Eyes blurred, travelling through his thoughts. He sits with himself in the uncertainty of his journey so far, chuckling at his mishappenings as of late, reminded of the fact that the others who came along with him in this world seem to have already found their reason of being present, already accomplishing huge feats, compared to himself.

"What am I doing here, old man?" Nahshon mutters, hoping the one who sent him to this world hears him, flashed by a hand in front of his face, bringing him back to the light.

"You doing alright there, buddy?" Ezek asks.

"M-Hmm," He answers.

"I can't believe it," Ezek laughs, looking around the luxurious living quarters. "You remember Henry, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Nahshon looks up, remembering the drunken, angry fellow.

"Get this, I didn't realize at first, but the commander, he said he'd marry her one day," Ezek tells him, causing Nahshon to break out a burst of laughter.

"Damn, now that's brave," Nahshon chuckles, shaking off the laugher. "But hey, anything is possible if you put your mind to it"

"Nope. I know you're one for positivity at times, but this is just impossible for him. We both know it," Ezek tells him, having Nahshon laugh again. "And you already laughed"

They slowly turn to Bjørn taking in multiple breaths as if he's preparing to swim in ice, rehearsing all the possible scenarios he may have with the commander.

"I can't believe we're actually inside her house," Bjørn slaps his thighs.

"Yes, dude. You've said so for the 100th time now," Ezek says, putting his feet on the table.

"If only Nora could see this," He sighs.

"Are all commanders this rich?" Nahshon asks.

"Not sure," Bjørn answers. "Commander Vernon doesn't own something like this, but that's him. He probably uses his money for other stuff, you know. And the thing is, Lady Elise already was wealthy before ranking up to commander"

"Hmm," Nahshon responds.

"She is the daughter of Robert Beaufort and her family owns the largest banking franchise in all of Auropia. And she's from Belle, hence the Bellish design of her home"

"Huh, I see. I knew it," Nahshon says, looking around at the french design of the interior.

"The whole continent, well Henry would be a damn lucky man if he had the slightest chance," Ezek smirks, putting his legs on the table, just in time for Aagni to catch him, arms crossed as they into another staredown.

"Take..your dirty boots..off the table. Lady Élise will soon be down here to speak with you," She says.

"No need to get riled up here, Karen," Ezek smirks. "We'll be in here and out in no time"

She sets to curse him out but halts, hissing as she goes to the window, seeing that others are coming in. One with frizzy hair, fidgeting with her glasses with dark circled-eyes. And their host of the meet, entering in her dress that compliments her pink-coloured hair.

"Gentlemen," She goes, taking a seat across the table, as Aagni turns around to watch for any certain movement from them. "A pleasure to meet you three"

"Yes, ma'am!" Bjørn gets up, saluting to her, then bowing. "A pleasure to meet you again as well"

"At ease, Bjørn," She giggles. "Now, would you boys like something to drink? How about some lemonade? You must be thirsty...especially from all that heat. Nari?"

"Y-Y-Yes, madam?!" The fidgeting one responds.

"Could you get these boys some lemonade for me? Thank you"

"Lemonade, lemonade...lemonade," She repeats, fidgeting with her glasses as she walks along, weirding out the boys.

"...She's had a lot of caffeine today...she's always like this," Lady Élise explains, recognising Ezek boots being on the table, having him take it off and fix his posture with just the pure charm of her jade-green eyes, smiling as he does it. "Firstly, I must apologize for Ayame's misconduct as of recent. The moment she gets home, I'll be sure to have her disciplined"

"Well..." Nahshon pats his head. "It really isn't a big of a deal"

"It should be. For an adventurer as yourself, you must have worked hard for that money, and I shall not have your efforts be reduced to simple chores because of her 'curious' hands," She explains, as all three of the boys gaze as she crosses her smooth legs, hidden underneath her white laced stockings, heat brushing against their faces as Aagni catches them in the act, forced to look up to escape the heat.

"I-I just hope she didn't spend all my pal's money, that's all," Ezek says, repeatedly glancing at Aagni, as Nari comes to put down the drinks.

"Yes, about that. How much did she steal from you?"

"Hmm," Nahshon thinks of it. "Half of my money was in my bag, and that was destroyed at Beastbane...so in my wallet, I think it was around ten grand"

"Alright. Nari, can you go into my sleeping quarters and get an envelope for me, please?" She orders.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," She responds, going to the hall exit, frightened by another who comes running.

"Aunty Élise!!" The elven girl speeds in, breathing heavily, halting her excitement as she sees Lady Élise is busy. "I'll wait until you're finished!!"

"Hazel. Let me guess, your favourite boy group has another thing for you to fetch," Aagni figures.

"A- Shhhh, you have guests," Hazel shushes her.

"Would you like to use one of the cars again?" Lady Élise asks.

"Yes, ma'am! by 12'o o'clock. I'll be home by twelve, that's a promise!" She salutes.

"Hm," Lady Élise responds, pulling out a car key from between her large chest, widening the eyes of Bjørn who grabs Ezek as he gasps for air, nudged hardly away. "I knew you'd come for it"

"Ah, thank you, Aunt!" She tries to grab the key, missing as Lady Élise pulls back.

"By 10;30, I want you home by 10'3o pm flat. No buts"

"B-But...Yes ma'am! I shall not fail you," She says, taking the key away as Nara comes back with the envelope. "Huh. Oh hey, Bjørn. Hmm? where's Nora? she always tags along with you"

"Sup, Hazel. She went to go visit her family at the church"

"And how is she doing?" Lady Élise asks, as Hazel bows twice and waves goodbye.

"She's fine, my lady. Anything you'd like to tell her?"

"Say hi for me, and speaking of that," She gets up, going near the fireplace.

The boys together take a gulp of their lemonade, Nahshon clumsily following them as instinct, three of them doing so in a slick manner, glaring at Lady Élise with her dress tightening onto her, giving more contour to her gorgeous body, as she gets on her knees to get something out of a cabinet. Their tongues burn from their lemonade drinks that have become instantly hot, once again caught by Aagni who's magic has affected their drinks. She takes out two small boxes, setting them down on the table.

"These are sweets. And," She collects the envelope, setting it down as well. "Your money, Mr.Thompson"

"Thank you," Nahshon takes it, as gentleman-like as possible.

"You can share these among yourselves. Make sure to save for Nora as well"

"Woah! these are all thousand dollar bills!" Ezek exclaims, counting the cash.

"That should be around 15 grand in total," She reveals as they get up. "The five is extra for the trouble"

"Thank you, miss," Nahshon tells her.

"Oh," Bjørn hears his phone buzzing. "It's Nora, she's said we can meet in the city. How about we get some sandwiches while we're at it?"

"Yeah, we should," Nahshon tells him.

"How about you boys take a lift with Hazel then. Hold on," Lady Élise goes to the window. "Hazel! these boys would like to get a lift to the city!"

"Alright! I'm starting the car now," She responds, turning on the engine.

The boys nod to the lady, receiving an enchanting smile. They turn to Aagni, arms cross as she stands around 6ft tall. Both boys nod to her, leaving Ezek who doesn't follow suit, forced by Nahshon who pulls his head down. They go out with their gifts, seeing Hazel waiting with sunglasses on, looking cool as she nods to them. They enter inside the luxurious vehicle, and with a push of a button by Hazel, the roof disintegrates into a line behind the rear seats. They cruise out the yard of the house and onto the road.

And with the passing while, they reach into the city of Kristia, a city similar to Oslo of Norway in Nahshon's eyes. Bjørn points to one of the buildings, gaining their attention. They look up at a billboard, impressed by their findings, seeing a cologne advertisement, with the model being no other than Arnaldo, dressed in a classy suit, looking like a real gentleman. They ease into a mega-mall parking lot, with Hazel repeatedly checking on the site of the shop she's going to, worried that they'll run out of her boy group's journals. They enter inside, and Hazel is shocked to see that many other fans have already stormed the shop, screaming names of the boys in the group.

"Alright, I have to go, like now," She hurriedly tells them, running at full speed to the store. "My boys! I won't fail you!!"

"...Fuck," Nahshon goes, cringing along with Ezek, also missing hearing similar music from his world.

They enter the cafe, ordering their desired meal then securing a table.

"Hmm...toast?" Nahshon lifts his drink, toasting with the both of them, digging into their meals.

"And dude, I hope you learned to invest in a saving account now," Ezek says.

"Those exist here?" Nahshon questions.

"Hm..." Ezek smirks, nodding as he looks around.

"Haha, I'm kidding...Jesus Christ! I said I was joking, Ezek," He laughs, seeing Ezek place a summoned pistol on the table, looking like he's ready to shoot someone in the leg.

Distracted by his constant buzzes as they fool around, Bjørn enters into a deep conversation with Nora over text, telling her about what she missed. Already, he can feel her slight jealousy throughout the messaging, next told to meet in another spot.

"Hey, guys," Bjørn calls. "I'm going now. It was a pleasant day, my comrades! See you some other time"

He salutes to them, taking one last bite out of his sandwich. He exits out the door, waving to them as he passes the glass. They return his gesture, with Nahshon catching his reflection in the glass. He tries to pat down his tall grass of hair, looking into his eyes, seeing Hazel pushing through the crowd from across them, hugging the journal as she jumps around like a happy rabbit, running out of their vision.

"I never can understand how people listen to that stuff and don't know one word of what they're listening to," Ezek shakes his head, having Nahshon take a sip of his drink as he knows he's the same, while he recites looking into his reflection as they eat and talk.

"So, what's next?" Ezek asks.

"Well," Nahshon goes, shrugging as he doesn't know either.

"How about a haircut?"

"Yeah, it's really bad, isn't it?"

"Yup," Ezek nods. "Planning on going back around? Christopher's shop? You said he'd give you a discount"

"Yeah...he did," He goes, his eyes dropping at his name. "But...I think I'll just get one in the city...since I'm here anyway.

"...Hmm," Ezek goes, continuing with drinking from his cup.

As time passes, as people pass, with the crowd eventually crumbling apart, some happy to achieve a journal, while others are left in the dust. Ezek looks at Nahshon who's eyes won't lift up anymore, both sitting in silence. Nahshon checks the time on the clock across from them, going back to sipping on his straw, playing with his fingernails, continuing with sucking from his cup, even with its emptiness.

"Tch!" Ezek slams his cup against the desk, echoing in Nahshon's ears, dressing back in his seat, eyes like a wolf's own as he glares at him.

Slowly, he moves his straw away, gazing back at Ezek, eyes like an angry owl's own, as if he's trying to keep him silent, from saying anything. It's as if their souls clash, trying to top one another, with the rest of the world rendering to silence as everyone around them moves like blurred concepts in their moment.

"Nothing good comes out of a man who's always broken, Nahshon. Because he never tries to get back on his own two feet..." Ezek calms. "Two years ago, in another country, Lenny and the rest of us got ourselves a client who would pay good money. In the middle of all of it, I met these kids, a girl and a boy...they would've been our age by now if things were panned out differently. And..even in their shitty situation, they scraped up every drop of strength they could find, because in this world...the weak are never favoured, always picked on. Once you fall, and the weight of the world puts even their shoe on you, that's it...you either crawl out for dear life, or you stay there wiggling like a fucking worm underneath. Each day, they wondered if they had enough to eat for the next to come, even feeding the mouths of other kids they sheltered. Even when the world would fuck them over countless times, they still smiled, they still prayed that one day... one day, they would get out of that shitty lives of theirs, even if they had to lose a limb to do it. I was never one to care how others lived their lives, up until that point, I respected their hunger. And one day, the news reached me...they both died. Our client wanted to sleep with the girl, but she refused...so he raped her. And he saw this, and of course, he never thought to stand and just watch, even knowing he wouldn't stand a chance, even knowing he would sever his food source. I heard they beat him till they knocked his jaw out, and the kneeled him down...so he could watch as they played with her, one by one...right in front of his bloody face. Then they slowly sliced his throat open, and the girl's one after"

Nahshon hands begin to shake to the story Ezek tells, teeth shivering as his blood runs cold, still refusing to look up.

"And just like that, my blood when cold. Can you believe it? Whatever they did, whatever choices they made, none of it would have affected me nor my family, and yet, I was still angry. Every time I saw the kids they left behind, my face became more numb, tch...I even puked for god's sake...and for every time that bastard gave us a job to do, I grew more irritated, till one day...I made my choice," Ezek says, fists clenched as he's called back into his distant memories, remembering the flame that once took his soul. "'When you're hungry, you eat. When you're tired, you sleep. And when someone fucks with the people you cherish, you rain hell'. And that's what I did, I walked into his office and blew that fucker's head off his body...because I knew it would torment me for the rest of my life If I didn't"

Nahshon slowly comprehends his words, eyes calmly widening as he finally looks Ezek in the eyes, his soul feeling heavy, and his face numbed.

"Y-You've killed someone...?" He questions him, his heart feeling like spikes running through it.

"I've killed many in my life, Nahshon. This is what I've grown up to become. The world turned me into a murderer, and I'm glad it did. Because there is no way in hell I'll ever stand and watch anybody fuck with the people I care about, it just will never happen again. But that's not the reason for me telling you all this...what's the lesson here, Nahshon? don't do this to yourself"

His mouth trembles at Ezek's words, as memories flash in his head, bringing out the sadness and guilt he hid beneath his heart. And on their own, his legs spring off his seat. He stops with his shaking eyes, slightly turning his head to Ezek, clenching his fist, running out of the store.

"Welcome to my world...partner," Ezek mouth trembles, as distant memories run through his mind, finally remembering the voice of his mother, calling a single tear that drips from his face as he holds his head.

The warm, freshness of the air hits his body as he reaches on the outside, looking at the evening sky painted above. He looks down into his palms, feeling his blood returning to warmness, and steadily he walks out of the mall. He hails a taxi, telling the driver his destined location, dressing back on the seat as he looks to the roof of the car. His body leads him back into the first town he stopped by. And like fate, he sees the familiar face again across the street. They look to each other, as petals flow across them.

"You're back! I'm already close for the day, but since you're here, I can open up. What do you say, Still up for a haircut?" Christopher smiles, waving to the boy.

"Yeah," Nahshon looks up, patting down his hair. "I would like that"

Christopher walks him back to his shop, opening the store. He sits Nahshon down on a stool, placing the sheet over him.

"And what would you like, sir?" Christopher asks.

"Hmm," Nahshon looks into the mirror. "You know what a fade is, right? cut a little off the top as well"

"Say no more," Christopher tells him, turning on some classical music.

He begins the procedure, cutting the boy's hair with utmost care. Through many cutoffs and shape ups, also shaving his face as well, He finally finishes with his transformation, having Nahshon deeply impressed with the result, the hair on his head feeling lighter as well.

"So, how has it been lately? Have any interesting stories to tell?" Christopher asks, washing his hands at the sink.

"I guess it's been good," Nahshon responds, staying in his seat, looking from the mirror.

"Ah," Christopher nods, both now going into silence.

"...How's your sister?"

Christopher's eyes open up, stopping his washing of hands, fingers twitching as he brushes the water on his towel, chuckling at his question.

"Sorry...I just....thought you'd never ask" He says, resting his at the sink, cracking a smile. "...She's fine. She's been at the church healing up for some time now. Just give her more time and she'll back to normal"

"I see..."

"Yeah..."

Nahshon once again looks down into palms, still feeling the warmth of the sky, shutting his eyes as he feels the rest of it encircle his body.

"...I'm sorry," He tells him, getting up from his seat to face him, silently overwhelming Christopher again.

"For what...?" Christopher chuckles, not turning around.

"For when you needed my help, and I couldn't say anything...I was afraid, and I couldn't admit it," He clenches his fist, looking up. "And even when I saw that you really needed help, I still remained quiet until my friend said something. I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be. You still went either way, and I appreciate that you did that," Christopher grips the sink more. "It's just that...I too was afraid. Imagine seeing your family being dragged away, and then only you can do it just run. Heh, pretty pathetic, right? I just felt...useless. And now, whenever I go to visit her, and I hear of her condition, I just feel that everything is my fault. Whenever she's to sleep, she gets up screaming, and she barely wants to eat anything, or even talk to me...It just hurts knowing I can't help her either... it frustrates me"

Like droplets of rain, Nahshon begins to hear something hitting the sink, and Christopher turns around, teardrops falling down his cheeks as he walks up to Nahshon, taking his hand.

"T-Thank you," He smiles through his crying. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't want to know what worse could have happened. I don't know what I would have done if I lost the only family I have left"

His tears overflow, trying to resist much as he can, covering his eyes. Nahshon reaches out to put his hand on his shoulder, hesitating, just standing as he acts as a support for Christopher. And at the end of it, Nahshon parted ways with him. With the sun setting, he finds himself walking up a garden of flowers, facing the setting sun, taking in a deep breath, looking down at the land beneath.

"A purple hyacinth," He sees, laughing as he takes it as a sign.

And so his eyes open to the world, realizing they are millions of them surrounding him, all expressing the same message. He closes his eyes, spread his arms, remembering he was always one to avoid the grass, fearing what was within. And slowly he falls into the garden, eyes slowly opening again. He picks off the purple petals, enclosing it in his hand, letting it go with the wind to fly away, dropping his arm over his face as he sighs.

"Really...what am I doing here, old man?" He whispers with a fractured voice.

His mouth folds to the heavy feeling inside his chest, placing his hands where his heart lies. And comes a stream of his tears, like raindrops racing down the window, letting it all go within the soil, curling up as he cries his eyes out on the flowery bed he rests on.