Chapter 10- Contrasting Lives

*Knock* *Knock*

Malice's sleep was disturbed by the sound of a door being knocked. Instantly, his eyes parted open as he jumped back in his bed in shock. Blinking, he looked around him confusedly. His mind was still not fully awake so it took him a moment to recognize where he was.

The place he was in was rather spacious but also compact. The first thing he noticed was the kaleidoscope of colors dancing across the walls, courtesy of the LED canopy casting its vibrant glow over the bed. It took a few moments for Malice's eyes to adjust to the flickering brilliance, the remnants of dreams fading like echoes in the cacophony of the city beyond.

As he sat up, the sensation of synthetic sheets against his skin felt oddly comforting. Not as good as the bed that Avatar made for him, but certainly up there in the comfortable meter. Stretching languidly; he surveyed the room through bleary eyes.

'Oh yeah, that man brought me here earlier today…' Malice thought to himself as he rubbed his face, recalling what happened.

After accepting the offer, Cipher and Malice immediately left the slums and headed into the district where the Marked Nobles lived. Naturally, Malice was apprehensive about that since that area was simply too dangerous for someone like him.

But, the process of entering that area was so swift that he was shocked. Nobody talked to him, even though he wasn't spared a handful of surprised glances. It seemed Cipher was quite known there, even garnering a few respectful greetings from some passersby.

Usually, if a slum dweller tried to enter the rich areas, he will be stopped by guards, usually stationed near gated neighborhoods, or simply patrolling the area for protection, not that Marked Nobles required any protection but what can the rich do with their money?

But, the guards passing by the duo merely greeted Cipher and didn't say anything about Malice.

Eventually, they reached a massive skyscraper. It was one of the biggest apartment complexes in the entire city. No, calling them apartments was an understatement. They were entire mansions, stacked one on top of the other.

Walking inside, Malice was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of detail and luxury that the place exuded. The lights, the decorations, even the feeling of his bare feet on the slick, almost glassy floor. It was like heaven on earth.

Without waiting, they headed to the elevator which brought them to floor 245. The glassy doors of the elevator showed the entire city of Neo Nexus in its mesmerizing albeit twisted glory.

This city was beautiful, akin to a well-decorated sarcophagus. That was the first time Malice saw it from above and he could only gasp in admiration. He never thought this city was that beautiful, as much as he hated living in it.

"You've never seen this city from above, have you?" Cipher asked curiously.

"No… This is a first for me…" Malice replied as he touched the glass.

"Well, enjoy it while you can. It might not last as long as you might expect." Cipher said mysteriously.

"What do you mean?"

"..." The man stared into the distance for a moment before he shook his head. "It's nothing."

"..." Malice looked at the man for a moment, trying to discern what he was trying to say. But, in the end, he gave up. This Cipher guy was all mysteries. He didn't even see his face yet.

Eventually, the elevator reached the floor. Instantly, Malice was met with a massive suite that covered the entire floor. Stepping into the suite, his eyes widened at the sheer opulence that surrounded him. It was a stark contrast to the dilapidated alleyways and cramped dwellings of the slums. The air was thick with a scent of luxury, a heady mix of perfumes and polished metal that tickled his nose.

The first thing that caught his eye was the towering floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city below. It's a breathtaking sight, the neon-lit skyline stretching endlessly into the distance, a mesmerizing tapestry of lights and shadows that seems to pulse with life of its own.

Turning away from the window, he took in the rest of the suite— The sleek furnishings and gleaming surfaces seemed to shimmer in the ambient light. There was a sense of space and grandeur here that he never experienced before, a world of privilege and excess that felt simultaneously exhilarating and overwhelming.

"I have an empty bedroom, it's the one at the end of that corridor. you can use it for now till I find you another place," Cipher said as he walked away. "Oh, right, The room has an in-built shower system so you can feel free to wash the nasty smell of your body."

Saying that, Cipher vanished from sight somewhere, leaving the flabbergasted Malice behind. Standing there silently, he took a few seconds to take everything in before he slowly started walking toward the bedroom, his eyes examining every nook and cranny of this place.

'I knew Marked Nobles were rich… But this… This is too much…'

It was truly such a stark difference from what he was used to. The way these people lived and the way he and the others lived was so much different, it wasn't even funny anymore. He almost questioned whether they were all really humans, after all.

***

After that, for the next two or three hours, Malice struggled to have his very first shower in a very long time. He didn't understand most of the advanced options built into the bathroom so he ended up essentially burning, freezing, and drowning himself in an ungodly amount of shampoo without knowing it.

But, in the end, he was able to somehow figure it out and finally left the bathroom with some towels he found there. He felt fresh and very clean, a feeling he completely forgot about years ago. Then, he searched around the room, looking for any clothes he could use. There was a rather big wardrobe with many types of clothes in the corner.

That's when he realized something else, most of these clothes could magically change their size to fit him perfectly the moment he tried them on.

After that, he finally found himself lying on the bed, thinking about this sudden change in his life. The past two days have been the craziest days of his entire life, firstly finding the shard, then meeting Avatar in a white chamber, and now ending up in one of the giant skyscrapers he always gazed at from afar. 

If he was to be told all of this was going to happen in such a short period of time, he would think they were spouting nonsense.

'Is this the effect of the Shard Of Hatred, I wonder…' With a hazy mind, he felt the comfort of the bed affecting his mind. Eventually, his eyes closed as he fell deep asleep.

*** 

(Back to the present)

The door knocked again, catching Malice's attention. So, he stood up and approached it carefully before opening it. There, a very tall, muscular man stood waiting. He had long blonde hair that reached his neck, some faint traces of a shaved beard, and an intimidating look in his blue eyes.

One of them was replaced with a metal prosthetic that seemed to work well enough as a secondary eye. He had an intimidating Snake Mark that covered the back of his hand up to his elbow.

"You have some guts to make me wait." The man said.

"I just woke up," Malice replied as he blinked. 'So this is what he looks like. I guess it was better when I couldn't see his face.' He thought to himself.

The man looked very intimidating, perhaps fitting his aura perfectly well. Especially the snake tattoo on his arm, it gave Malice a subtle feeling of unease. It wasn't as prominent as when he stared at the skull in his hand, but it was certainly there.

Looking at the kid, Cipher squinted his eyes before he turned around and started walking. "Follow me." He said briefly.

Malice looked at him for a moment and then closed the door and followed him silently. The two walked through the suite till they reached a room with reinforced metallic double doors.

Next to them was a small panel that Cipher touched with his hand. A scanner moved across the screen before it lit up with a green light. Then, the doors started opening on their own.

'Wow… This is technology…' Malice thought to himself.

"Since you seem to be ready. It's time to start. We have a lot of work to do and I don't like repeating myself so you better listen, understood?" Cipher said coldly. 

"I understand."

"Good, come in." He said as he walked inside. "This is my personal lab."