Ruined

The outer suburbs were nice and quiet. Except for the occasional young people fully roaring their car engines at night, it is the ideal living place for the elderly like Jonathan and Charlotte.

The inner city, in other words, the central city, is the polar opposite. No matter which hour of which day, its streets were always filled with various types of cars and people. Finding peace and quiet was a rare occurrence.

Eve, for the first time in his life, sat in a car and drove through this very city that had been constantly present on his window.

Ever since he had stepped inside the car, a smile was fixated on his face. 

As the only adult present, Arco was driving hence Melina sat in the back with Eve, to keep watch.

She reasoned that they needed to learn more about Eve as they knew plenty about the Ravager so she thought that at least one person should keep an eye out for him at all times.

Seeing Eve grin like an idiot while seeing through the car window was greatly to her liking.

'He can smile after all. I'm glad to know that.'

Melina continued to watch Eve closely, now aware of his facial features.

He had a rather sharp jawline, thin double eyelids, thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and a few grey strands amidst his dark hair.

His eyes were silver, ashen silver to be exact. Although he didn't inherit his grandfather's brown eyes, when he was excited like he was right now, his eyes gained something resembling a manic glint like his grandfather.

'There are some things you need to be aware of if you want to catch my grandson's attention.'

Melina jerked her head in the opposite direction with so much force and almost smashed the window next to her.

Not that it would injure her. With her enhanced physique, she could smash through the windows of a dozen cars and come out unscathed.

Nevertheless, she was blushing profusely, the color of her face was that of a rose as she recalled Eve's shameless grandfather.

'That damn gramps… Who can advertise their grandson to girls without batting an eye, especially with that serious face. Does he have no shame?

Argh, seriously, was it my fault that I used a bit of soul power to influence his perception of me? Did that cause him to think like that?'

She bit her lower lip and glared at the pedestrians, trying to vent out her frustration and embarrassment.

Eventually, though, she fell into deep thoughts as she pondered over the idea of having Eve as a romantic partner.

'He doesn't have any special facial features, save for his eyes. I wouldn't call him ugly but not exactly handsome either.

With proper skincare, clothes, and hairstyle though, he can glow.'

Melina imagined Eve to be wearing a long dark coat, ashen jumper, close fitting black pants, and combat boots. His messy hair had been groomed to perfection, making it considerably wavy. His facial features were a little bit more pronounced as a result of maturing, and was also a little muscular and taller than he was right now.

The only thing unchanged in this image of perfect Eve created by Melina was his ashen silver eyes, but even they gained a piercing charm. Eyes that can melt some girls with a gaze.

For some reason, she also imagined him wearing a tuxedo and a bouquet of flowers in his arms, his hair and build the same as her previous imagination.

'Huh, he definitely has potential. I wouldn't deny him becoming a model with that look.

Unfortunately, he is not my type though. The grandpa got his hopes up for nothing.

But, I wouldn't deny the possibility of him falling for me. After all, I was a pretty good-looking girl before and now with a hint of soul power, I can be called quite beautiful.'

She expended a little bit of soul power, and her facial features grew a little bit more prominent. Not that big of a change, just barely noticeable.

Whether this action was performed purposefully or subconsciously was unknown.

A smug smile found its way on her face and she turned her attention to coming up with a Harvest Condition for Eve.

Meanwhile, Eve was mesmerized by the imposing, incredibly tall buildings all around him, oblivious to Melina's inner monologue.

Eve was not an ignorant bumpkin. Although he didn't go out before, he had seen all these in videos, movies, and games before.

But seeing it from the comfort of his bed and experiencing it on his own was a realm of difference apart.

His grin didn't fade one bit. On the contrary, it grew even bigger.

"Arco, drive through the 43rd bridge." Melina requested.

Arco looked at his rear mirror and raised an eyebrow. "And why should I? We have no reason to take a detour, is there?"

"Just do what I say."

"I'm not your butler," Arco mumbled, but he complied nevertheless.

He turned the steering wheel, and the car turned left sharply.

"Whoa."

An exclamation of awe escaped Eve's mouth, and both Arco and Melina heard it.

On the right side of the car, a perfectly evenly placed row of skyscrapers presented itself past a river.

The sun's rays bounced off the glass buildings, giving the skyscrapers a golden hue. They gave the impression of golden towers built by a god.

In front of the skyscrapers, was a river. The buildings reflected on the surface of the water, further enhancing the view.

Momentarily, Eve forgot to breathe.

They crossed the river via the bridge and turned right again.

Eve's eyes continued to remain glued to the window and it seemed that he would be stuck doing so for the rest of the ride.

He only tore his eye off when they passed multiple police cars.

"What was that, why were they lumped up together?" Melina asked as she turned her head around.

"None of our business." Arco spat and continued to drive.

After a moment of careful consideration, Eve opened his mouth.

"It was a woman… laying on the ground. Blood all over the pavement."

The brief image he saw was replayed in his mind again and he continued.

"Her belly was really swollen. She was probably pregnant."

"Oh."

Her curiosity was satisfied by the dark truth and Melina looked through the window.

None of the two could see her face so they missed the single tear flowing down on her cheeks.

Eve felt his mood ruined entirely as he made assumptions based on the scene he saw for a split second.

There was a police ladder going all the way up to the 8th floor of the nearest building. The state of the body was bad, as if it was smashed, and the blood was all over the place. With these evidence, he came to a conclusion.

As if he were a detective, he announced. "She probably jumped from her apartment."

Melina looked at him with a shocked expression, seemingly lost her voice.

Her eyes were filled with tears and her voice was ragged. 

"Just, just let it go. She's already dead."

'I understand that she had her circumstances but jumping when she is pregnant? Does she have no sympathy for her child? Bitch.' He cursed.

He felt sympathy for the kid, not outright feeling bad or sad about it but he felt a semblance of understanding.

Becoming a victim because of the poor decision of one's own mother was something he knew a lot about.

He didn't smile for the rest of the ride.