Author-San:... Okay, I'm sorry for not updating for so long. I kinda had school to worry about, so, I apologize. But, nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy this new Chapter!

Note: Listen to (NieR: Automata OST - Kainè [Salvation]) at this first scene, if you want of course. But only at the first scene.

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{Chapter 6}

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On a small, grass-filled island surrouded by a clear ocean, stood two individuals, one of them a familiar stoic teen.

And the other was a petite, white-haired girl, wearing a long, white sundress with a simple straw hat on her head. Her hair reached to her back, filled with different types of flowers and accessories. Her back was facing the teen, she was seemingly staring into the vast body of water.

"Do you remember...?"

Flowers sprouted out the ground, a variety of different colors. But there were two flowers that stood out from the rest: a white one and a dark one.

"The day we met them..."

The other flowers began to surround the two odd ones, with the white one seemingly sprouting roots around the dark one, holding it like its life depended on it.

The white-haired girl giggled, "I still remembered how I'd tackle you whenever one of them tried to get a bit... frisky with you..."

Then more variety of flowers start to wrap their roots and vines around the dark flower, pulling at it slowly and gently by every direction.

"We would always fight over your attention... The men wanted to train with you... while the girls wanted to stay beside you, to keep them company..."

A few flowers began to wilt and die, but the flowers that held onto the dark one didn't, their roots seemingly tightening their hold on it. While the dark one was also sprouting out its own roots to ensnare the flowers around it, holding them tightly.

"When the others died... you would be there to comfort us... to soothe our pain with your words..."

The dark flower then began to sag, turning into a different shade of color: red, its edges were slowly turning blood red.

"You killed for our sake... You fought against your morals and continued to fight to your last breath... All for us..."

Caterpillars began to appear around the dark flower, crawling up to it and eating its leaves and flesh.

"Guilt was eating you from the inside... yet you fight and continue on living..."

The holes that the caterpillars were making were beginning to seal up and dissappear, but the pests continued to eat the flower, only giving them more food to eat and survive off of.

"Your wounds would heal like they were nothing... but your heart, mind, and soul would continue to bleed..."

Then suddenly, one of the few surviving flowers – a red on – that weren't holding onto the dark flower began to spread out its thorny roots to almost half of the island, ensnaring everything in its prickly hold.

"Then someone, who we've known for so long, started a bloody crusade... their greed and lust wanting more to sate its bottomless hunger..."

The red flower that ensnared almost half of the island started to ensnare the other flowers, holding them tightly while it drained the colors out of them, a few were already wilting and dying from the red one.

"But you, with a heavy heart and a cruel, cold resolve, slain that former-comrade of ours, not batting a single eyelash when you cutted them down..."

The dark flower started to produce more roots, but this time they were sharp and thorny. They started to cover the red flower until it was covered in a small dome of thorns and roots. When the roots began to retract back into the dark flower, the red one was nowhere to be seen, only a few petals remained.

The land around the remaining flowers began to heal and flourish all around the small island.

"When we finally... passed on... You continued to walk on this cold earth... wandering aimlessly..."

Everything around the dark flower then turned dry and wilted, like the life inside them was being sucked out of them until nothing remained on the small island, except for the lone dark flower.

"You were alone... You were alone for a very long... long time..."

The flower sagged, and continued to sag until it practically touched the barren, bleached ground.

"You wanted to be with us... but you can't... you wanted to end it all... but you can't..."

Then suddenly the flower stood straight, thorns sprouting out of its stem, its petals turning darker and redder with each second passed.

"You focused your anger... your frustration on others..."

The ground around the dark flower began to crack and break, thorny roots coming out of them, sharp and jagged. The flower was growing in size, standing in an abnormal height for a regular flower, looking more fierce and monstrous than its former.

"You made the battlefield your home, and took what we said to what's left of your dying heart..."

Other flowers started to sprout out of the ground, but found themselves overwhelmed and entangled by the dark flower's deadly vines.

"You made sure to keep your promise... to ensure that land you stood on was safe, including the people who stood on it..."

Grass then began to cover the island once more, but this time under the watchful eye of the dark flower.

"But no matter what you did... you were still alone in this world... People were afraid of you..."

The grass around the black was beginning to dissappear until nothing but barren land was left. The grass was distancing itself from the flower.

"So... why...?"

The dark flower was now starting to sag and wilt, yet it fought and continued to stand straight.

"Why did you accept this fate...?" The white-haired girl turned around and faced the stoic teen. "Is this for us...? Or is this about something else entirely...?" The girl's eyes were missing, only dark sockets with a faint trail of tears.

The land around the teen was beginning to warp and distort, changing into a demented landscape of death and ruin. The grass was turning gray, the ocean around them turning crimson red, and the sky was now black with a red moon watching over them.

"... Why...? Why...? Why? Why?!" The girl's voice was now distorted and warped, her head snapping sideways, with blood leaking out of her nose and ears. An inhumanly wide smile was beginning to crawl up to her lips, parts of her cheek breaking and tearing from the wide smile, showing nothing but muscle and bone.

"Why... did you... leave... me?!" She screeched, her body slowly turning into dust and being blown away from a sudden gust of wind.

The only things left were the teen and the dark flower. But the flower began to grow in size, and grow it did. It started to grow and grow until it practically reached the clouds.

Then it started to shed its skin, flaking off and showing pale, reptilian scales underneath. The roots turned into building-sized limbs, its claws as big as a person. The creature's body was burrowed deep into the small island, but cracks could be seen on the surface, a long, large body entangling inside the entire island.

The flower's petals started to rot and fall off, showing a snarling beast with sharp teeth as large as a man. Its pure-black, pupiless eyes glaring down onto the teen, its snarling mouth opening to show a cave full of blade-like teeth and bone. Horns and bone protrusions covering the creature's entire body, looking like sharp spears and javelins.

The creature then let loose a monstrous, deafening roar at the teen, the water and land shaking from the creature's wail of rage.

'No matter how many times you try...'

The teen extended his arm behind him, blood seeping out of his nails and fingertips.

'You will fail... and fail... until you give up the last of your sanity to me...'

The blood began to take shape, hardening into a long, red polearm with a wicked, black, serrated blade sticking out of the side-end of the pole. A red-crimson eye sprouted out of the side of the blade, the pupil glancing at every direction before settling in the middle. The weapon was a blackish-red scythe.

'There will be no escape... You will fall...'

The black-haired teen twirled the scythe around and settled it on his shoulders, his eyes hardened and stoic from the beast's attempt of intimidation. He faced the beast head on, showing a lack of fear or emotions in that matter.

'You will lose your empathy... The chains that bind you down will rust and break...'

To any ordinary man or woman, they would have gawked at the creature's sheer size alone, losing any fighting chance against the creature's ferocious appearance.

But the teen simply didn't care, his whole body tensing. He was ready to face the beast head on. The beast let loose another deafening roar as it raised one of its giant, meaty arms, poised to crush its prey into a bloody paste.

'And when that happens... I will be there... to feast upon your broken flesh...'

The teen jumped over the arm and landed atop it, with his scythe over his head, the blade gleaming from the crimson moon's light. He swung the scythe down onto the beast's arm, making sure to bury it deep into its flesh. He then began to ran up the appendage, dragging his scythe with him, making a long, nasty laceration.

The beast roared in pain, opening its wide maw to swallow the teen whole, including its whole arm with it. But the teen jumped out of the way, landing atop the beast's head, while the beast swallowed its arm whole, chomping and tearing it off.

The teen raised his scythe and swinged it at the beast, piercing it deep into its eye, making sure it was nice and deep inside. The beast released a blood curdling roar in response.

The teen used his scythe to hold onto the now thrashing beast, large claw marks and gaping holes all around the island from its wild swinging.

After using all of its strength, the teen used the opportunity to summon another red scythe and swinged it into the beast's other eye, prompting it again to release another roar of pain by thrusting its head to the sky.

Using the momentum, the teen leaped high into the sky, pulling both of his scythes out of the creature's eye sockets, the serrated teeth tearing large chunks of flesh off. He then twirled both of the scythe mid-air and fused them together with each other, forming a long, double blade-scythe.

He then dived straight at the creature, his scythe cutting through the air like butter.

'You are mine... and only mine...'

The teen swung his scythe at the creature, severing its entire head from its body. The body slammed down onto the ground while the head rolled away. But no matter how severe the wound was, no blood poured out of the body.

'You cannot escape... We are bound together by blood...'

He looked over his shoulder, the flower-turned-monster's pupiless eyes staring back at him, dull and dead.

The headless body gave a weak twitch, before it suddenly thrusted its remaining arm at the teen. But he jumped over it before he was caught in its grasp. But another arm grabbed him mid-air, squeezing the air out of him.

The monster's body stood up, all of its wounds and lacerations closing and healing up, with its newly regenerated arm holding the teen in the air. The stump on its shoulders regenerating to form another, angrier, snarling head.

The monster then started to furiously slam the teen around, cuts, bruises and other afflictions appearing all over the teen's body. But this time, the injuries didn't heal or close up like usual. With one mighty throw, the beast threw the teen into the ground, plunging him deep into the earth and making a large, gaping hole as a result.

The teen choked out blood, his vision hazy and wet from his blood, both of his legs twisted in awkward angles, his left arm numb and bleeding, and his right arm severed off his shoulders. He gritted his teeth in pain, his intestines spilling out from his abdomen and onto the ground.

He turned his head, his scythe inches away from him. Using his remaining strength, he pitifully tried to reach out to his weapon with his numb arm, only widening his wounds further.

But before he could even reach his weapon, a sharp, clawed finger pierced his outstretched arm onto the ground, his teeth gritting in even more pain. And with a flick of its finger, it tore his arm clean off his forearm.

The pain was almost unbearable, blood pooling around his body, his feet broken beyond use, both of his arms severed and missing.

With the last of his strength, he turned his head over him, seeing a maw full of sword-like and jagged teeth coming down onto him.

'Your descent to madness... has only just began...'

The mouth chomped down, his world went black for him, his entire being feeling nothing but pain and anguish, swords and daggers piercing his entire being.

He felt tired... so, very, very tired...

Then silence... came...

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A pair of dull-gray eyes shot wide open, shock and pain written in them before they turned blank and stoic.

'A nightmare...?' Tamashi thought to himself as he wiped the accumulated sweat on his forehead. He took a quick glance at his surroundings. He must've fallen asleep by accident, being that he hasn't sleep for almost a month straight now.

Not like he needed sleep with his condition anyways.

He was in a simple bedroom, with someone already sleeping on the bed, while he was sitting on the hard floor, leaning on the wall behind him. The room was dimly lit, seeing that the sun hasn't fully risen up yet, only covering the room in a natural orange hue from the open window.

He then stood up from his seat and walked up to the bedside. There, in the bed, was a young, orange-haired girl sleeping soundly. Their face was so peaceful and innocent, something that was easily corruptible. This look was much better than the one she had when he first met her.

He slowly reached his hand to her and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, feeling the girl's warmth through the limb.

Oh how he wish he could return to those days, simpler times. To be innocent and naïve to the things happening around him.

Sadly, the naïve must grow and learn the dark truth. One way or another...

While Tamashi was stuck in his thoughts, the orange-haired girl began to stir in her sleep, slowly opening both of her eyes, feeling something or someone was over her.

When she finally opened them, she suddenly felt incredibly faint and scared.

In front of her was a face covered in pure darkness, with a pair of hollow, gray eyes, staring deep into her own green eyes. Something was touching her cheek, sending major shivers down her spine, yet the touch felt... incredibly warm and loving?

She felt the eyes were staring directly at her soul, looking for any fault inside her. She tried bringing her blanket over her face, but the eyes just froze her in place with pure fear.

This lasted for a few minutes until the teen finally noticed that he was now staring too much, and the girl was actually awake now.

"... Sorry." He apologized, pulling his hand off the girl's warm cheek, his tone monotone and devoid of any emotion. "Do you need anything?" He asked.

The girl responded – after sitting up from her comfy bed – with a shake of her head, still feeling the fear coursing through her. She was still afraid of him, even if almost a month has passed. She hasn't left the room yet, not once. She was still cautious about the people here, being that they were the infamous group of bloodthirsty assassins, Night Raid, or so she heard, of course.

But the boy in front of her always brought her food, saying a few words – either asking how she was or if she needed anything – and leaving without another word, only coming back to take the tray he left for her. She knew the teen was only trying to be nice to her, but his expression, presence and tone were... eerie and unnerving, almost as if he was dead or just a walking, talking corpse.

But sometimes, someone else brings her food, either the clumsy, purple girl – which by the way, always forgets to take the tray after, with the teen taking the tray instead – or the equally stoic and scary, red-eyed girl.

The former was really friendly, trying to strike a conversation with her, with her giving half-ass responses and comments. While the latter was just plain out creepy, giving her a look before leaving her with the food – which in turn made the teen fetch the tray in the red-eyed girl's place.

The young girl was pretty sure the latter at least tried to have a conversation with her, but just bails out at the very last second.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was really grateful for the food and company, even if half of the latter was a bit unnerving at first. They didn't treat her like an outsider, more like a normal person, and she liked that...

It almost felt like she was living her old life again, the time her mother was still alive, the time their small village was still full of fond and warm memories, memories she would always have at heart.

She still remembers it, how she would run off to play with the other kids, not worrying when will her next meal be. She loved playing hide-and-seek, feeling the sudden rush during hiding from someone, hoping not to be found. It felt great...

Unless the finder wasn't a sadistic bandit who loves hunting down children for sport, then everything was just peachy.

No matter how she viewed it, she was alone. Her mother was dead, her father was possibly plowing another wench as she speaks, and the bandits in her village think she's dead or worse by now, without anyone of them batting an eye to her fate.

It felt incredibly cold all of a sudden, her body quivering. She didn't know why the world gave her such a cruel fate. Maybe she was a bad person in her previous life? Or maybe the world just worked that way?

Then she felt something warm pat her on the head, melting all her problems away like it was nothing but a bad dream. She raised her head to see the previously mentioned teen giving her a head pat, gently stroking her head like it was a delicate cat.

"No one is truly alone in this world, no matter what someone thinks. There will always be someone to help, you just haven't met them yet." Tamashi said to the distressed girl, his tone stoic and cold yet calm and gentle. "A... person told me that once..." He scratched the back of his head, yet his expression was of stone and not of embarrassment, and somehow really out of character for someone like him.

The young girl had to blink a few times, letting it sink for a few moments. She then began to quietly giggle until it turned into full-blown laughter. She wasn't mocking the teen, it was just pure amusement.

At first glance, the teen looked like a stoic, stone-hearted person – and that description is spot on, in her opinion – but seeing and getting to know at least a little about him, he was still a stoic person... a really, really stone-faced person.

But he was a stone-faced person that tried. It was a pitiful act of trying to comfort her, but it did work, even slightly.

After noticing that she was laughing like a madman, she coughed into a open fist, covering the grin on her lips. "Thanks... I needed that..."

"Tamashi."

"H-Huh...?" The girl raised at the teen, slightly confused. "W-What was that?"

"I said: people call me Tamashi." He repeated, cracking a forced smile, which looked incredibly stupid and out of place for someone like him.

Now that she thought about it, she never actually got the teen's proper name, being that she was more scared than curious.

The girl responded by giggling. "Nice to meet you, Tamashi..." She extended a hand to the teen, finding it now comfortable to face him. "My name is Tsubaki."

The teen – who just flat out stopped desperately trying to smile – shook the girl Tsubaki's hand. "It is also pleasant to meet you as well."

Tsubaki giggled once again, her smiling expression killing the tense atmosphere entirely. The room was only filled with the young girl's laughter and joy.

That smile, that exact same smile that reminded him of someone precious he once kept dear to him. This was the smile he promised to protect, something that gave him hope with every step he took to the future.

If only he could see them smile again, just one more time.

"... Tamashi? Tamashi!" Tsubaki shouted at the teen's face as she waved her hands infront of his face. "Hello?! Earth to Tamashi?!"

"Yes, I am Tamashi." The teen replied with a flat tone. "Do you need anything?"

The girl was about to say something, but a loud growl beat her to it, a bright red blush of embarrassment gracing her cheeks.

"Seems like your stomach answered my question." Tamashi joked, but his tone was still flat and stoic, which killed the joke entirely. He then pulled a paper-wrap sandwich – and yes, it was still warm... somehow – out of his coat and gave it to her. "Here... I made this not too long ago."

Tsubaki, whose cheeks are still bright red in embarrassment, reached in for the sandwich – and somewhat questioned for how it was still warm – and unwrapped the paper. "... Th-Thanks..." She muttered to the teen, taking a bite from the sandwich.

When she took the bite, a flow of familiar and warming flavors flooded her taste buds, reminding her once again of her now-deceased mother's cooking. It somewhat comforted her in way.

"... Is it good?"

"Hmm?" Tsubaki turned to the teen, her mouth still full of the sandwich. But she quickly swallowed and coughed into her fist, hiding the blush tickling her cheeks. "Y-Yes... Very..."

Then an awkward silence descended upon the pair, with Tsubaki quietly eating the sandwich while Tamashi watched with his signature blank look. To say the atmosphere was unnerving might be a huge understatement. Tsubaki practically felt the teen's dead stare on her, almost like an undead revenant was staring at her, or more specifically, watching her eat the sandwich.

After the sandwich was done, the awkwardness only increased ten-fold. Without a way to distract herself, she now felt the sudden urge to hide behind her blanket, hopping to avoid the teen's unforgiving gaze.

Sensing the girl's discomfort, Tamashi stood to leave. "Just call me if you need anything." He opened the door and left before Tsubaki could say a word.

After Tamashi left, she felt somewhat relieved yet guilty. Relieved because the source of her discomfort was gone, and guilty because that source of discomfort was just trying to be friendly with her. Hell, he even fed her a damn-good sandwich.

"Mom did say I wasn't ever the one to start a conversation..." She sighed, slipping back to her bed to take a nap, feeling really tired right about now.

She just hoped that she wasn't rude in anyway to the guy, or anything.

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Closing the door behind him, Tamashi placed his forehead on it and released a quiet sigh, his thoughts somewhere else,

The eyes, the hair, even the scent. There was no mistaking it, no matter how many times he checked. At first, he was going to leave the child at a orphanage far from the Capital. But after comparing her a few times, there was no denying it.

That girl is his daughter.

Not Tamashi's, never. He never tried to impregnate someone, especially if it came from him. No, this child was someone else's, someone he knew very closely.

But how could he hide it from him, and from the looks of it, the girl didn't know anything about her own heritage – which would be the best. But now that opens a whole chest of problems and possibilities.

He can't let anyone from the Revolutionary Army, or even Night Raid, find out the girl's heritage. He can't let a child fight in a war she never asked to join.

"You never did think with your head, only with your second head." Tamashi tried to joke, but it came out dry and devoid of any humor.

Oh, how he hated his personality now than before.

"Tamashi, are you alright?" Sheele asked, having turned a corner to see the stoic teen pressing his temples on a door, a look of uncertainty on their face. "Is everything alright?"

Tamashi pushed himself off the door and turned to the purple-haired woman. "Yes. There is nothing to worry about, Sheele, I was just thinking." He answered, about to walk pass her and talk to Akame for his mission for today.

"W-Wait!" Sheele called out, grabbing the teen by the hand.

It was comforting yet cold to the touch. "What? I have things to do, Sheele." Tamashi turned to the purple-haired girl, waiting for a response. "If you don't have anything to say, I need to go to Akame and-"

"I haven't been able to thank you properly..." She said, interrupting the black-haired boy. "On the night I almost died, you attacked that Biological-Teigu and rescued me and Mine... I wasn't able to thank you for that..." She trailed off, feeling a lot more timid than before.

In that very moment Tamashi came and rescued her on that night, she felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for the boy. He was strong and experienced. But she always found it weird that the teen would always carry around a variety of blood-red weapons on him, from short-swords to piercing javelins. And he would always lose said weapons, but would around carry another one with him, seemingly out of nowhere.

Lubbock even theorized that he might have a Teigu on him. But every recorded Teigu didn't have an ability close to weapon creation or anything of that regard.

Tamashi looked at her. It wasn't any kind of look. He simply looked at her with his blank eyes, trailing up and down. Sheele felt a bit self-conscious that the boy was apparently checking her out.

"I only did it because you reminded me of someone. Nothing more, nothing less." Tamashi placed a hand on her shoulder, his mouth leaning in on her ear. "I didn't do it because I thought it would be heroic, I didn't do it because I wanted a favor from you, nor anything in between. I only did it because your face and words reminded me of someone I knew long ago." He whispered through her ear, his tone cold and uncaring.

Sheele, for her part, felt hurt, almost like a dagger was driven deep into her heart and twisted it, making sure she would receive nothing but pain. But another side of her hoped otherwise. Because for even a tiniest of a millisecond, she saw something inside the teen's eyes except for cold, hard stoicism.

She saw the pain of a man.

The guilt of a soldier.

And the sadness of a warrior.

"I apologize if I offended you, Sheele. But I need to go now." Tamashi turned and was about to leave.

"... Tamashi!" The teen stopped, not turning to face her. "I-If... you ever need someone to talk to... I-I'm here, okay?" She said to the teen, her cheeks slightly reddening.

Instead of answering or anything, Tamashi continued on his way to Akame.

Sheele stood there, a hand on her chest. 'What happened to him...?' Sheele stared at the teen's retreating form, saddened for the teen. If she knew better, Tamashi looked like a male Akame but more stoic and cold to others except to said girl. He might have experienced something as worse or even worser than the red-eyed girl to be what he is today.

But people can change, seeing that Akame seemed a bit more cheerful – in her own Akame way – whenever Tamashi was around. She just hoped that Tamashi would someday talk to someone about his problems instead of letting it be, waiting for it to burst.

It was better to talk to someone about what's on their mind instead of facing them alone.

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Tamashi pushed open the door, his expression ever neutral. "Good-morning, Akame." He greeted, walking into the kitchen and firing up the stove.

"Good-morning, Brother." Akame greeted back. There was stoicism in her tone but there were hints of cheerfulness in it. "The others left for the Capital on personal-business. The only people here are you, me, Sheele, and the girl you brought."

Tamashi nodded, grabbing a hunk of fresh Danger-Beast meat from storage and fried them over the burning fire, cracking two eggs in as well. "What business does the others have in the Capital? If I recall, one of them is wanted in the Capital, correct?" He asked, putting the cooked food on a plate and placing it in front of Akame.

"Yes, that is correct. But we have another secret hideout inside the Capital. Lubbock is in charge of that hideout, which is a library, if I remember correctly." The red-eyed girl answered, taking a bite from a her plate. Her expression then softened, her tastebuds melting away along with the juices of the tasty meat. But she then noticed that her brother wasn't eating, instead sitting across her with a neutral look. "Are you not going to eat?"

"... I'm still full." He answered. "What is my mission for today, Akame?" He asked, changing the subject.

Akame frowned at the teen. "Brother, it's still too early. Please eat. You need all the energy to fight." She scolded, taking another bite of her food.

"Akame, I'm fine. I ate earlier and I don't need it."

"Brother, you haven't eaten anything since you joined us." Akame said, putting her utensil down, her eyes narrowed at the teen. "Back when I was a younger, I didn't notice it at first, but now I started noticing that I haven't seen you eat anything. Meat, vegetables, even water, you never used your mouth except for talking."

"... Akame, if you know what's good for you, you will drop this subject and tell me my mission for today, understood?" Tamashi said, his dull-gray eyes slowly turning into a glare.

She wanted to press on, but a logical side of her told her to leave it be for now. "Yes, I apologize, Brother." She pulled out a piece of folded paper from her pockets and handed it to the teen. "This is your target for today."

Tamashi open the paper to see a sketch of a fat, old woman, wrinkles and blemishes decorating her unhealthy skin. On her head was a mop-full of elegant and overflowing blonde hair.

"Her name is Fauru Blacklow, or by her title, the Queen of Marrows. She hires thugs and bandits to kidnap people – both men, women and children – from the countryside and makes them into prostitutes. She also practices cannibalism whenever any of the prostitutes are no longer useful to her, eating more than her own fill." Akame informed, her tone stoic but there was disgust in it. "A client offered a sack of money for her head impaled on a pike. The rest of the information is at the back of the paper."

"Yes. Thank you, Akame, and enjoy your meal." Tamashi stood up and was about to go out the door, but took one last glance at the black-haired girl. "Akame... No matter what, never think about my wellbeing. Nothing good comes from that." He then left her alone inside the room.

Akame stared at the door where Tamashi felt, her hands trembling under the table. She looked down at her meal, oil and juices cascading down the half-eaten meat.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, a downcast expression on her face. Tamashi was always like that, he always told her that same line whenever she thought about his health. This was one of the reasons why she was always worried about her comrades and friends, even though she wouldn't say it out loud because of her social awkwardness.

Tamashi never liked talking about his past. Even if he were to slip up and say something, it was always cryptic. She knew nothing about him, but he knew almost everything about her when she was still young: her favorite food, her favorite toys, her favorite color, he even knew what color of underwear she would always wear around him.

Akame shook her head from the last thought. She was older now. But no matter how old she would get, she would never understand her brother-figure.

She just hoped someday he would open up to her.

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Walking along the dark and dirty alleyways, Tamashi navigated around them, taking shortcuts that would hasten his arrival to the destination. He turned a corner and quickly hid behind a wooden crate, his coat blending in perfectly with the shadows.

Across the crate were two strange men, one wearing nothing but a pair of short pants, showing his muscular frame. While the other one was covered in metal piercings: eyelids, tongue, lips, fingers, everywhere but his nether regions. The two were talking with each other, unbeknownst of their eavesdropper.

"Pierces, how are the goods?" The muscular man asked, his muscles bulging with the slightest of movement.

"Delicious! A bit aggressive for my taste, but still good." The man with piercings called Pierces giggled, his tongue licking his lips, the slightest hints of blood on them.

"Good! And how were the women?"

"Meh. Alright, I guess?"

Both of them then laughed heartily, walking deeper into the alleyway while their sick cackles bounced off the walls.

Tamashi followed the two, his footsteps as silent as the wind. He used the alleyway's lack of light to his advantage, stalking near them in plain sight.

The two men stopped at a worn-down, wooden door, knocking in three quick succession and then two slow ones. The two waited for a bit until the door opened up, with a young girl greeting them.

"Come on in. The boss is waitin' for everyone to arrive." The girl said, letting the two men in. "She's extra bitchy today." She commented, closing the door.

The black-haired teen checked his surroundings first before walking up to the door, knocking in three quick successions and then two slow ones. When the door was unlocked, Tamashi abruptly pushed the door open and grabbed the daze girl behind it, taking out his knife and slitting her throat open while a hand was covering her mouth to prevent her from alerting anyone.

The girl's tears stained the hand that was muffling her screams, while her neck was turned into a crimson waterfall. As the life was drained from her eyes, Tamashi snapped the girl's neck sideways, making a loud, meaty crunch. He was just making sure the girl was dead.

He then placed the corpse in the alleyway, just behind a pile of garbage and trash. He'll be back to for the corpse. But first, there was an old woman he needed to kill today.

As he was stalking the hallways of the secretive building, his form hidden by the darkness, the smell of rotten flesh assaulted his senses. Everywhere he went or goes, he would always see blood stained on either the walls or floor, sometimes even both.

There were a few guards here and there, but he took them out with brutal proficiency, aiming for instant-killing blows. While he ignored and pass by the ones who weren't necessary to be killed, he made notes to dispose of them later. Evidence would only lead to problems, and problems would lead to trouble.

Peeking over a corner, he saw the same two men he followed, but this time they were talking to an old, disfigured woman.

She was his target.

"Boys! How's the cargo for today?" The woman asked, almost sounding out like a growl. She was clearly frustrated, evident to the small stress ball she was rapidly squeezing. "It better be good, or so help me, I'll flay and fry every one of you incompetent idiots alive!" She threatened, leaning in the muscled man's face.

"T-The cargo's here and well. Nothing out of place or anything, hehehe..." He laughed nervously, feeling the woman's hot, pungent on his face.

"Good! And it better stay that way, Shorts. I don't need to visit the family again for another friendly reminder, do I?" There was glint in the woman's eye, her smile wide and frightening.

"N-No! N-No, ma'am. I assure you, everything is under control." The man named Shorts replied, a bit too quickly. Shorts and the woman looked eyes for a bit, the former sweating bullets down his forehead while the latter was sizing him up.

The old woman then smirked, leaving the two men alone and going through a door. The two released a breath of air, one with a scowl while the other wore a frown.

"Sheesh! Mandy's right. The boss is a lot more bitchier today." Pierces commented, turning to the man beside him. "Did she really need to threaten your family a second time? Pretty sure your son is still recovering from her first visit."

"If I had a choice, Pierces, I would quit this job within a heartbeat and go back to my family. But life isn't like that, man. The Capital forces guys like us to do some inhumane stuff just to survive, just to get food on the table." Shorts gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white. "My boy is already suffering from an incurable illness and that bitch goes out of her way and breaks his arm in two."

"Well look at the bright side, at least we test out the goods before selling them, am I right?" Pierces snickered, holding his sides.

"Yeah. But the missus seems to be getting angry at me. I already explained to her why I needed to do this; hell, I went on buying her a bouquet of roses everyday!"

"Then rock her world when you get back. But be sure to get some earplugs for your kid first. Lord knows I tried explaining him how sex works, but they just go over his head and- Ahh...!" Pierces couldn't finish before he found a knife sticking out of chest, his heart pierced by the sharp metal.

Before he could even think for help, his neck was snapped sideways, blood trailing down the man's nostrils as he fell motionless on the floor.

Tamashi took the opportunity to throw his bloody knife into the muscular man's neck and give him a roundhouse kick to the head, disorienting the man.

Shorts stumbled on the ground, choking on his blood while he tried to pull the knife out of his windpipe, each tug was a searing pain through his body and the lack of air was slowly eating away at him.

He looked up at the teen who did this to him, his eyes staring at him with disinterest. With one last ditch effort, he turned on his back and used the last of his strength to pull the knife out.

Only for the teen to stomp on it and drive it further through his throat.

Short's eyes pulled back into his skull, the life in them snuffed out like a candle's flame. Tamashi pulled his knife out of the man's neck, blood splattering and disappearing into his black coat. Blood was sometimes hard to discern with the color of black.

Making sure the two of them were dead by checking their pulses and whatnot, the black-haired teen peeked into the door where the old woman went and proceeded inside when it was clear.

On the other side of the door, there were bloody cages all around, some empty, the others filled with either people who were alive, dying, dead, or everything in between. The place smelled rank with dried blood and rotting flesh. There were sounds of screaming, moaning and grunting, but the sounds were easily flooded by soft flesh being torn apart by metal and machinery.

The place was large and vast, it was most likely going to take some time to cover the whole area.

"Hey! You!"

Tamashi turned to the side, a girl – probably the same age as the one he killed earlier by the door – whispered to him, her eyes scared and desperate. "Yeah, you! Get me out of here!" She pleaded.

The teen stared at her for a minute before continuing on his way, ignoring the girl.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! Help a person out! Or I'll scream and we both go down!" She threatened, her desperation nearing its boiling point.

Unfortunately for her, he didn't need anyone to be alerted by his presence. He took a knife out of his pockets and threw it at the girl without looking, nailing the wall just behind her, blood seeping out of the minor cut she received from the thrown knife.

The girl's face quickly turned pale as she scurried away from the knife, her bladder losing itself.

"... Take the knife and good luck." And after his message was received, he continued on his way.

Hopefully she knew how to pick a lock with a knife.

After searching and snooping around the place, making sure he wasn't spotted or any evidence of his existence was there, he found nothing but more cages, corpses, corpses who were being turned in meat, people who were being raped, and corpses who were being raped.

And everything in between.

Tamashi was about to give up when he leaned back onto a wall, eavesdropping on a man having his way with a girl on a bloody table, cries and grunts heard from the two of them.

"N-No... matter how psychotic... or bitchy that Blacklow... is, she has some fine... women here!" A man over his forties said with each grunt, a wicked smile on his lips.

"P-Please... stop!" The vulnerable girl sobbed, trying to push the bigger man off her.

"Shut up, bitch! You're my property now! I paid good money, and you will do what I say, go it?!"

Having heard enough, Tamashi turned the corner and pulled the man off the girl. A head butt on the face and the man was dazed. He then slammed him on the nearest wall and pressed his neck with his forearm, making sure the man had enough space to breath but not enough to talk.

Luckily for the man, he still needed information.

"Where's Fauru Blacklow?" Tamashi asked, his eyes dead-set on the man's own.

The man tried to struggle, but the black-haired teen pressed harder, eliciting a cough and a tap on the arm.

Tamashi lessened his hold on the man, but not enough for him to escape. "W-What do y-you want with her?! I-I'm just... a customer here, so please let me go!" The man pleaded, fear in his eyes.

There was no hint of malice or deception from the man's tone, only fear. This made him useless. The dull-eyed boy snapped the man's neck with relative ease, letting him fall to the ground with a loud thud. He then turned to the crying girl on the bloody table, fear evident in her eyes.

"Where?" He softly asked. The girl then pointed at a door. "Thank you." He grabbed a pouch out of his coat and placed it on the table, next to the scared girl.

Taking a peek inside first, he walked through the door and stalked through the hallways. With each step he took, he heard voices getting louder and louder, one female and other male.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! I won't sell my business to you or your damn gang!"

"Bitch, you better sell this place to me! Or so help me, I'll rip your gizzards myself and feed it to your abominable, cannibal friends you call customers!" The male voice hissed, a level of anger and frustration evident in his tone.

The teen spotted a brightly-lit and open doorway, he peeked inside and listened in. He saw the old woman, Fauru Blacklow, sitting behind a mahogany desk, two doors just behind her. While a skinny, effeminate man wearing a open, white suit and fedora stood across her, his arms crossed over his exposed chest.

The man had two bodyguards at his side, both identical to one another. They were both wearing white suits that threatened to tear apart from their bulging muscles, with blank masks covering their faces. Both of them were also bald, a gleam – even though they were inside – shining off their heads.

"Is that a threat, Jessy? Last time I looked, you were the one offering to buy the business, correct?" Fauru reminded with a smirk, but there were signs of annoyance in her tone. "Your father and I have been business partners for years. We trust one and another, because if either of our businesses ever goes under, the other won't be far behind. We are criminals, but there has to be order in the criminal underworld, 'cause without order, we're fucked!"

"The hell with my jackass of a father and your so called order! I'm here to succeed him after his wrinkly-old ass finally kicked the bucket." Jessy scoffed, pulling a gun out of his coat. "Whether you join me or not, I'm gonna be the new Emperor of this Capital!" He laughed, pointing his gun at the woman's forehead.

The old woman wasn't impressed, not one bit. She looked more annoyed than scared. "Adorable. A pup baring its fangs to the hunter." She laughed, standing up from her chair. "Remember this day, boy. You have made an enemy you can't simply defeat..."

Suddenly the doors behind the old woman bursted open and rows upon rows of men poured in, surrounding the effeminate man in moments.

"Unless of course, you survive today."

Jessy flinched, frantically pointing his gun at everyone in the room.

He had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. All of his escape exits were blocked, and they were outnumbered by one to ten. All seemed to look bleak and lost for him.

So why was he smirking?

"Marco, Pollo! Sick 'em!" Jessy ordered the two bodyguards beside him.

The two by his side seemingly disappeared in a burst of speed, leaving the guards confused before the first scream broke out.

Blood stained the walls, limbs torn off their respective bodies, screams and cries flooding the room. The two bodyguards showed no mercy in their assault. The last of the guards tried to either defend their ring-leader or run away in both terror and desperation.

The latter were killed faster than the former. But in the end, they all went out in a brutal death.

Jessy approached the old woman, who was now sitting on her chair, her hair overshadowing her eyes. Each step he took, only made the woman shake harder, nothing but the sounds of wet footsteps were heard.

"What was that, Bitch? Me? A pup?!" He laughed, lifting his gun at her forehead. "From what I see, the only pup – and that's a compliment, by the way – I see here is you!"

Fauru raised her head, eyes showing nothing but pure anger and frustration. "Go. To. Hell!" She growled.

"So be it! You first, bitch!" He pressed the trigger, expecting the sweet sounds of a bang, a wet-splat, and a loud thud.

But there wasn't a bang, only a wet-splat and a loud thud.

Why can't he feel his arm right now?

Jessy looked down, seeing a crouched black-haired teen holding a crimson blade, dripping with blood. The teen looked at him with a blank, stoic look, sending shivers down his spine.

But that was the least of his worries.

Where was his hand?

Jessy had to bite down a scream, the pain of losing an arm rushing through his body. "Kill him!" He cried at his bodyguards, holding the stump that was once his arm. He scurried out of the room, the sheer agony too much to bare.

The two bodyguards charged at the teen, their hands ready to break bone and tear skin from flesh.

Tamashi brandished his blade and avoided a hit by backflipping onto the desk behind him. The bodyguard tried grabbing him, but soon found he caught nothing but air.

The teen dropped down from the air – having jumped – and stomped on the guy's face, the sounds of porcelain and bone breaking. He jumped back and landed just behind the two goons, his sword at the ready.

The bodyguards turned to the teen, one having lost his mask and the other discarding it. Both of their faces were deformed and gray-skinned, stitches lining their features.

One of the bodyguards charged in at the teen and threw a punch at him, only for the teen to jump over the limb and use it as a springboard to kick the bodyguard in the face, a tooth and some blood flying off.

The bodyguard grabbed its face in agony and roared. It was about to retaliate, but found a blood-red sword suddenly stabbed through its throat, blocking its windpipe.

Tamashi released his hold on his sword, and letting the muscled bodyguard fall to the ground, struggling in both pain and the lack of oxygen. He turned his attention to the other bodyguard, its scornful eyes staring at the assassin.

The teen adopted a hand-to-hand fighting style and waited for the behemoth of a man to make his first move. And he did, charging at him on all fours, running like a beast.

He had to sidestep a lunge and raise a foot in the air, axe-kicking the bodyguard down to the ground before he could pass him. The guard tried to stand up, but a steel-stud boot stomped on his back, hearing bone break.

Tamashi formed a crimson hatchet in his hands and slammed it hard on the bodyguard's skull, embedding it deep in his cranium. Brain matter splattered from the strike and a bit got onto the black-haired teen's cheek.

He then pried the hatchet off and threw it at the old woman's desk – who strangely enough, didn't even think of leaving. Tamashi stared at the women for a second, waiting for her to make a move.

"If you're waiting for me to run or some shit, don't bother. I know why you're here." The old woman stood up from her seat and stared directly into his eyes. "After seeing my men get slaughtered like cattle, and witnessing the same men who did get killed by a kid like you, I'm pretty sure I know that I got no chance against you, am I right?"

At least the woman knew when she was cornered and vulnerable.

"But before you kill me, hear me out on this, will ya?"

Instead of answering – or even saying something for instance – Tamashi grabbed the sword embedded deep in the bodyguard's corpse and threw it directly at the old woman, piercing through her chest and nailing her on the wall just behind her.

He didn't need to hear anything. Her fate was already sealed the moment he heard her name.

Fauru choked out more than a pool of blood, a look of both betrayal and disbelief. But soon her expression softened, staring into space while the life in her eyes slowly drained and dulled.

"Heh... You could have at least let me start, Jackass..." She choked out more blood, a small puddle of crimson-red liquid already forming under her feet.

"Whatever you say or do, you're still going to die in the end. Nothing lasts forever, and you were just delaying the inevitable." Tamashi told the dying old woman, pulling his hatchet off her table.

He was about to finish the job with the hatchet in his hands, but the old woman raised her hand to him, her fingers slowly turning into a deathly-pale shade. He saw the look in her eyes, the look of a person who knew they were about to die anyways.

"I've met... a lot of people in my time... But by far, you are the most twisted and broken man I have ever laid my eyes upon... You're nothing but a walking, talking corpse..." She chuckled, coughing out another glob of blood. "Now I know, whatever offer I give you... You will never truly be satisfied..."

"... With each breath you waste, you will only prolong your suffering." Tamashi raised the hatchet over his head. "Let me relieve you of this hardship." He swung the one-handed axe, cutting through the air like butter...

"... A man stuck in a child's body..."

But the blade stopped only by the skin of the old woman, opening a small cut that bled red. Tamashi had a surprised look for a second before going stoic once more. What did this woman say?

"Now I understand... Those eyes of yours have seen the shit of the world, something a mere child cannot understand, even if they live through a hundred lifetimes..." The woman coughed up more blood, her breaths growing weaker and harsher than the last. "Heed these words: 'Everyone has an end... But you aren't like everyone.'" And with those last words, the life in her eyes were snuffed out, only a dangling corpse of an elderly woman remained.

Tamashi stared at the corpse longer than necessary, the woman's words running through his thoughts. She was right, he wasn't like everyone.

Because he was the one who made sure no one was like him.

He cleaved the head clean off the body, red overflowing from the stump. He grabbed the head by the hair and wrapped it around a brown bag that he always kept inside his coat.

Having finally killed his target, he prepared to do what he always did whenever someone died by his hands.

To say the least, outside the Capital's walls, the skies turned an ash-gray on that day, the smell of burning flesh assaulting the city's people.

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"Well, shit... Should've said to the ice bitch to go fuck off instead of attending this shit-fest in her place." A certain immortal grumbled, staring at the blue sky turning into ash.

General Bitch should have been the one watch the tournament, not him. But she ordered – A.K.A, did bodily harm and forced – him to do it in her steed, saying something about searching for a man instead of wasting her time.

But, the job description forces him to either follow her rules or lose his high pay-grade.

"W-What's going on?! What is that?!" The blue-haired man named after the ocean shouted, pointing at the cloud of smoke like a idiot.

"Forget about that! That's the Imperial Guard's job. Continue the damn match so I can go home or some shit!" Ewen ordered all of the contestants in the arena.

Since he was already bored out of his mind, before the tournament started, he changed a few rules. Instead of a one-on-one duel match system, he changed it into a goddamn free-for-all. Winner takes all.

One of the reason he did it, because it would make the tournament go a lot faster than anticipated. Plus, he just can't stand watching all of these buffoons make a mockery of themselves.

They were reluctant at first, but when one of them made the first move, the tournament was back to usual, ignoring the growing cloud of ash.

The immortal already knew that one of the contestants was the assassin that escaped him on the ship, because his movements and techniques weren't a dead give away enough. But why isn't he saying something about this?

Well, two reason actually. One, it was a middle finger at the ice bitch. And second, hunting the little bugger down was better than killing him on the spot.

Plus, the morsel could lead him to a feast.

Ewen licked his lips at the prospect of shedding rebellious blood, the mere thought of it made him shiver. He could hear it now, the screams of mercy while he dismantled their bodies for parts. It would be glorious!

But for now, he would just observe and oversee the tournament. The winner will get a metric-fuck-ton of gold and an invitation to ice bitch's little group of masochism – he was referring to her main army. At least the brown-haired assassin made it a little interesting time-to-time.

His movements, they were the same yet more improved than the last time they fought. There was no wasted energy, full of purpose and discipline. His strikes were precise and steady, subduing his enemies instead of killing them. Killing was actually allowed in the tournament, but the brunette made damn sure not to kill anyone.

The assassin almost reminded him of someone he looked up to dearly, someone he hoped to meet again someday.

Someone he would loved to carve out their heart and devour it in front of their stoic eyes.

"The winner: Tatsumi the Blacksmith!" Sailor Boy announced while raising his hand to the said winner.

Tatsumi...

His name alone reminded him of someone.

And his smile...

He wants him. Now!

The boy's smile of pure innocence was intoxicating, something that would draw every sadistic killer to it. Why else do nobles put up with country bumpkins if not to break them?

It took all of Ewen's willpower – which is saying something – to prevent himself from pouncing on the boy and tearing him limb by limb, relishing the boy's screams of agony while he bathed in his blood and sorrow.

Luckily, if Esdeath were to see that smile, she might mistaken it for love – being in her early-twenties and having absolutely no experience in that department, whatsoever – or some stupid shit. It was a given for a sadist to be drawn to the innocence. And she was no exception.

Instead doing what he wanted, he told himself to hold on to his slipping insanity, his words going through his head like a mantra. He wanted to tear the boy to bloody shreds, to hear him scream while he salvaged him for parts. He wanted him to suffer for his naivety and show him the ugly face of reality.

"Lord Ewen, the reward?" Run, one of his comrades – and one of the people he was sure was going to have an early grave – whispered to his ear. "The people are waiting for your response."

And indeed they were. Almost everyone in the arena was silent, watching and waiting for him to say something, anything. They were practically on the edges of their seats.

Sadly, that wasn't his style.

Good thing he wore his lucky, skull-like mask today, in case someone knew or remembered him. Can't let anyone get the gist of him being here and all. The last thing he needed was his prey running away from him before he could carve them out.

He walked down the steps, making sure each step was as dramatic and painfully slow as the last. He could hear the almost silent groans of frustration from the crowd, their sounds of misery and slow mental torture made him laugh under his mask.

When he was finally at the bottom – taking more than five minutes to take the last step while he dramatically and unnecessarily flaunted his hoodie around, making more than fifty poses – the crowd roared back to life, believing the slow torture was finally over.

Oh, how wrong they were.

Snatching the microphone from Sailor Boy, he raised it up to his mouth. "I would like to congratulate you, Tatsumi the Blacksmith, for winning this free-for-all styled tournament. And for that, you win the grand prize..." He took a medium-sized pouch out his hoodie.

The prize was so close, only a few inches away. The brunette was about to grab the pouch from the white-haired man, but suddenly he pulled his hand back, with the pouch within its grasps.

"But first, I want to give everyone my sincerest gratitude for joining us today... And for that, I have prepared a speech!"

If it weren't possible enough, the everyone, including his teammates, groaned in both frustration and exhaustion.

Unfortunately for them, he made sure to make his speech extra long.

And agonizing, don't forget the agonizing part.

After he was finished, the sun was already half-way set, the people either fell asleep in their seats or went numb in the brain from his long-ass speech.

"... And that is why my friend, Rebecca, was killed. Even though he had a girly-ass name, he was as manly as a bitch can ever be." Ewen shed an imaginary tear down his mask, his fist clenching with fake sorrow. "But enough about the past. I'm pretty sure I've bored you all enough?"

All he received were moans of misery and mental numbness.

"Good! And here's the reward." Ewen nonchalantly threw the bag of coins at the brunette – who was taken by surprise and stumbled a little.

"T-Thank you very much!" The boy bowed in respect to the white-haired man, clutching the bag close to his chest. "This money would really help my village."

"Good to hear that..." The white-haired immortal suddenly closed the distance between them in almost a second, surprising everyone – even the other assassin's he saw hiding in the crowd – by the sudden burst of speed. He then whispered something to the emerald-eyed boy's ears, something that made his blood freeze.

Those words almost made him piss in his pants.

"... Because fear is so much sweeter whenever you think you've won, Tatsumi of Night Raid..." Ewen whispered in the boy's ear, his grin threatening to split apart the stitches on his mouth under his mask.

"... W-What...?" Tatsumi stuttered while his legs felt weak. He shivered from the sudden rush of bloodlust he felt from the masked man. It was nothing like he has ever felt before. It felt like he was insignificant to the man, only a walking, talking meat puppet at best.

But the most important thing was how did he know he was part of Night Raid?

Ewen giggled under his mask, sensing the boy's discomfort. He lightly blew air into the assassin's ear, making him shiver and take a step back. "I do hope we meet each other again soon... Real soon..." He said ominously, turning around and walking away.

Sailor Boy quickly went to his side. "Where are you going? What about the invitation?" He whispered to the immortal.

"No need, Sailor Boy. Ice Bitch has enough men to satisfy her-horny-self for decades. We don't need someone as naive as him to join." He told the former navy soldier.

Normally, he would blush at dirty mental image, but he was already used to the immortal's innuendos – most of them. "The General won't be happy about this..."

Ewen laughed at the sailor. But he felt different in the inside, his fist clenching tightly until he bled red and his bones cracked. The pain was nothing next to what he has suffered thus far.

There was also another reason why he let the boy leave the place unscathed, even going as far as giving him a warning – threat – before hand.

His moves, there were hints of familiarity in them.

Ewen looked at his hand, staring at the wound that was caused by his clenching. He then glanced at the retreating form of the assassin. There was an obvious tenseness to his movements, taking quick glances – almost unnoticeable – at his surroundings.

First the first time since he has arrived at the Capital, Ewen felt anxious. Not the kind one would feel whenever someone met their superior officer or boss.

No. He felt the kind someone would feel when they meet their long-lost family.

'Oh, how exciting! I hope you haven't changed since we've last met...' He laughed in his distorted mind, his whole being practically vibrating with joy.

He raised his mask over his head and licked the bleeding wound on his palm.

He tasted like shit.

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"Money, fame, power... They can only get you so far until you finally hit a wall."

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Author-San: Hello! Nice to be back again. Leave a review if you want, it motivates me to write more... and coffee, send me lots of that godly, black substance, please.