To Go Is To See

Nico took a deep breath and woke up in his rented room in the adventurer's guild. He stared at the familiar white ceiling and looked around, where he saw Laura and Lindsey sleeping on the same bed.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Then, he went to the bathroom and washed his face. He looked into the mirror and stared at his reflection for a long time, his under eyes more visible than he last remembered.

Then, an image of the old him flashed before his eyes; long, black hair, blue eyes and saggy under eyes that were way worse than Vortex's. For a moment, he saw what life was like before being transmigrated.

He woke up, took a bath, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, went to work, came back, played games, then went to sleep. Over and over, Nico kept seeing the old him going through the same routine.

It was a sad life he was living. His eyes became glassy and he felt his heart break. 'Back there, in the real world, I never had any redeeming qualities. I was alone, bullied... depressed... But here, I'm strong, I have abilities straight out of a comic book, and I'm not alone... Do I really... want to go back...?' he asked himself.

He touched his reflection on the mirror, his fingertips gracefully moving towards the glass. Then, the mirror shattered, each broken section showing a visage of both Nico and his original character, Vortex, standing on different sections.

'Who do I want to be...? Nico...? Or Vortex?' he questioned himself, his fingertips drawing blood and chipping off some of his health.

Lindsey burst into the bathroom in a panicked state, only to find Nico standing in front of a broken mirror with a bloody hand. She looked at him worriedly and touched his hand, bringing him back to reality.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a soft, concerned voice.

"... I don't know..."

"... I suppose you don't know why you're crying either, do you...?"

"Huh?" Nico wiped his face with his free hand and realised that only his cheeks were wet at this point and time. "I'm not crying..."

Lindsey gently wrapped her arms around Nico, embracing him as she buried her face on his chest. "It's okay. No matter the issue, I'm here for you..."

Nico felt his heart break. Then, he slowly hugged Lindsey back, quickly calming down. This sensation felt oddly familiar to him, and it didn't have anything to do with lust.

{ +2 Charisma has been added! }

'That's right... My sister used to comfort me like this too... I miss her...' he confessed as he hugged Lindsey even tighter.

Laura watched them from the corner of her eye and clenched her fist. Then, she buried her face in her blanket and forced herself to sleep, praying that Lindsey wouldn't do anything dirty with Nico.

'Unforgivable...' she repeatedly muttered internally as she bit her thumb, her red eyes glowing faintly under the blanket.

***

Before the black clouds turned grey, Nico was already up buying supplies for what seemed to be his most dangerous encounter yet. Thanks to the Goddess Nyx's advice, he had to be prepared for anything.

"Thank you for your patronage!" the robotic NPC said as Nico purchased a bunch of items.

"Yeah yeah... Wish Melissa was here..."

"Huh? Nico? What are you doing up this early?" Melissa asked as she stepped into the reception. "I always assumed you were a heavy sleeper," she teased.

"... Hey, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it? Need a new hoodie?" she asked with a soft smile.

"... I might be gone... so... I just..." Nico scratched the back of his head nervously, until he sighed and straightened up. "I'll make sure to set you free. That's it."

Melissa tilted her head and smiled softly. "You don't need to go that far. Just... stay alive. And, maybe buy me a cold one if you manage to do that..." she said as she lowered her head.

Nico nodded and walked through the doors of the adventurer's guild, Melissa watching him walk away. He then put his hoodie up and began running, trying to get as far away from the guild as possible. In a few minutes, he found himself standing in front of the abandoned building he and Elayne had spent the night in.

"Huh, right when I thought I wouldn't see you again," a familiar feminine voice said from behind Nico, who swiftly turned around and backed away a few feet. It was Elayne, and she had a bright smile on her face. "What's with that look? Don't tell me you think you're actually hidden beneath that hoodie?" she teased as she approached him and stood a few feet away.

"... I don't... Heh, I don't..." Nico responded.

"... You seem tense. You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Elayne glanced at his right hand and noticed the tensed up sensation of his fingertips. Then, she looked at his eyes, which kept glancing around the area before meeting her gaze every few seconds. She smiled softly and ran her fingers on his chest, a lustful glint hidden in her eyes.

"Y'know, I couldn't sleep the day after you and I met. Why don't we head to our secret spot and we... can get to it again? Mh?"

Nico felt his shoulders tense up. "Nah, I'm kinda busy at the moment."

Elayne smiled brightly and threw a punch, only for Nico to block it and push her back, expecting her to attack. Then, Elayne charged forward, throwing a bunch of punches and kicks at Nico, who only blocked and parried the attacks while his Health was slowly being chipped away.

He jumped back, creating a huge distance between himself and Elayne, and pulled out his Voided Xiphos, spinning it before gripping it tightly. Then, he focused up, taking a deep breath afterwards.

"How long have you known?" Elayne inquired.

"The night you asked me if I knew anything about Genesis," replied Nico. "... Do you usually sleep with guys in order to get some information out of them?"

"What do you think?"

"That you're way too pretty to stoop this low."

"I have to live."

"So do the people that Genesis keeps killing by selling his drugs and assassinating. We didn't ask to be put in this situation. Shouldn't those who have the power change the circumstances of those who don't?"

"Ha! What are you, a politician? There are no laws in this world. Only those who are willing to kill will survive. Besides, I've got people I need to look out for."

"Yeah well, so do I."

"You mean Lindsey? She doesn't even have any redeeming qualities. Why would you waste your time on her?"

"Because just like how you need to protect whoever it is you're protecting, I have to make sure that Lindsey lives. No matter what."

"Pfft. Let's see how far that'll get you."

Elayne channeled her mana into her hands, causing them to release a blue flame around them. Nico instantly realised the move that Elayne was about to use and began channeling his own Dancing Fire on his Voided Xiphos.

Then, they dashed towards each other, both of their fires crackling with each passing second. Nico swung his blade, and Elayne punched it, creating a spark. Then, they exchanged blows that sent shockwaves around the area. Elayne found an opening and delivered a Gatling Shot straight towards Nico's solar plexus, causing him to vomit blood and to fly straight into a building.

{ HP: 325/400 }

"That thing's no joke..." Nico said as he grunted and picked himself up, dusting off his clothes. "I don't want to fight you, Elayne."

"Clearly."

Elayne dashed and suddenly appeared in front of Nico, her hand curled into a fist, the blue fired punch ready to pierce Nico's stomach once again. But, this time, he blocked the attack with his Voided Xiphos. Still, the impact sent him flying through walls, taking a few health points away.

He slid on the ground, got up and held the chains attached to his blade before spinning it spontaneously. Then, he threw the blade towards Elayne, a fire sparking on the blade's tip. Elayne punched it away, but Nico dragged the chain and the dull side hut Elayne, sending her crashing outside of the building.

Nico pulled his weapon back and caught it, jumping outside the building as he prepared for the next round. Elayne shook her head and groaned as she took an attack stance.

"There's only so much you can do. Why not call it quits and leave Red Town instead of causing trouble for us?" Elayne asked.

"... Because I want to return home. And, it just so happens that Genesis knows the way out."

"If he did, he would've already revealed it. If you keep snooping around, you'll get a god on our asses!" she crowed.

"Screw that. If it means finding a way outta here, I'll piss on any god that tries to stand in my way. Also, how are you so sure that Genesis knows nothing?"

"Huh?"

"He, along with 6 others, managed to kill a god. By the rules of this game, when a god is killed, you get to ask for one truth from them. And, after my extensive research, I discovered that the 7 god killers asked the same question; 'how do we get back to the real world?'"

"I'm certain that it had something to do with shedding more blood, hence why Genesis and the others were against fighting another god. But, that doesn't mean that I'll sit back and do nothing. I have a family I want to return to and so does everyone else that has been plunged into this shit show!" Nico concluded.

"Man, you talk too much, you know that?" a husky voice said from the shadows. A towering man wearing a black suit and black fedora stepped next to Elayne, his golden eyes piercing into Nico's red eyes.

Nico's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth. "You must be Genesis...!"

Genesis smirked. "You bet your ass, I am."