4 Broken Dreams and Betrayal

     In the middle of the wrecked city of Arcane, the only standing building is the enormous Aegis. Others call it the Den. The Den is the sanctuary of humankind, the last shimmer of hope. With four, great walls surrounding every part of the Den, everyone felt safe. But not safe enough to get them celebrating. Everyone knows the purpose of that. To keep off the gods. Just like every apocalyptic movie, except that the monsters in our era aren't some kind of infected humans or a horrible and aggressive experiment that turned out wrong. The monsters in this era are far more different and horrifying than that. The Den was everything for the Arcane, given that it was the only reminder that humans still live, still with their eyes open despite the gods that are breathing on their neck. The Den was one of the reasons why everyone respected the Liberators.

     Somewhere in the Core of Aegis, where the first wall was surrounding it, an angry voice came shouting at the air. Maybe it at the top of the main core of Aegus, but who cares? With the dead world that's surrounding them, no one would care about an angry, booming voice in the middle of the dry night, considering that they heard many horrible sounds than that. That's exactly what Rion Sedra was thinking when he decided to vent out his anger at the air, then everything around him.

     "Gods!" He exclaimed. "This is complete bullshit." He couldn't believe that everything he expected just turned out to be a big, damn disappointed.

     Every year of training, every sacrifice, every other dream for himself that he let go, all turned out to be useless. Ten years ago, Aegis promised them to give them a chance to serve Arcane and the other standing cities and places, and then now, this was happening to him—to them. All their hard work came to nothing. Thinking about it again made Rion's anger double. Calming down isn't really his forte, and fuck everything when he's angry. He simply couldn't believe it.

     "Hush with the gods now, Rion." Said someone behind him in soft baritone. "It's bad luck, you know."

     Rion turned around to see a young-adult that he didn't recognize at first, but his red-streaked hair gave it away. There's only one person in Aegis core that would bother to dye his hair red despite all the chaos that's happening around them. Leo Abrazak. Leo was this easy-going guy that Rion really liked and hated at the same time. He liked his easy-going nature, but he hated him because of how he sees the world. Ask Leo what's the biggest crisis Earth was facing, he'd answer "lack of tacos." Despite the fact that he doesn't really care about keeping the gods off the city of Arcane and all that cliché heroic shit, he still trained to be on of the Defenders. Maybe he was bored, Rion thought. Or maybe he was forced. Either of the two.

     "Who cares about bad damn luck when all this shit is dragging us down already?" Rion snapped at Leo, snarling like he can eat a whole person alive. He shook his head and gazed at the dead night, where the moon wasn't even there. Just pure darkness.

     Rion though that Leo would share his anger, given that Leo was one of the in-training Defenders that just got dumped by the Liberators, but he just chuckled like he's watching a lame, comedy movie. "Didn't you hear what that dude-in-a-suit said? We get to work inside the quarters then being out there. Isn't that cool enough for you?"

     "What's cool enough for me is hacking and slashing those shitty gods with my damn blade, get paid, and eat pizza for dinner," Rion said, glaring at Leo. "If you think being someone that's stuck inside Aegis is cool, then alright. But we literally just wasted ten years of our damned life."

     "Gee, calm down," Leo said, holding out his palm while laughing lightly. "No one said that we can't get inside all the action."

     Rion almost rolled his dark, brown eyes because of what Leo said. He couldn't believe that Leo—one of the tops of his class—didn't get the hidden meaning of the man sent by the Liberators earlier. This time, Rion didn't say anything and just continued to murder the Liberators inside his mind in one hundred different ways. When he was a kid, he's quite thankful of the Liberators, and Aegis, even though kids like him that came from not-that-important family was forced to stay in the outer ghetto, but now, all he felt was regret and anger. Back in the ghetto was his waiting family, expecting him to be a Defender when he comes back. But all he is was a good-for-nothing trainee that didn't even get the chance to be a Defender or a Soldier. He's just the plain old Rion when he comes back home, with years of training wasted just because "they're not enough."

     But that's not really the thing that bothered him the most. From the way that the messenger said it, "You will no longer be needed. We have a budding solution."

     It sounded like some other people replaced them. Who   the hell would be enough to replace them? Back at the training facility of Aegis, which was located far away from Arcane, almost everyone respected him, acknowledged his strength and brains, and brilliant strategies. It was enough to make him think that he would be wanted here, and they just learned that he wasn't even enough. How damned is that?

    "Stop overthinking about it," Leo said, clearly unbothered about all the things that were happening.

     Leo didn't really care if he was accepted as a Defender or a Soldier or whatever. He didn't care if ten years of training got to waste or see random old dude-in-a-suit told them that they weren't enough. All he wanted was how to slash some awful Skywalkers and Parasites and get revenge for everything. Rion knew that that's why he couldn't get mad at the guy. Living in the outer ghetto, where no walls surrounded them, was Leo's nightmare. He wanted sanctuary, and he was sick of seeing human blood or ripped head every time he looked outside, wanting to know if it was the sun or the moon in the skies. He hated being there. Hated everything that was happening. Hated the Liberators. Hated Aegis. Hated everything. Hated the way how they treated the outer ghettonians as a bait for the gods, to keep them off the walls. It was a miracle that Leo even got out of there alive.

     Rion had seen it in his eyes once when Leo got a little vulnerable because of some kind of stolen liquor from the office of their trainer. Rion considered him as a friend, even though he didn't really like the guy completely. Yes, he was annoying, with all the shit. Yes, they tried to kill each other once, but he and Leo had a bond of brotherhood. A damned and disappointing one, that is. Rion didn't really care, though. Having Leo by his side means that he can kick ass every time, especially when their favorite thing to do together is to get their blades on each other's necks.

     "One of these days, I'll literally assassinate the Liberator that decided to reject us," Rion said, making his anger obvious than ever.

    "Well, that's not surprising. People are starting to hate them." Leo said with this amused look on his face. "That's exactly why they let us here, after all."

     Rion thought of the people from the Outer Ghetto that was gathering inside the main hall where the officers told them to be and where this random dude that claimed that the Liberators sent him, told him and Leo that all of their hard work was wasted. Rion always hated how the Liberators ran things around Arcane, but they also kept the people safe (somehow) that no one rest can protest. But he really thinks that bring rejected at being a Defender of Aegis without even proper and formal shit was below disrespectful.

     "We should head back inside," Leo said. "I'm just here because Reina told me to fetch you up and stop acting like a kid before she left. Unfortunately, she found all of this boring. Told me that she has better things to do than stand around and entertain Aegis."

     "Whatever," Rion said, not waiting for Leo and turning back to the downward path where he came from.

     The path was dark, then the stair turned upward. There, the bright lights greeted his eyes once again. The chatters of people, the buzzing gossip about what the Liberators have got to say. Everyone knows why the Liberators were doing this. Letting the citizens even step inside the main hall, instead of breaking news all over the Den by the holograms around it. They thought that letting the people inside the smallest part of the Core was enough to please them and all that. It's not like they did the wrong decision. Basing from the laughs and pleased look on the people's faces in the hall, the Liberator tactics worked.

     Even Rion can't deny his wish to even see what's the middle part of the Den looked like, what's the difference between the Core and the outer parts of it. Four walls separated it, and Rion, being from the last wall—Antes—always thought about how the people from the Core lived. And sure enough, with the tall, sturdy building, the blinding lights, the advanced technology, their life was everything compared to the others. At Antes, everything was hard. Sleeping is hard, making money is hard, living is hard. There's no day that you wouldn't think about the gods roaming outside, slowly devouring some small parts of the Wall Antes.

     Across the hall, someone took Rion's attention. Some people he hasn't seen there before. In the middle of the hall was a superior-looking middle-aged man. He was wearing the same bland outfit as the others, but years of training made Rion recognize superior people. The way the man held himself, and the way his eyes pierced was enough for Rion to think that somehow, this man was the leader of the crowd around him. Rion became sure when the man turned to him and Leo, nodding at their way.

     "Mau Prior," Leo murmured beside Rion, eyeing the man in tattered clothes in the middle of the hall. "The leader of Tritos."

     "I've heard of him, but I never really thought that I'd see him personally," Rion said, remembering the gossip about Mau Frior.

     He's the one that kept things around Tritos, the third part of the Den. He heard nasty rumors about him. Rumors about how he shows no mercy about the citizens that even had the guts to break some of the rules. Breaking rules means execution in Tritos. It was cruel, mostly said. But Rion saw the purpose of it, it made him admire the leader of Tritos.

     "Well, yeah." Leo agreed. "He never really shows himself in public. I wonder what made him show himself?" Rion had the huge urge to approach the Tritos' leader and fulfill the questions that are clearly out of his business, inside his head. "Never mind him, though. Because here comes the real deal."

     Rion noticed that Leo was looking upwards, his onyx eyes gazing seriously at it. He followed Leo's gaze and found him staring at a huge, holographic face that's in the center circle of the hall. Rion recognized the woman's face immediately. Yuka Kirishima. With the piercing and cold look in her blue eyes, and all that I'm-so-high-and-mighty details about her, everyone here knows her. Yuka Kirishima was known for her brutal way of life. She was one a warrior, a defender, a soldier, but for some unknown reasons, people stopped seeing her outside the walls, and then days after, they learned that she working with the Liberators.

     The people gathered around the center circle, their voice buzzing louder than before. Rion heard about the ridiculous things that the people were guessing what Yuka was going to say.

      "Can you even hear those guys?" Leo asked in amusement. He left Rion's side and started to demonize some peeps. Besides being the easy going guy, Leo has a knack for something amusing. And he was thinking that getting those people who had their own ideas of what's going to happen was one of them. But, before he could even do something, Yuka spoke in a cold and piercing voice. That made Leo groan and curse under his breath, not caring anymore about what Yuka was about to say.

     "Good evening, citizens of Arcane." Yuka Kirishima said in a cold voice, literally the opposite of her greeting. She didn't waste any second to deliver the news she has. "As you all know, we let you come here for one reason."

     The people's voice buzzed louder.

     "Our days of hardship will end," Yuka said, leveling her voice. Her image flickered for a moment. Rion couldn't help but think that this was the messenger was talking about. The budding hope. Rion's blood boiled. Whatever this shit is, he wouldn't like it. "The NEXUS Labs, in the leadership of Scientist Neill Tanner, found a solution to our nearing end. Doctor Niell Tanner, with his brilliant mind and supreme dedication, invoked the Gods Implanting Project. This project, as you all know, includes a core of a god mixed with human DNA. We understand your doubt these days, but let me tell you, citizens of Arcane, that this project was made possible."

     The whole crowd went quiet, and there was some kind of suspense in the air. Rion, on the other hand, had no idea what Yuka Kirishima was talking about. He spends half of his life in Antes and the other half in the Defender's Camp. Years of training made him unaware of what's happening in Arcane. He didn't care about whatever project was happening, or the status of the four-part of Aegis, all he cared about was getting stronger, faster, and more dangerous. And now, being in this hall full of people, hearing about the project, made him confused. He looked around and he realized that all these people knew about it.

     Yuka, on the other hand, was smiling thinly at the people. A strange glint of pride in her eyes showing. "We now have the God Wielders!" She exclaimed, and this made the whole crowd go wild. The silence that was enveloping the whole space disappeared, replaced by cheers and the sounds of celebration. "We can no longer worry about what's going to happen tomorrow. We can all hope for a brighter future. With them, we can make humanity's standing ground again.  I believe that soon enough, we can rebuild our lost and broken civilization without the fear of the gods. Don't fear, citizens of Arcane, as our shimmer of hope is now on the rise."

     With that, Yuka Kirishima's image disappeared, leaving the citizens wild and ecstatic. All of that dawned in Rion's head. They were no longer needed, the messenger said. A budding hope. Those words kept playing over and over inside his head like a broken record. Whatever those God Wielders are, they're the budding hope that that messenger was talking about. Bitter emotions filled Rion. He knows he should be glad, but how when all he did was to train to become someone that can protect Arcane in his own goddamned way, and when he came back, he just learned that they were no longer needed. Rion wants to be needed.

     Beside him, Leo popped out of nowhere. "So, that's what that dude-in-a-suit meant," Leo said, gazing at the people that are slowly dispersing in the hall. Aegis's personnel was either forcing them to leave or was intimidating enough to get them out with just a gaze. "We're not needed, then."

     "You got to remind me?" Rion asked, snapping a harsh look at Leo. "Let's leave this place."

—Year 4559, the month of February, 2nd day: Antes—

     The night was cold, and at that time, everyone was still at the Aegis's Core, but not Lilliane Wilde. She had a different business than being at the Core, getting all yippy and happy about whatever Aegis had to say. That night, everyone was out of their silly little shells, and that only meant one thing: great damn loot. This was the night that anybody like her was waiting for. Without all those stupid, depending and good for nothing citizens that even had the audacity to call themselves important when all they did was to loiter around and break some rules and blame it to their leader. Lilliane shook her head, thinking about how stupid the people of Antes are. Maybe that's one of the reasons why she wanted to leave Antes and migrate to Sequi. The second part of the Den, where everything was amazing. At least that's what her father told her.

     She shrugged away the thoughts and packed all the food and money that she got in her backpack. Later, the people living at that house will come and they will realize that they were just robbed. They will panic and fill their heads about how they can get back what was stolen, even though they know they can't. The thought made Lillian's smirk to herself as she soundlessly got leaped out of the window like a cat.

     Once her feet landed outside, she looked around, expecting someone that can see her. Expect the worst, her father once said. Because that's what would likely happen in the state of our world now. When she's sure that no one's going to bust her in her ass, she walked towards the end of the alleyway with a small smirk.

     "Where do you think you're going?" A cold piercing  voice from behind her called. The smirk on Lilliane's face turned into a grown as she stops slowly on her tracks and turns around.

     There, she saw a girl with who looked like a little older than her. She was gazing coldly at Lilliane with her pale, green eyes. Lilliane never saw that color of an eye before, it was strange. The palest green. The girl was wearing unusual clothes. A white shirt under a black coat and cargo pants. Lilliane raised her eyebrow. It's clear that the girl wasn't from Antes. Her clothes were unlike the tattered and ragged-looking ones from Antes. Either Tritos or Sequi, Lillian thought. Heck, maybe even from the Core.

     The girl was just standing there, her hands inside her coat pocket, her silky short and midnight colored hair glowing under the flickering street-lights. She looked like she was standing there the whole time, waiting for Lilliane to bust herself up. She couldn't help but think of those Old World mystery movies as she looks at the girl. Well, isn't that dramatic?

     Lilliane rolled her eyes and then smiled lazily. "Hey," she said, giving the girl a toothy smirk. "I'm just taking a walk. What about you, calling out random people?" As she said that, she was readying her mind and body to bolt out.

    "Not really," the girl said casually, but the intense look still not lost in her eyes. The girl walked towards Lilliane slowly,  making eye contact. Gotta bolt, gotta bolt. "I call us for people who was smirking like  crazy right after they eob some kind of building."

     "Lovely," Lilliane said, and she bolted.

     Lilliane wasn't new getting in this kind of encounter. Hell, there was that time where four officers ran after her just because she robbed some old woman. Chasing scenarios happened to her a lot of times to the point that she found this as a part of the entertainment and thrill. With a grin, she happily moved like a damn ninja, jumping over obstacles and holes, swaying and swerving to different paths, trying to lose the girl that's after her. She didn't even know why the girl was after her, she didn't look like an Antes officer or whatever, but Lilliane was having fun. Running and imagining the thought of getting caught thrilled her.

     She looked back, adrenaline still coursing through her. She looked back and saw the girl who looked like a damn predator, and she was closer than she expected.

     "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Lilliane cursed repeatedly, now aware of the looming presence of the girl behind her back. She was faster than she imagined, even Lilliane, someone who had the whole Antes learned inside her head like a map, couldn't outrun her. If she couldn't outrun the mysterious girl, she'll just do the plain old lame thing that newbies do. Hide.

     Still running like a maniac, she scanned her surroundings. At the end of the road was a house and then a narrow path where Lilliane decided to hide. She pushed herself more, swerving, and swaying at the small places that would probably confuse the other girl. At some point, she thought that her knees would buckle, but that's just a feeling. Feelings ruin everything.

     The night was cold and silent, but the beating of her heart was right in her ears. Lilliane's father always told her to focus on something whenever she's doing something. Focus on something. Like the beating of your heart. It numbs everything away. At her face was a big cement post, almost falling. Instincts told her to go low, and she did. It was enough to confuse the girl after her, which made her smirk. When she reached the end of the road, she immediately turned in the dark alleyway, managing to hide with the shadows and other scraps and things.

     She found a big metal that served as a roof of some house. She squeezed herself in there, confident that the metal roof was enough to hide her. There, she caught her ragged breathing. "Damn it." She cursed under her breath, peeking through the small holes of the roof, checking if the girl was still after her or was looking for her.

     She couldn't believe that she'll resort in hiding. Her boss always told her that hiding was for the coward, that didn't make sense, but everything her boss should be taken seriously. Her boss, Fernando Dachili, was the one that basically got her kicking. Being homeless and abandoned made her seek help from others, even if that means that being a thief and a murderer. Lilliane couldn't remember what happened to her, and why that one day she woke up in the streets, the home she knew burnt down into pieces. The only one she remembered was her father, telling her things that are obviously useless for she was just a kid back then.

     "I'm doomed if that girl gets me." Lilliane murmured to herself, thinking of what Dachili would do to her. It's either she gets thrown to the streets or shamed. "Really doomed."

     "Indeed."

     The metal roof went flying and the next thing Lilliane knew, the girl was cornering her with her arms, locking her in. The girl was smirking at her, her pale green eyes glinting mischievously. "Caught you."

     Lilliane gripped the strap of her backpack as she ready to think of ways to get out of the situation. It's either she fights or flight. She chose the former. Getting force from almost nothing because of the distance between her and the girl, she swung her fist to the girl's face. The girl evaded it, and Lilliane took that chance to duck under the girl's arms and bolt away. But before she knows it, the girl was grabbing her backpack, pulling her backward.

     "Let me go!" Lilliane exclaimed, glaring daggers at the girl. "The hell's your business?!" She tried to slap the girl's hand from her bag, but the girl's grip was too tight and she was flowing with Lilliane's movements. She thrashed around, unwilling to let go of her backpack.

     "I'll let you go once you give me your bag." The girl coldly.

     "I can't and I won't," Lilliane admitted, finally still. She turned around to look at the girl. The girl didn't say anything and suddenly pulled her, making her stagger backward. Lilliane let out a low growl and cursed under her breath. What the heck is her problem? Lilliane thought, killing the green-eyed girl inside her head a hundred times. Behind her, she felt the girl's breath and lips on her ears, making her thoughts drop.

     "Then..." The girl whispered in her ear, her slender hands wandering on Lilliane's shoulder and to her collar bone, trying to get the strap of the backpack off Lilliane. For some reason, that made the girl's grip loosen a little. This is a chance, Lilliane thought, waiting for the right timing to  go run again. "I'll get it myself."

     But the mysterious girl was too late because before she knew it, Lilliane was out of her grip and her reach, already miles away from her. Lilliane grinned at herself as she runs away towards whoever that girl is. But still, that was a close call. If the girl's grip didn't loose, she'd still be in that situation. Though, she had a feeling that the girl wasn't lying when she told her to let her go. Again, Dachili's words rang back to her, getting her mind in the game. Fail, and the next thing you'd know, you're a spirit and you're watching us feed your body to the Parasites. That was Dachili's favorite threat and everybody knows it was true. Somewhere deep in their hideout was Parasites that Dachili caught himself.

     She ran and ran, thinking of whatever's going happen when she reaches Dachili's hideout. She was there to prove her worth, to let them see that she's still useful as the day she left them—betrayed them. Dachiili might be cruel, but he saw what Lilliane was capable of, and he raised her by himself, to be a thief, a murderer, whatever he needed her to be.

     They'll accept me. Lilliane thought to herself. They need me. With that thought, she pushed herself to run faster, passing the shadowed structures and some people that were still outside their home, which was pretty unusual. Maybe they were like Lilliane, also serving some notorious group or whatever. Lilliane really didn't care.

     She reached the edge of Antes. Kharé. Kharé was the place where everything was simply fucked. The houses, the structures, the people. It was the poorest and most dangerous part of Antes, Kharé was where those dirty transactions happen. Drugs, women, body parts, or whatever that kept the whole city of Arcane high, Kharé is the place where you can find them all. Kharé was the place where Dachili brought her, getting her to open her eyes about these kinds of things.

     Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself forward towards the small structure in front of her. It wasn't different from the other houses and buildings that are literally made from wooden and metal scraps, but Lilliane knows that there's so much more than it's appearance. The house—Dachili's house—is the way to get to the real hideout of ERYTROS—the group where Lilliane found her way of life, where Dachili raised her.

     Six feet under the small house was the large and wide place built with metal walls and ceiling, with storage of weapon, drugs, human captives, and of course, low-class and cheap Parasites that are for sale. It was those kinds of small Parasites that are not really that dangerous than the bigger ones and the Skywalkers.

     Lilliane braced herself then knocked three times, with one kick and two slaps at the door. It was the sign that not some regular person was knocking at the door. Almost instantly, the door creaked open, revealing a foxy-looking young man that had black eye-patch on his left eye. Lilliane recognized the guy immediately. It's Rikke Payawal, with his famous one-sided dimple and a thin smile. Despite Rikke's friendly appearance, Lilliane wasn't oblivious of what the guy can do. Rikke was like her, but more violent. He's a thief, a murderer, a pusher, a talker, and whatever Dachili needs him to be, but he specializes in the killing.

     "Wilde," Rikke said, his blue eyes glinting in amusement.

     Lilliane frowned, already tired of him. "Why are you here?" She asked. "Nevermind, don't answer it. Step away. I'm going in."

      Rikke didn't. It was his hobby to annoy Lilliane in every way possible and try to kill her, too. Years of training under Dachili made them competitive, and whenever there's a chance to prove who's better, she and Rikke would always face each other.

     "Boss is not here," Rikke said, smiling at Lilliane. He shifted on his f3eet and leaned towards the door frame, gazing lowly at Lilliane. "He's somewhere... Maybe Tritos or Sequi."

     Lilliane raised her eyebrow, clearly doubting everything Rikke was saying. Tritos and Sequi were like another world from them. Not everyone can even pass their gates. Besides being an annoying person, Rikke was good at lying, too good that even if you doubt him, a part of you still would believe him. A sly damn fox, Lilliane used to call him. Lilliane shrugged and then tapped the side of her backpack. "I don't care. Let me in."

     "Just come back in the morning," Rikke said, now clearly blocking the door with his broad body. "Boss would be her—"

     Tired of the shit, Lilliane groaned and shoved Rikke away with all her force. Rikke, who wasn't aware that Lilliane would do such thing, tripped on his footing, landing on the ground, face-first. He cursed under his breath, chuckled, and stood up, enjoying the look on Lilliane's face when she saw what Rikke was hiding. Inside was three, naked girls that were hiding under the sheets. Lilliane's blood boiled.

     "Are you kidding me right now?" Lilliane growled, glaring at Rikke with her dark, amber eyes. She wasn't new about these encounters with Rikke, but she couldn't believe that Rikke even had the audacity to do this right in there leader's house. It's either Rikke was courageous or simply dumb. Rikke just smirked as a reply. Groaning, Lilliane turned to the naked girls at the small-sized bed at the corner. "Get out of here."

     The girls looked at the smirking Rikke for permission. Rikke nodded and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Go ahead. Whatever." He said then he turned to Lilliane who was cursing under her breath and murmuring how stupid he is. Rikke smiled thinly. "Come on. It's not like a woman is a new deal in Kharé. Hell, there are prostitutes at every corner of the street."

     "I don't care about those women." Lilliane snapped. "I'm just thinking why Dachili's even keeping you here. When did you become useful for Erytros these days?"

     Rikke raised his brow. "I mean, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I'm more useful than you, Wilde. It's not like I betrayed everyone I worked for and with." He said, looking innocent, which was pretty mocking.

     Lilliane was speechless for two reasons. She has nothing to say, and Rikke was right. Suppressing her growing irritation, she huffed and continued deeper inside the house, sitting at the couch where Dachili used to scold and threaten her about the rules she broke.

     She waited for the girl to get on with their tattered (intentionally) clothes, kiss and flirt with Rikke before they leave the house, and got up from her seat. She immediately looked for the hidden button that would activate the stairs towards the real hideout, but it was nowhere to be found. Lilliane was everything but a forgetful person. She knew that the hidden button was somewhere behind the bug painting of a naked boy and girl that's from the Old World at the left wall, where it always had been.

     She glanced at Rikke, looking for a silent call of assistance. Rikke chuckled lowly then said, "Many things changed while you were gone, Wilde." He said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "For example, the new location of our hideout."

     "What?" She voiced out.

     "Well, I wouldn't call it a hideout." He said. "I'd call it a facility. Dachili must've failed to mention that we're no longer a notorious group of people that kills for a living. Dachili's working for Aegis now, which makes the whole group work for them, too. Pretty lit, right?"

     Lilliane gaped, not believing what Rikke was saying. "Hah." She said. "You've got to be kidding me."

     Dachili was everything but a damned employee. He was the one that thought Lilliane and the others to never depend on someone or whatever. He leads, not follows. For some reason, that thought that Dachili dug in their brain made Lilliane hate Aegis. And now... She shook her head, her brain still denying the latest news from Rikke. Rikke could've been lying, Lilliane thought. But, surprisingly, she couldn't convince herself about that.

     "You wish I was, but I'm not," Rikke said I'm a serious voice. "And don't ask me why or how or when, because I have no idea, and I don't care."

     Her eyebrows furrowed as she took the bag from her back and raise it with a questioning look. "Then, what the hell is this for?" She asked. "What are these cash and shit for?" She snarled at Rikke, venting her irritation at him. She didn't break into someone's house, get their money, almost got caught by a damned girl, hurt herself in the process for nothing. Dachili always said to never do something without exchange, but then, here she was.

     "Gee, calm down," Rikke said, the smile he was wearing slot thinning. Rikke was growing impatient about her denial. "I told you to not ask me anything. But, in my perspective, the boss just trolled you." and then he laughed lowly.

     She couldn't waste any more time. "Then, what the hell are we still doing here? Where's the new facility? What's our work with Aegis for?"

     Rikke sighed. "I told you to not ask any questions, but okay. The Aegis needs new recruits for Soldiers and some Defenders. And us, being strong and all that, they decided to not get us to prison, instead recruit us."

     "As in, all of the Erytros recruits?"

     Rikke rolled his eyes. "Of course not. Duh. Dachili got to throw some useless members. Maybe more than half was out. Of course, not all was as useful as me, so that's not surprising." Lilliane scowled. Rikke ignored her. "And, yeah, I think Rain and Sol are still with us."

     Rain and Sol Silvenia, the siblings that were, in a way, like Rikke. Of course, the siblings also tried to kill her when it was time for combat in front of Dachili, of course, she tried to do the same, and of course, no one won. The memory of every combat she had to prove to Dachili that she was stronger and more dangerous was vivid in her mind.

     It was the only thing that would keep someone in Erytros. You fail, get defeated and realize you're really, really lame, you're out. It's either Fernando Dachili who would throw you out or just kill you if you somehow manage to piss him off with your lameness. Lilliane can't even count how many times Dachili dug a bullet on someone's head just because they bored him.

     And, strange enough, Lilliane enjoyed watching. Whenever she beat someone in combat, she was always waiting for Dachili's bullets to hit her combatant's head. Or, at some times, wished that she was the one pulling the trigger, instead of her boss. She shrugged off the random thoughts and focused at the present—which was pretty fucked and disappointing. She shouldn't be wasting time, moping around like a kid. Sh should be on her way to whatever that facility Rikke was talking about.

     "Where can I find this facility whatever?" Lilliane asked, ignoring the half-irritated, half-amused look on Rikke's face.

     "I'm not sure you should even be going there." Rikke said, and before Lilliane could burst out, he added, "Gee, stop making that I'm-going-to-burst-out look, it freaks me out. Anyway, the boss told me to go here to meet you. Probably get that backpack and deliver it to him. 'Sides, no one really said that you're in again, right?"

     Lilliane wanted to protest, but Rikke somehow made perfect sense. And he was right. Again. No one really said that she's forgiven or something, no one really forgives some traitor like her in a span of an hour. She picked up the backpack and threw it to Rikke dejectedly. "If that bag doesn't reach Dachili, I will kill you."

     "You're making me blush," Rikke said, rolling his eyes. He slung the bag on her back effortlessly and trn have Lilliane a teasing smile. "But, of course, this would reach him. It's not like I don't want you back."

     "I swear—"

     "I'm kidding." Rikke deadpanned. "Anyway... Do you have anywhere to stay?"

     Great, Lilliane thought. You really had to mention. Being a third, a killer, a drug pusher, a carrier, and all and all being the bad guy didn't really help about getting someone a place to stay. It's either the owner of the building where you wanted to stay at smelled how fishy you are or it's the other way around. The street, the alleyways and some darker places in Antes would only be the ones where bad guys can stay at, and if they're lucky, a destroyed over-priced three-inch sized room with karton as a cushion will also be available.

     "I do." Lilliane lied. She couldn't let Rikke take the chance to tease or mock her about having nowhere to stay. "Got a friend at... Mugshaa Crossing. Pretty house and all that."

     Lilliane doesn't have a friend.

     And there's no such thing as a pretty house in Antes.

     But somehow, maybe just teasing, Rikke looked like he believed in Lilliane. "Oh, really?" He said, tilting his head and giving Lilliane a small smile. He shook his body like he's giddying up with excitement. "I'm so glad!"

     Lilliane wanted to punch Rikke on his face until he's no longer recognizable. But, despite her ability to really do that, she simply just can't. Hurting him would be risky, especially when he got the proof (the bag full of cash) that she did what Dachili made her do. He can hide or burn or simply throw the bag and say, "No, Wilde didn't get the cash. Throw her out. She betrayed us, anyway." She'd be screwed, and she'd probably spend her whole life in the streets, consuming nothing but air for dinner.

     "Anyway," Rikke started off. "You better leave first here, and somewhere out there, hope that you can come back. See ya!"