65 A Confession at the Beach

The girls went to Luna's house immediately after arriving back at the city. Her family moved to an artificial world, leaving the old house all to themselves.

"If you hear any suspicious noises, it's probably the ghost haunting our place. Just don't mind it," said Luna before letting the girls inside.

"Ok, ok," the three said in unison. They were already used to Luna's haunted house. Sometimes it was the faint sound of chains dragged on the floor, sometimes a dark silhouette is seen on the rocking chair, and other times it was random knocks on the door. As long as they didn't speak of ghosts, it wouldn't appear visible to them except for Lyria.

Lyria could see the unseen faintly. Her father was a famous exorcist who wrote books on the subject. She learned a few tricks from him, but never tried them out. She used to have traumatic memories of the unseen beings following her around, but now it no longer bothered her.

Luna opened the kitchen cabinet and revealed bottles of different alcoholic drinks. "Alright girls, what will we be having?"

"That's a lot," Astrid remarked.

"Whatever goes great with my noodles," Epsilon replied while holding up a bowl of Oodle Noodles original flavor.

Lyria picked out a few bottles. "I haven't had these in a while."

Luna took the bottles and started mixing drinks for the girls like a bartender. Whenever they had sleepovers that involved alcohol, it was always Luna or Amelie who did the mixing. As Luna went on a mixing spree, Astrid pulled out a bottle of soymilk from the fridge for herself.

As soon as Luna served the drinks, Lyria drank to oblivion and eventually passed out on the bed after giving an inaudible speech about her regrets. Astrid covered her with a blanket.

Epsilon was looking out the window observing the jazz club customers enjoying themselves outside. She held her bowl of noodles like a luxurious glass of expensive wine. "Humph. Look at those peasants partying like there's no tomorrow. They look like they could be my slaves."

Epsilon went out to the jazz club next to Luna's house to enslave the people there. Whenever Epsilon got tipsy or drunk, her dominating side would come out at full force like an ambitious emperor who already owned half the world. Although she never targets the girls, she tends to scare the other people around who end up becoming her victims.

"Epsi! Noo!" Astrid was about to run after Epsilon and stop her from doing something illegal when Luna blocked her way.

"Astrid, I want to confess to Tank!" Luna declared.

"Wait what!?"

"I'm going to call him and ask him where he is! And then I'll go confess!"

Astrid could see that Luna was already in between tipsy and drunk. She had to stop her no matter what. "You can confess tomorrow. It's three in the morning! It's not safe to go out at this time."

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash from outside.

The sound came from Epsilon.

"Weaklings! None of you can stand up against me. Now bow down and acknowledge me as your new master!" Epsilon folded her arms and had one leg on a chair. The people in the jazz club stepped away from her.

"Luna, stay here and don't go anywhere. I will be right back." Astrid ran outside to drag Epsilon back into the house before she caused more trouble.

Luna ignored Astrid's instructions and went outside. She just had to see Tank!

***

Somewhere on the beach, a man in his late twenties was all alone staring at the night sky and the dark sea. Tank escaped to the city next to his and sat by the shore with a bottle of whisky. He was sick of the view back at his city. There were too many memories. Too many mementos of the past he left behind. He wanted to forget them all and move on.

But where was he supposed to go?

Pathetic. He started criticizing himself. Sure, he was a guildmaster at Aries. Well-loved and dependable. Here, he was nothing. He was an unemployed man finally getting a divorce after years of putting up with a crumbling marriage. Reality hit him hard.

He opened the bottle and drank some of the alcohol. Lifting his chin, he gazed at the beautiful starry sky. But what good is the amazing view when he had no one to watch it with?

Suddenly, his phone rang. He was startled.

He picked it up and expected it to be Frisk. But it wasn't. It was a female voice.

"Tank? It's Luna. Where are you right now?"

"Luna?" His eyes widened. "I'm at the beach near the Dormi city train station."

"Stay there! I'm on my way."

The phone call ended.

He couldn't believe what just happened. Luna is joining him? When she arrives, she would see him in his pathetic state. He didn't want to show his weak side.

The alcohol was beginning to take effect. He stopped caring. Aries was gone. He was stuck as his original self in this world. He had to live with it. It was the only kind of life he had now.

After some time passed, he heard footsteps running. He turned his head and saw Luna. She was in an oversized sports jersey and shorts. He noted the red tint on her cheeks.

"Tank!" Luna was happy to see him.

"Glad you made it out," he said and meant it from the bottom of his heart. He lost too many people close to him, either from the disaster at Aries or from his own stupidity. He was thankful that there were still people around him. Even if he was currently at rock bottom.

"I'm relieved to see you alive as well," Luna returned his feelings.

"So what brings you here?"

She sat down beside him. "I heard about what happened from Frisk."

"Oh." Tank felt a little awkward. He wasn't sure how to face Luna knowing that she was aware of his situation. "Well, you heard him right. I've lost everything. My job, my guild, my wife..." He paused. "I'm forced to start over. What am I even going to do from now on?"

"You haven't lost everything!" Luna insisted. "You got me and Frisk. The girls would also be glad to help you out. We're allies, remember? We'll stand up together and take back our home!"

Tank smiled from her words. "Thanks."

For a moment, they just stared at the sea in silence. The sound of the waves crashing against boulders filled their ears.

Luna's heart was beating fast. She was struggling to get the words out. Finally, she managed to speak, "Tank, what do you think about me?"

"What do you mean?" Tank turned to look at her.

She simply stared at him anxiously. Her face was visibly red despite the dim lighting. He immediately knew what she meant.

"You're easy to be around. I can relax when I'm with you," he replied. He wasn't sure what else to say. His mind was in chaos with all the events happening in his life. Plus, it was hard to think properly because of the alcohol. He felt a little bad that he couldn't give a proper answer.

"I've always admired you, Tank. You're strong and skilled as a leader and a fighter. I wish I could be like you and earn the respect of so many people. I don't know how you do it," Luna said before collapsing on the beach sand. She was fast asleep thanks to drinking a considerable amount of liquor.

He stared wide-eyed at the sleeping girl beside him.

He wasn't sure how to respond to her message but somehow it gave him a little confidence in himself. Maybe he wasn't all that pathetic. He could definitely get up again and get his life back together. He decided it was no time to be sulking around.