2 Death is always near. Part 2.

After two years, Garn Blud graduated with honors from the AIT, but instead of getting involved with one of Atlas's science labs focused on medical science as almost everyone expected but instead moved down to Mantle from Atlas. This move greatly confused a lot of people that knew of him and asked him why, but he gave no answer except to his parents and a few others. Garn was quickly forgotten by most of Atlas as he resided in Mantle on some abandoned property he got through some funds he acquired through some less-than-legal means that he knew about. Hacking.

Hacking is a relatively unknown problem for a few reasons. For starters, the necessary skillset mainly exists only within Atlas due to the fact the kingdom built the CCTS and maintains it for the other three kingdoms. While the technology of Atlas does flow out to the rest of the world, only the kingdom's scientific community, at least officially. Another thing that makes hacking less known is that it can only happen at the four capital cities, Argus, and a select few larger settlements on Remnant. Lastly, not many law enforcement units, whether the police or Huntsmen/Huntress, put any real emphasis on programming and computer science to notice any hacking taking place.

Currently, the 14-year-old redhead is working on his project to save his life and increase the odds of success. As it is now, there is only a 27% chance of success for the operation Garn has in mind to move his mind to a mechanical body, and he wants to raise his chances as much as possible before making an attempt at his self-imposed deadline of 4 years from now. The redhead roughly calculated how long his body would last by accounting for his unlocked Aura and other factors, and he will, at the longest last until he becomes 18.

Garn is, as always, hyperfocused on his work as he runs simulations on various things to find where he can improve his design. Right now, he needs to develop a fluid that would not harm his exposed Greymatter for the operation when he transfers his mind to a new body, as open exposure to his brain could cause a number of problems. The redhead looked over the theoretical data and felt a growing headache coming around from the lack of success. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed with frustration as he complained.

" Of course, it would not be easy to perform a highly experimental operation on my own, but who else can I count on? Mom and Dad don't have the expertise to help me, and Arthur has helped me more than enough as is while having his own projects to worry about with the General breathing down his neck."

Garn vented out his feelings as he ranted until he called a call on his Scroll that labeled the caller, Brat. The redhead picked up his Scroll to see what his sister wanted.

" Hel-."

" Wimpy, have you gotten a digital ticket in your Scroll Mail!?"

Garn frowned at the question and asked Rory dryly.

" And why would I get a digital ticket for anything, Brat?"

" Because I enter you in a contest along with mom and dad to get a ticket for Weiss Schnee's concert! So check your Scroll Mail already, Wimpy!"

The elder brother rolled his eyes as he did check out of curiosity as he quietly muttered to himself.

" And you wonder why I call you a brat."

Garn looked through his Scroll Mail while expecting not to find anything, only to be surprised to find that he did have the ticket. The redhead had no intention of informing his sister, as he did not appreciate her entering with his name without his permission, as he asked when he switched to the speaker mode of his Scroll.

" Brat, why exactly am I now just learning that you used by name for some contest?"

" Oh, come on, it's no big deal, Wimpy; not like you would go if you did win a ticket. You are a grumpy, nerdy loser with noodle arms."

Garn then lied through his teeth with no guilt whatsoever.

" I do not see the ticket, Brat."

" Dang it! K, bye!"

Rory immediately hung up, and the elder brother snarled.

" Brat!"

The redhead looked at the digital ticket with a thoughtful expression, then decided with a mix of spitefulness and tiredness.

" The occasional break does sound nice, and I do need to cool my head, plus I can rub in that brat's face later. It looks like I am going to a concert."

***

On the day of Weiss Schnee's concert, Garn went up to Atlas to go to the Atlesian House of Fine Arts, or the AHFA for short. The AHFA has the largest and most advanced concert hall in the kingdom and often serves as a hallmark for success stories in the entertainment industry, along with Mistral's most famous stadiums and concert halls. The redhead found that he actually got some premium balcony seating and showed his ticket to enter. He found his seat, and soon the spotlight was directed on a 10-year-old girl with long white hair and icy blue eyes in a white dress, and the announcer introduced her.

" Ladies and gentlemen, Weiss Schnee."

The young girl started to sing, and Garn understood why his bratty little sister was making such a big deal out of Weiss Schnee. She was good, plain and simple.

"~ Mirror, tell me something~

~Tell me, who's the loneliest of all~."

The orchestra played along with the song sung by the young girl. The crowd listened with rapt silence, but Garn paid attention to the lyrics and felt something was off. The sheer emotions being into the song felt far too genuine and real not to come from the heart, and he honestly hoped he was wrong in his assumption. The redhead had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he listened to what sounded like a cry for help more than anything. After the song ended, Garn heard someone behind him.

" I must admit it is my esteem pleasure to learn that the young genius Garn Blud is a fan of my daughter."

The redhead turned to face one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, Jacques Schnee. He is a scrawny man with slicked-back white hair with a neatly trimmed mustache of the same color. The CEO of the Schnee Dust Company had a friendly smile and tone, but Garn could tell from his blue eyes that he was a cold and calculating man. The redhead read enough on psychology to know what to look for when it comes to dealing with people since he had sworn off having any friends as it would be cruel, at least in his opinion, to make a friendship with someone who would likely end up attending his funeral from his premature death.

Garn politely greeted Jacques and wanted nothing more than to leave, as the rumors surrounding the man were less than pleasant or flattering, for that matter.

" Hello, Mr.Schnee. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

" My sentiment exactly, young man. To meet someone who dealt such a bad hand in life through no fault of his own and yet bravely continues moving forward."

Garn was getting a sneaking suspicion that it was no coincidence that he got a ticket and guessed that this was likely a publicity stunt on Jacques's part. The redhead wanted to give politics a wide berth and not be made a charity case for some PR stunt. As Garn was trying to think of a way to escape from the man before him, he heard.

" Father, did you hear me sing?!"

It was Weiss Schnee as she vided for her father's attention, but he casually dismissed her without a glance.

" Yes, yes, I heard you, Weiss. Now let me talk with our young friend here."

Seeing how Jacques treated his daughter made Garn's hypothesis on the white-haired girl's situation seem more likely. Weiss directed a jealous glare at the redhead but kept silent, and Garn thought to himself.

" Well, this is going to be more annoying than I thought it would be."

The redhead then said politely.

" Mr.Schnee, please forgive me as I am in need of the restroom."

" Certainly. Shall I send for someone to help?"

" Thank you for the offer, Mr.Schnee, but I can manage."

Unfortunately, Jacques was not going to let the young man before him slip away so easily, and he asked but actually ordered his daughter.

" Weiss, be a dear and make sure our young friend here has no issue getting to the restroom."

Weiss's expression showed she wanted to protest, but one look from her father and she decided to obey.

" Yes, father..."

" I am glad you understand, my dear."

Garn felt more sure now that Jacques Schnee did not provide a friendly home life after seeing his he treated his daughter. The white-haired girl followed the redhead with displeasure apparent on her face, which only served to increase Garn's desire to get away before being made a charity case. Garn soon found himself at a restroom but could not enter with his hover chair, so he had to force himself up carefully. Weiss saw him get out of his hover chair and exclaimed in surprise.

" You can walk?!"

" Barely."

The redhead retorted curtly as he gingerly moved to enter the restroom to buy some time to come up with a good excuse to leave. Garn looked at himself in the restroom mirror and did not like what he saw—a pale red-haired and eyed with pale skin and a scrawny frame that made him look ghoulish. He looked to be 12 or 11 years old instead of 14. The redhead sighed as he tried to think what to do to get out of there without earning the ire of one of Atlas's most influential and powerful men.

Garn clenched his fists as he hated more than anything to be pitied by people that don't know anything about him personally, and being made a charity case infuriated him to no end, especially for some PR stunt. The redhead calmed himself down and wondered what to do to get out of this situation when he felt his hand in pain from clenching too hard and likely causing a fracture. This gave Garn an idea of how to escape with minimum worries, and he walked to the restroom door. Before opening the door, he took a deep breath to brace himself.

The redhead opened the door and closed it on his leg, which resulted in an audible crack that signified a broken leg. He grits his teeth at feeling a familiar pain, and Weiss calls out in concern.

" What happened? Are you alright?!"

" I broke my leg. Mind helping me to my hoverchair?"

" Ah, sure."

The white-haired girl supported the redhead, and she commented in surprise after placing his weight on her shoulder.

" Your light..."

" Hardly surprising as it's pretty difficult for me to gain a significant weight without it being harmful to my already fragile health."

After Garn sat down in his hoverchair, he took out an injector tube and placed it over the artery in his neck to take in some painkillers. Weiss then asked as she saw the broken leg start to bruise.

" Should I call the hospital?"

" No, I just need to get back to my place in Mantle, as I have everything I need there to treat myself. Give your father my apologies for leaving early."

" I... Of course, be safe on your way back home."

The white-haired girl said; as she looked down, she already knew what her father's reaction would be to the redhead's sudden departure and injury. He will blame her for not attending to the redhead. Garn noticed her downcast countenance and felt guilty as he could guess how Jacques was going to react for failing his PR stunt, but the redhead's priority was himself and not a troubled girl he had just met. Weiss watches as Garn leaves her alone, and she wants to stop him but does not as she cannot without good reason.

The white-haired girl went to inform her father of the redhead's departure.

***

" Explain to me once more, Weiss, as to why Garn Blud suddenly left..."

Weiss did not dare to look Jacques in the eye as she told him.

"I attended to him at the restroom like you said, Father, and he had an accident that broke his leg. I wanted to call the hospital, but he stopped as he said he had what he needed back at his home to treat himself."

The Schnee Dust Company CEO tapped his finger against his armrest on the balcony seating as his eyes narrowed when he told his daughter.

" We will discuss this later, Weiss; for now, head back to finish your concert."

" Yes, Father, but may I ask something?"

" What..."

Jacques replied coldly, and Weiss asked nervously.

" Is it normal for him to break his legs so easily?"

" Yes, he has Brittle Bone disease, so every bone in his body is extremely fragile, almost like glass; plus, he has a rare growth disorder that makes his organs grow more quickly than the rest of his body. Now off with you. You have a concert to complete."

The CEO did his research beforehand to maximize the pity and reaction of the masses to keep some people off his back on his moral gray area on how he treats his Faunus employees for his benefit. He was more than a little peeved at not having Garn for his PR move as his schedule was "leaked" to various news stations, but he still had his daughter so he could play the part of a good and loving father in front of the camera if nothing else. Unfortunately, a dying young man who happens to be a genius that graduated from the AIT had more value in the eyes of the masses and was far more attention-grabbing.

***

Garn managed to return to his home in Mantle by paying extra for a private air cab to descend into the city beneath Atlas. After entering his home, the redhead called out.

" Nurse, I need some help here!"

The medical bot came online and proceeded to treat Garn's broken leg, and thankfully, the painkillers were doing their job of numbing the pain as his bones were being set before the cast went on. The redhead sighed in relief after the cast was put on and made a point to be more careful from now on in his ventures outside of his lab and home. He did not feel like sleeping just yet after an eventful evening and went back to running the simulations on coming up with a fluid to protect his brain from open exposure and other such problems.

As the simulations ran, Garn's mind wandered to the white-haired girl he had met briefly, Weiss Schnee. After hearing the lyrics to her song and seeing how her own father treated her, he felt a moment of pity for her. He then immediately squashed the feeling as he knew better than most how unpleasant it was to be pitied and focused on his work as he was unlikely ever to meet her again. The redhead noticed that he was getting close to finding the right formula for the fluid he needed for his procedure, as the recent simulation met a few more of his requirements than before.

***

After Weiss Schnee's concert and Jacques's photo op for the news, the Schnee family returned home. For the white-haired girl, it was the only home she knew of. Despite how cold and empty it felt, that was littered with more bad memories than good. The Schnee patriarch then dragged his daughter to his home office and started to abuse her verbally for how she failed to look after Garn Blud. She wasn't allowed to cry or give an explanation, and could only silently accept the scolding she got from her father.

After Jacques dismissed Weiss, she went to her room as tears started to form in her eyes, but not a sob escaped her. After finally reaching her room, she did down on her bed and cried into her pillow to muffle herself and avoid drawing her father's attention. She did not want to believe the argument her parents had during her tenth birthday, that her father only married her mother for the family name and wealth. Unfortunately, Jacques was done pretending to be nice and caring, so his mask was peeling off more and more as time went forward.

Willow Schnee, her mother, despaired and gave up on opposing Jacques and took to drowning her sorrow and regret with alcohol to addle her mind. Weiss's tears soon ran dry, and she pulled herself away from her pillow and looked at the high ceiling of her room as she lay on her back. The white-haired girl's mind wandered to the source of her recent scolding from her father, Garn Blud. She took out her Scroll and searched his name to understand why her father was so upset with her for not keeping a close eye on the surprisingly light boy.

What Weiss learned surprised her as she read more and more about the articles published on Garn Blud, graduated from the AIT with honors at the early age of 13, proposing complex medical theories and introducing refined blueprints of Atlesian Nurses robots, to name a few. The white-haired girl then learned of his condition that would lead him to an early grave and understood that her father likely wanted to make him a charity case to look good. She sighed as it only confirmed the sort of person her father was and what he would do for his personal benefit.

Weiss went to change into her nighty as she felt emotionally drained and wanted to sleep. Before she went to sleep, she asked no one in particular as she looked at the picture of Garn Blud.

" What does he want?"