Dark Tower

Seoul was home to many skyscrapers, some housing companies, and others, clans. One would find the clans were immensely arrogant, spending fortunes to build literal fortresses that screamed to all who was willing, or not, to hear it, 'We are better than you!'.

Due to the tendency of sponsoring clans or even merging with them that certain companies had, a few parts of the cities were entirely under the control of mega-corps, entities that held enough power to sway the masses and the government with it.

One such mega-corp had a 'territory' not all that far from the KHG's headquarters. Three black towers stood like spikes, lances, at the ready to pierce the heavens. They trapped a small part of the city and formed a triangle in which only the powerful lived. If you were covered in diamonds from head to toes and worked in those towers, you tended to live close by and wouldn't tolerate 'peasants' near you. At least many wagered that was the reason as to why that part of the city was filled with millionaires or even billionaires.

At the feet of one of those towers, a man stood all alone, filled with uncertainties. He clutched a small bottle of beer in between his hands, as though it was a treasured possession of his. With how much he was trembling, it was a miracle that the content of the bottle hadn't spilled out yet.

A voice reached his ears and he stood straight, not unlike the very tower he found himself under during that incredibly disastrous day.

"Mister Hojosa, usually one wouldn't like to make a CEO wait. Just a piece of advice, if you're willing to hear me out."

A snicker came from behind him, but he needed not to turn around in order to know who was mocking him. There was only one woman with so little social skills that she would laugh at a man going through such a hard time.

Hojosa the proud and brash fiery mage, was sporting a frown, trying and failing to hide his true emotions. He swallowed hard and took a step forward. A sigh came from behind him and he heard his taxi drive off.

He was now truly alone as he entered the building that looked like the lair of a cliche villain, one from the stories he used to read to a certain little devil when she was younger. Just thinking about that bundle of energy and mischief made his heart ache. His unfocused eyes tried to find something, anything, to free his mind from the claws of guilt.

A calming hand touched his back, ever so slowly so as to not disturb him, and a smile came into view.

"Mister Hojosa, the president is waiting for you. You needn't worry, he is alone in his office." A member of the staff told him. As if that would calm him down!

He wasn't looking forward to that moment, even if the boss was alone. But to hell with it, he didn't have a choice on the matter. He braced himself once more, just as he had been doing for the past twenty minutes, and made his way towards the elevator. He wasn't going to take the stairs, lest his heart jumps out of his throat with every step he took.

He entered the cage that would lead him to potential death and released a sigh heavy with feelings that he hadn't felt in ages. Oh, how he wanted to remain cold-faced, how he wished he could go back to the days where he would only let out a tear every year or so. Nowadays it felt like his tears fell a little bit too frequently, just like his friends fell like flies.

He admonished himself for the umpteenth time. He needed not to think in such ways. The situation was already terrible, pouring oil on the fire wouldn't help in any way.

'...I can't even help myself, how could I help people....' He couldn't help but think as he watched the elevator go through each floor. Why did this tower had to have so many floors?!

After what felt like eons, the elevator stopped and the doors opened on a long corridor, one with black walls and red lines on the tiles that made up the floor. This was a corridor leading to his death, it wasn't even trying to hide it.

He walked, perhaps a little bit too quickly, and reached the door at the end. There was only one door, this floor was used entirely by the president. With how wide the tower was, the office was bigger than Hojosa's old house.

'The money I make on the corpse of my dead comrades will buy me a bigger house....I guess that's how hunters make a living.'

His thoughts wouldn't go down a more positive path. He was incapable of finding even the slightest good point in that entire situation.

He kicked the doors open, not willing to show his weakness, and marched towards a chair. He dared not look at his big bad boss, it wouldn't do to hesitate before sitting on those comfortable chairs. Villainy bought comfortable chairs after all, or just comfort itself.

He flinched as a smoking cup of coffee was presented to him. He placed his bottle of beer on the desk and watched in satisfaction how that brought a frown on the aging face of his superior. Little victories made life.

He lifted his head, tried to puff his chest in defiance, and nearly gasped as the face of one of his dead comrade appeared to him. He looked at the image on the computer, and blinked, several times at that, before the grinding of his teeth became loud enough to be heard by that damnable blood-sucking boss of his.

"You're not going to blame me for this, right? I'm sure my dear comrades already had quite an earful. It's enjoyable isn't it, ? You take things that are falling apart and speed up their destruction." He snarled. Out of all the emotions that swirled inside of him, anger had swelled to a point he couldn't contain it. Was it hypocritical of him to do that? He knew not, but he did so anyway.

The empty swivel chair in front of him was grabbed firmly before the abnormally large body of a man in his fifty filled it. A leg posted on the other, crossed hands resting atop, a harsh glare brought back the attention of the fiery mage on a crunched-up face that had seen better days.

Many powerful people were strong only in words, in money, in influence. That man was strong in all of that and even more, hence the natural fear he installed in the heart of a normally unyielding and explosive man such as Hojosa.

The long-haired mage could only thank all the gods in existence that this monster of a man was keeping his aura to himself, not letting it out at any moment. That was a man who could control his emotions. Perhaps he ought to take a lesson or two from his superior for once.

"So...Hojosa....I heard the reports again and again. I know exactly all that happened, hence I won't ask for more details. I was also told about your little visit to the....More 'humble' side of the city. After we are done here, and it will be the case quite soon, you should go somewhere else. Why not...."

Once more, he flinched. If that was going to become one, he knew it was a bad habit to have. But he knew where this was going, and yet his heart stopped when the words were uttered. Perhaps the world even shattered, it wouldn't change anything at this point.

" Grab some food to match with that beer and go to watch a little amateur hunter fight ?"

Oh, that insufferable monster!

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