“You’re still here,” Alan addressed a silhouette sitting in the far corner of the poorly lit basement. He passed through five cells, from where snoring prisoners could be heard. The air smelled clean and the rest of the silence was peaceful enough for him to comment. “It’s pretty calming here. I wouldn’t mind spending some time here to help me think.”

The guard snickered at him. “Don’t think I’ve been here sitting on my ass all day. I just come occasionally to bring them food. I have a camera installed here, so I can observe them from the comfort of my home, and I could send any of my Mods in my place.”

And yet, here you are.

Alan put his hands inside his jacket and exhaled, watching in the cell's direction. “Have they awakened?”

“Yes. I’ve been able to communicate with them,” The Administrator of Conduct said, running a strand of hair behind her ear. “They don’t seem to remember what happened. Or at least that’s what they claim.”

“Have Ricardo Silva checked them yet?”

“No, why would he?” Jane asked, raising her voice. “They’re my responsibility.”

She doesn’t trust him, huh? Ricardo doesn’t trust any of his colleagues either. And now we can add Viola Lang to the list of suspects… This will never end.

“Alan, is that you, buddy?” a faint voice spoke from one of the cells, and Alan dashed towards it.

“Richard? Hi, pal. How do you feel?”

“Like if a truck had hit me. Wait, that’s an old-fashioned way of saying it, right? Let’s see. Like if a High-Leveler had kicked my balls.”

“You must be fine if you can joke like that,” Alan chuckled.

“Hey, Alan, do you know when they are going to let us out of here?”

Alan peeked behind him, not finding Jane nearby. She must be hiding, but listening closely.

“I haven’t asked, but expect to be here for a little longer. They have told me that although you’re fine, you won’t be able to leave Unus for a while.”

“Man…” Richard sighed. “I never had intentions of leaving this bore of a place, but now that they’re restricting me, I want to get the hell out of here as soon as I can. Isn’t it weird?”

“It’s just human nature.” Alan shrugged. “Do you remember what happened to you when the black goo trapped you?”

“Nothing. I just remember this platinum hair gal. Oh! And one of your NPCs got stabbed. It was a messed-up situation. We won, right?”

“Yes. We won,” Alan said, bitterly swallowing. “You know, there’s something that still bugs me.”

“What is it?”

“Serenity…”

“Who’s that?”

“The platinum-haired gal.”

“Oh, yeah. What about her? Although she was our enemy, she was pretty hot, huh?”

“Wait, listen… Despite being the host for the Singularity, she was bound to the Novus’ rules. The only reason I even managed to beat her was that she ran out of mana. She didn’t have busted stats, and her skills adhered to what Users can do. So why was she able to copy herself inside the system? That’s what still bugs me.”

Alan scrutinized Richard’s frown, who after long seconds later, formed a smirk.

“That really is a mystery, huh, buddy?” Richard said as Alan heard the rest of the prisoners move inside their cells. “You may have enough collars for the entire Userbase, but what will happen once we have to get out of here? Would it be ethical to slave humanity’s last hope, Alan warden?”

“You’re kidding me,” Jane could be heard muttering from the shadows, watching the other four prisoners stand at the same time and stare at her from behind the bars.

Alan exhaled in front of Richard before walking away. “If that’s the game you’re going to play, I’ll find a way then. See you later, Richard.”

“What do you mean?” Richard asked. “Hey! A way for what?!”

“Do you know what this means?” Jane grunted while following Alan to the exit. “Look at them! I can’t release them yet.”

“But you must,” Alan said after opening the door. “They’re human consciousness is still there. Put all the restrictions you want on them, but you still must let them go.”

“But you said it yourself. If the Singular has an ability not allowed by the system, who knows what they could do. This sounds more like hacking!”

“Then you must admit that you need Ricardo’s help. We mustn’t let this situation get out of our hands. If we can’t trust each other, we’ll fucked this up before it even starts.”

Jane stared at him, squinting. “How can you say all that with such a calm face?” She folded her arms. “Fine. I’ll ask for his help. You’re moving today, right?”

“Yes.”

“Go. I’ll take care of this. I'll call you if I have an update.”

“Thanks, Administrator. I count on you.”

Jane shook her head while watching him go. “Wait, Mr Alan.”

“Mister?”

“Although I agree with you on this one, you can’t live like that, trusting everyone blindly. Either you’re stupid, naïve, or a masochist.”

Alan smiled at her. “Yes.”

***

When he returned to his home, which was now just an empty lot, he expected to see only the members of Phantom Seekers waiting for him. What the…? A large group had already gathered there. A third of New Unus City. Users and Advanced Slimes alike called his name and patted his back as he approached.

“W-what is this? Is judgment day upon me?”

“We’re here to say goodbye to you, Alan Comatose Warden,” Brenda, owner of the underground bar, said aloud, with her husband Kristoff beside her, nodding. “You made living here fun again.”

“Although I destroyed the entire town?”

“If it wasn’t for that, Miss Cosmica would’ve never come, so we thank you for that,” Jared, the weaponsmith. said, hugging her NPC wife.

Others agreed, chuckling. “Good luck, Comatose.”

“Take care, Alan.”

“And stop getting into trouble, eh? Or you’re going to make Amelia sad."

As Alan watched their smiling faces, he sobbed. “Oh, guys…”

“Ready to go, Alan?” Amelia asked, carrying their miniaturized house in her hand, looking like a dollhouse.

As the group turned their backs and Alan waved goodbye at them, a shrieking voice could be heard from a distance: “WAIT! Don’t forget about me!”

“Oh, crap,” Alan muttered.

Being the strongest of the town besides Amelia, Clara Dominguez shortened the distance in a couple of seconds thanks to her high Vitality rank. Despite that, she panted like she had run a marathon. “Were you leaving me behind, you bastards?!”

“Of course not. We could not leave without you,” Alan said in a monotonous tone.

“That’s more like it,” Clara smiled, and put her hands on her hips. “Well, it was a pleasure working with you, Unus! Thanks for being such a welcoming folk! Take care, and hope that the stars unite us again in the future!” As she laughed out loud, the citizens remained silent. “Let’s go, Fabio.”

“I can’t go, ma’am,” the NPC said in a polite tone, and Alan could be heard sneering behind Clara.

She rushed to hold him by the arms. “What do you…?”

“As long as I’m Unus’ mayor, I can’t leave this place.”

“Oh, right! Um… Can you… give the job to another NPC like that gal did with you?” Clara pointed at Anastasia, who was neutrally smiling.

Alan glanced at his NPC, expectantly looking for any other reaction on her face, but nothing. It would have been amusing.

“Yes, I can, ma’am. Who would be Unus’ new mayor?” Fabio said, snapping his fingers, and the NPC’s between the crowd stepped forward forming a line, five in total. “If you wait a little longer, I can call the rest currently working in the town.”

“There’s no need for that!” Clara shouted confidently while adjusting her glasses. “Because the right person is right here, in front of us!” She pointed with her index finger, and Alan could hear her whispering. “Eenie, meenie, miney, you!”

“What?!” Kristoff, the owner of the underground shop, cried from the crowd, watching Clara pointing at the pink-haired NPC ‘married’ to Jared.

“It will be done,” Fabio said, snapping his fingers again.

“Wait, no! We should vote first!” Kristoff shouted, making his way towards him, but Fabio’s System Name had lost his badge, appearing now in the other female NPC. “Thanks a lot, Clara!” Kristoff yelled, showing a crimson face.

“Yeah, thanks a lot!” Jared laughed out loud while hugging her expressionless wife.

“A pleasure serving you, people,” Clara said, sending them kisses. “¡Adiós, mis amigos!”

“That surely went well,” Alan muttered to her.

“Shut up and don’t stop walking,” Clara replied, looking nervous.

Once New Unus City could not be seen on the horizon, Alan noticed a shadow passing over them. He looked up, watching a winged mount descending and landing near a leafy, still green tree. He swallowed after recognizing the rider.

“Someone else came to say goodbye,” Amelia said.

“Wait, is that… The Golden Comet?!” Clara cried, eyes wide open. “What is she doing here?”

Amelia glanced at Alan’s fixed eyes and closed fists. “It’s okay. Go,” she said after exhaling.

He blinked repeatedly. “But…”

“What did you expect? That I threw a tantrum just because your ex is here?” Amelia chuckled. “Go. You’ll catch us down the road, okay?”

“Ex? Whose ex?” Clara asked, dumbfounded.

“It’ll be only a minute, I promise,” Alan said, trying to be as serious as possible.

“Sure,” Amelia whispered before kissing him on the lips. “Let’s go girls.”

“Fabio is also here, and he’s a guy,” Clara pointed out.

“Whatever,” Amelia said, glancing at Alan one more time before turning around.