath and walked out with a majestic gait.

“So you’re Ray,” Axel, one of the twins, said, stepping forward. His hair wasn’t pink or red but jet black; he wore a lot of piercings, and a t-shirt with the words “YOU ARE A LOSER” written on it. He stopped, glowering at Ray. “I remember you, oh, I remember you well, you damn monster. Well… We’ll meet again soon enough.”

He bumped into Ray’s shoulder and passed by. For a second, our eyes met. He muttered:

“Keep barking at Sally, silly dog, and you’ll end up dead.”

So… he didn’t know I was dead already? I smiled, Axel frowned, then walked out of the room.

“Axel that bastard,” Lei said, clicking his tongue. Unlike most twins, Lei and Axel didn’t seem to get along well… “Lei, was it? A namesake?”

“No… It’s Ray, with ‘r’.”

“Oh! Ray, then,” Lei nodded. He looked as if he was trying to memorize his name. That guy… “By the bye, sorry I didn’t recognize you the other day, at the Work-Lair. We were so young the last time we saw each other, I’m surprised you even recognized me.”

“I’m surprised too.”

“Ho? I kind of get the impression we’ll be able to get along! Just so you know, Ray, since the other day, I thought again about your power and… Really, your power rocks. Let’s have a spar sometime.”

“A… spar?”

“Yeah,” Lei smiled. “My siblings spar all the time to strengthen their power. It’s not something we do with anyone, you know.”

Was he saying that he was considering Ray close enough to make him a sparring partner? Ray had never fought anyone, though? He couldn’t even control his power…

“… That sounds like fun.”

I jerked up. Ray was acting odd since I met him at the entrance of the hotel. Was he seriously considering sparring with a Sunclaw’s kid? Erma had said every one of them was strong, and yet Ray was willing to spar with those monsters? Did he lose his mind?

“Great,” Lei grinned. “Then let’s exchange contacts!”

After giving Ray his phone number, Lei asked:

“By the way, who is the girl beside you?”

“Oh, right. This is Louise, my dad’s… huh… my dad’s protégé. And this is Armen, you met him already,” Ray introduced us awkwardly.

“Eeeh. Aya-aya, so it’s true.” He glanced around. Erma was nervously pouring herself a glass of sangria a few tables away. Lei leaned over Ray and whispered quietly so that only Ray, Louise, and I could hear: “You’re a necromancer, right? Kinda creepy, but I like it. Oh, but don’t worry, my other siblings don’t know about your dad’s true identity. I just happen to know.” He winked at him. “Guess our spar will be funnier than expected. Well then, I’ll go help Dan welcoming the guests. I’m waiting for some friends. Have fun at the party!”

I saw Ray swallow hard. Crap. Lei had guessed I was an undead so easily? I just hoped he knew how to keep a secret…

At that moment, Erma came closer hesitantly holding her glass of sangria. Catching me by surprise, she handed it to me. As I accepted it, she said:

“I’m sorry everything turned into such a mess. If I hadn’t hesitated so much to attack Sally…”

I shook my head as if saying, “you’re not to blame”, and she sighed.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Sally is the worst… She just thinks of normal people as worms. She’s so awful.” Her blue eyes gleamed with resentment. Heh. Erma could understand me so well even when I didn’t say a word. She cleared her throat, and her expression changed. “Anyway, I’m glad you came. I was surprised when I learned your friend is actually Doctor Styxer’s son! I heard your dad is a genius!” she told him.

“Er… Is he?”

“Hwara-hwara-hwara, don’t ask me!” She offered Ray a friendly expression, then turned her perky eyes back to me. “Straw Head. Will you accompany me tonight?”

What was the meaning of accompanying someone at a party like that? I had no idea. But I smiled anyway and nodded. Erma smiled back happily.

“Okay, then. Let’s meet on the balcony at nine o’clock! I have a surprise!”

A surprise? I saw her walk away in a hurry as the guests were coming in in groups. Soon, the spacious room was as busy as a marketplace.

“Oh! Papa is calling me!” Louise said suddenly.

As she joined the Lord Necromancer and Ruslan Sunclaw, the three of them got in an elevator. Where were they going? Or more like, what shady business was making them go talk in private? I honestly didn’t want to know.

Ray had backed off to a corner before the increasing crowd. I did the same. The guests were being loud. Who were all those people? Members of the Unholy League? But considering the Lord had been invited, maybe there were members from the Dark Alliance too… Wait, weren’t those two groups enemies? Maybe they were doing an exception for Christmas, like a “time out!” or something like that?

“Armen.”

I looked at Ray quizzically. His face was troubled.

“Sorry… It seems you were invited along with me. I guess it’s the first time you go to those kinds of parties. I… didn’t want to go either.”

“…”

“Y-You must be mad at me because I didn’t tell you about my power. I didn’t because… I was afraid. That power… I don’t know what it can do. I don’t know so… it’s frightening to even speak about it.”

I pouted. Did he really forget he had ordered me to be quiet? Damn… I moved my hand as if I was zipping my mouth close. With that, he would surely understand… But Ray didn’t see me. He was lowering his eyes.

“S-Sorry.”

What was he apologizing for? Dammit. I laid a hand on his shoulder, drew his attention, and repeated my move. Ray looked puzzled.

“What…?” Then he widened his eyes, astounded. “Oh my gosh! Sorry, I’m so sorry, I totally forgot the order! And I’ve been rude to you… I’m sorry, Armen!”

“It’s okay,” I smiled as the restriction was immediately lifted. “I guess I deserved that for what happened.”

“For what happened?” Ray echoed, at a loss.

“Yeah. I couldn’t save you. If it weren’t for your power, we both would be dead right now. I mean, I would be doubly dead. That’s why,” I added, leaning on the wall, “I’m pretty pissed off that Sally got away so easily. After what she did to you.”

“… I understand. But she’s a Sunclaw. My dad does business with that family. And also…” His voice wavered. “I used my power on her, not only once but twice. When I was eight years old… in this very place… I was playing with Lei, Axel, Sally, and other children when I awakened to my power. I lost control and did something horrible.”

I nodded.

“I know. Arkill told me before taking you to the Lord’s.”

“Ah. Well… He did?”

“Yeah. I guess he told me that because he didn’t want me to worry too much. Though he didn’t tell me how it happened.”

“About that… Everything went astray when two Heroes began to yell at each other, one threw a beam of numbing light at the other, who deflected it and… it struck me.”

“So it wasn’t your fault at all!” I snorted. “What about those two idiots?”

“I… I heard they were fired by their association and were fined. But my power got them too on that day… Darkness was everywhere in this room.”

I gasped. His power had covered this palacelike room? No wonder he had freaked out.

“As expected from you,” I grinned, trying to cheer him up. “Oh, but it’s said that the first time your power is unleashed it’s common to cause a big commotion, especially if it’s an elemental power or something like that. My big sis told me.” I paused. “Are you okay? I mean… returning to this place must be rough on you.”

Ray took the brim of his cap between two fingers, then let go of it, nodding.

“I’m fine. But I would be better at home, playing Survival Dungeon 3 with Arkill and you.”

“I know, right!”

We smiled at each other. After gazing at the guests going to and fro in the room, talking, laughing, eating, and drinking, I said:

“There’s something I don’t understand. If they were doing Hero parties here back then, how is it that the Marvel Hotel turned into a den of the Underworld?”

“About that… It’s both, actually. If you take a closer look, you’ll see there are quite a few Heroes in this room.”

“Whaaaat?!”

Ray chuckled at my reaction.

“Look, that group over there is the Jama-Jama Team that was on the news the other day. And the woman that looks like a pirate next to them is the One-eyed Brawleress. As far as I know, there are so many Heroes in Farskyer that the Nyomin can’t pay them all, so a lot of Hero groups have external sponsors. The Sunclaw family is one of those.”

“Huh? I thought the Sunclaw family was a sponsor of the Nyomin.”

“But they sponsor the Independent Hero Association too. And other organizations as well.”

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“Mm… I remember now,” I frowned. “Zeeta told me that even the medusa is a Hero. The Red Viper.”

“Ah, you mean Sally.”

“Yeah. But, Ray, if even people like that can be Heroes, then…” I turned to him with an existential question in mind, “is a Hero really a hero?”

“Mm.” Ray’s eyes strayed to the high ceiling thoughtfully. “I’m sure there are a lot of Heroes doing good deeds for the people. Not only the people, actually. The World Hero Organization is an enormous guild with a lot of sub-organizations, so some members may protect people, while others will protect nature, and others will explore dangerous locations like dungeons or flying Crystals. At the end of the day, Heroes are mercenaries that do odd jobs for a living. And as in everything, there are good and bad people in there—”

“The medusa is the living proof.”

“Pf. Yeah. The world is so full of oddities and Heroes are so numerous that you can’t really say all of them are righteous, there’re scandals every year, you know, but publicly, they still have to adhere to the organization’s values and principles if they want to keep their title. Well, basically, I guess ‘Hero’ is just a designation. A trademark to inspire confidence in customers.”

A Hero title was just a trademark? And there were so many people dreaming about working under a trademark? I shook my head calmly.

“I must be stupid. I don’t get this world.”

Ray laughed.

“I don’t get it either! The world is full of mysteries, isn’t it?”

I had forgotten how much relaxing it was to be with Ray. All these days I had been worrying about him and trying to fool the Lord’s order to disappear… and I had concluded that even an undead was affected by stress. A kind of stress able to fray my nerves. But now…

Right now, I felt like myself again. I grinned and suggested:

“Hey, let’s grab something to eat. I mean, I am eating right now, but you are not.”

We made our way to the tables, and Ray filled a plate with snacks. As we stopped, I said thoughtfully:

“Know what, Ray? You changed.”

Surprised, Ray looked at me with his mouth full.

“Mm?”

“I never expected you would accept to spar with someone.”

Ray choked on a croquette. As I clapped his back, he snorted and covered his face with a hand.

“Argh… Armen… I actually didn’t want to agree!”

I stared at him, bewildered.

“You didn’t? Didn’t seem so to me.”

“I know. I… accidentally agreed.”

“… Hold on, Ray. You even saved Lei’s number on your phone. How are you supposed to do that accidentally?”

Ray grimaced and raised his eyes to the high ceiling.

“But I didn’t give him mine. I can just not call him. Yeah, let’s do that. Now that I remember, Lei has the power to attract things he touches, like a magnet. Dad once told me he got ninth in a competition for young Hero apprentices. Damn! What was I thinking? It’s clear that Lei suggested that spar just to crush me and get revenge for what happened back then. I guess I’m still a bit dizzy from the other day. That must be why I forgot I had given you an order. If I do it again, let me know, okay? I shouldn’t have come to this stupid party—”

“Let’s do it.”

Ray blinked, then turned to me.

“Do what?”

“The spar.”

“… Did you even listen to what I just said?”

I grinned.

“To every word. Let’s do it. After all, when we go to that Experimental Program, we must be ready to face the harsh world.”

Ray’s face turned pale.

“The Experimental Program? You don’t mean—”

“Yes. That program your mom wanted you to take part in, to become one of those trademarked Heroes. Actually, the Lord told me about that, last week, and I told him I would participate too—”

“Let’s go outside.”

Leaving brusquely his plate on a table, Ray led me away from the crowd, to the spacious balcony. Finally away from eavesdroppers, he let out:

“The hell did you say?! I did apply to that program, because of my mom’s insistence, but I thought they had rejected my application file!”

“…?! They didn’t though. Your dad told me you had been accepted. He received a letter.”

“Like hell he did!” Ray snorted. “The letter most likely arrived at my old apartment after I moved, Dad took it from the letterbox and kept it from me. Why?!”

Ray was so calm normally, but he could lose so easily his temper when it came to his dad… He sighed.

“So, in the end, I have been accepted.”

“Yeah. Isn’t that great?”

“It’s not! I don’t want to be like my dad, but I don’t want to be a Hero either.”

There was a silence. When I had promised the Lord that I would convince Ray to go to that two-month program, I hadn’t thought Ray would be unwilling to go, not because of the problem of nurturing our necro-bond, but because he simply didn’t want to. And who were the Lord and the Lightning Veil to force Ray into anything even if he was their son?

I raised my eyes to the high buildings next to the hotel, then leaned on the elegant balustrade and said:

“Your dad told me I can’t stay long away from you because our necro-bond needs to be nurtured. I didn’t know you had to do things like that. Guess it’s like having a pet, you must take care of it and all… I hope it’s not much of a pain.”

“It’s not!” Ray’s exclamation drew the attention of some guests on the balcony. He cleared his throat embarrassed. “I mean, it’s really not a pain.”

I smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that. Anyway, I was planning on entering the program through the examination in January and was actually thinking it would be quite fun, but… if you don’t wanna do it, then let’s not. Wherever you go, I’ll follow, Ray, not because I’m your familiar but because I have high expectations of you, dude, haha… That was a weird way to put it, right? Anyhow… What do you want to do?” I paused, then went on cheerfully: “Do you wanna become a researcher? A geek? Or perhaps a singer?”

Ray gave me a funny glance.

“Why a singer?”

“I’m a violinist, Zeeta is a guitarist, so you should be a singer. Or do you prefer to be a DJ? That would be fun too, we could form a band, and—”

Ray snorted with laughter.

“Ah, I’m not laughing at your idea, Armen, it’s pretty cool, though I couldn’t really see myself as a singer. I was just trying to imagine the face my mom would make if I were to become an artist.” He chuckled, then breathed in. “Though, if she were to know the truth, her reaction would be much worse.” He shook his head. “Honestly, Armen… I never really thought about the future. As a kid, I tried so hard to please both of my parents, reading the books my dad told me so I’d become a lifeforce controller, trying to awake my power so I could become a great Hero… But after I got my power, I cursed them. I hated them. I thought they never really loved me and were just fighting over me like I was some kind of object. Well, the first part is not true, but the second part is not entirely false.” He took off his baseball cap and started to make it spin around a finger as he said: “I never told you about my mom, did I? She’s a Hero named the Lightning Veil. Looks like you already knew.”

“I did.”

Actually, after the Lord had told me about it, I had searched for the Lightning Veil on my cellphone. She was born forty-five years ago in Wuhan, in the Purple Country, a big island in the south part of the world. At twelve, she had saved a family from a natural disaster; she became an apprentice Hero at fourteen, a Hero at sixteen, and a Hero master at thirty-two. She had been working for the World Government in the North-Wing for two decades now and was a fierce supporter of Lovecryce, the director of the Nyomin and one of the Sixteen Rulers of the World…

“You know,” Ray then said. His cap was spinning faster and faster on his finger. “I didn’t want to be seen at school as a Hero’s kid, so I said nothing, and as time passed, I—”

“Gah, stop being annoying,” I said as I gave him a slight knock on the head. Suddenly distracted, Ray let go of the baseball cap: it flew away over the balustrade, towards the street downwards.

“Oh no, my cap…!”

Thankfully, I reacted quickly, used my power on the cap, drew it closer, and finally caught it. I grinned innocently and put it on Ray’s head before his surprised face.

“Safe! Oh, and no need to find excuses, Ray. It may be a bit rude to say it like that but… I honestly don’t care about your mom.”

After all, if his own son had tried to avoid her for so many years, why should I care about her? Ray paused… then adjusted his cap with an amused snort.

“You improved. Are you practicing?”

“Heh, but of course! Now that I am a power-holder, I can’t let pass the opportunity. Telekinesis is fun. But I have a long way to go.”

“I think you’re pretty good at controlling your power. See? You said you were bad at focusing, but you can do it when you want to.”

“Studying is different…” I hesitated. “Ray. Can I ask you a question? Why don’t you try to learn how to control your power? It’s an impressive power, way more powerful than mine, I’d say. If you practice, I’m sure you can take it under your control and even beat Lei in a spar—”

“Armen.”

“… What?”

Ray shook his head and drew away from the balustrade.

“Forget it. It’s almost nine o’clock. Didn’t you have a date with your girlfriend?”

I stared at my friend’s back, a bit frustrated. Why did he have to change the subject? Anyway… a trauma couldn’t be overcome overnight. I protested, amused:

“I’ve got no girlfriend! Erma is a friend.”

“I know,” Ray said raising his hand without turning. “I’ll search for my dad. Have fun. Remember not to drink. Alcohol is bad.”

Especially for undead, since it lowered the effect of lifeforce absorption, I remembered.

“Oh, right…” He stopped. “Yesterday… I mean… Is it true that you played the violin for five hours while I was asleep?”

Did the Lord tell him? I felt a bit awkward as I answered:

“It is. Ah, the violin is Zeeta’s present for Christmas. He’s only one year older than me, but he spoils me like a brat, really… Anyway! I played for five hours, but you didn’t wake up, sleepyhead!”

Ray looked back, smiling.

“Thanks. When you told me you play the violin, I was surprised. But somehow… it suits you.” I blinked, even more embarrassed, as he added: “To tell you the truth, there were violins in my dreams.”

“…! There were?!”

“Yeah. The shadows were attacking me, then the music started and… Well, that sounds a bit weird, right? But thank you. It’s a pity that I couldn’t listen to the real thing, though.”

Ray had never seen me play the violin. His interest made me grin.

“I can fix that any time. Like, for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve for example. I’ll try to get Zeeta too if he’s free.”

“Mm. I’m looking forward to it. Also, I’ll be taking a copy of that album.”

“Heh, sure!”

As Ray left the balcony and disappeared in the crowd, the neighboring Shell Hotel’s giant clock struck nine times. Erma was nowhere to be seen. Did she forget our appointment?

My cell buzzed. I raised an eyebrow as I took the call.

“Zeeta? Did you finish your work?”

Earlier, he had told me he had a little job to do.

« I’m free tomorrow. »

My eyes slowly widened. How on earth did he hear us…?