The soft hum of cooling fans filled the air, mingling with the faint click of distant keyboards. Row upon rows of glowing monitors stretched down the polished room, their bright screens alive with colour and motion, with black-and-red chairs standing ready in front of them, some already filled, some still waiting patiently.
Warm light reflected off the wooden walls, giving the space a comfortable, almost homely glow despite its modern edges. It was quiet and peaceful, but that was soon disrupted by the sounds of two people.
A loud groan suddenly echoed through the room, as it was quickly followed by a pair of fists smashing down on the desk, causing everyone to flinch.
Nero looked at his screen, a single word flashing in bright blue, mocking him.
[DEFEAT]
Then, taking a glance at Mujin's who was on the neighbouring computer, he saw the words shining in the exact same font,
[VICTORY]
Holding a menacing glare in his direction, he whined,
"Are you messing with me?? The character you're using is unfair! One more!"
Just before he could smash the rematch button, a deep shadow suddenly drenched his body, as a pair of fingers quickly tapped on his shoulder. Flinching harshly, he slowly turned around and tilted his head up, only to see a stunningly beautiful blonde woman, smiling at him with a nonchalant expression.
He would've fallen in love with her at first sight, if it weren't for the terrifying aura she was exuding.
She simply said, calm and composed.
"We don't permit behaviour like that in here. If you act like that again, we'll have to ask you to leave."
"Sorry.."
Still smiling she turned her attention elsewhere and left.
'I didn't sense her approaching me.. how odd.'
Reaching out for his Dr. Pepper, he quickly took a sip before challenging Mujin to a rematch.
'PC Café.. games.. this all so stupid.'
And yet, hours later, he was still here, enduring his 43rd consecutive loss. He was just about to slam the desk again, but remembering that terrifying look from the Café assistant, he immediately withdrew.
Sounding a little exhausted, Mujin said,
"Hoy.. let me tell you something interesting."
Quickly sipping from his straw, he continued,
"Do you even know how us Red Sons are structured? Despite how we look, we're quite organized ya know."
"Should you really be talking about stuff like that in a public space? If the government gets called, I don't wanna get arrested."
'It would be awkward if Cyrus was the one to come.'
Anyway, it would be fine for him to spill everything he knew. He'd use that information to his advantage when the time came for him to destroy them eventually.
"Ehhhh it's fine. What we're talking about probably sounds like nonsense to other people anyway. Most don't want to get caught up in suspicious stuff sounding stuff."
Watching the [Victory] message appear on his screen for the 44th time, Mujin made a smug expression.
"To understand how we work first, let me tell you a bit about how we're structured. Our organization is split into 7 different affiliations you could say, all united under one guy. We all specialize in something, well... except mine. We're unique in the fact that we can do a bit of everything, and that we really only work when the other affiliations have their hands full, so everyone sees us as lazy."
Taking a deep breath before mashing on the keys, he continued,
"At the very bottom there's newbies like you. They usually get paid scraps and do the rat jobs no one likes. They also tend to get caught by the government very often, so we don't invest in them too much."
His tone suddenly shifted into one filled with pride.
"But I'll make a special exception for you of course~ You're a special talent with good prospects."
Despite the loss, Nero held himself back.
"Above them are the fully fledged members. They're the average joes, a mix of both mundane humans and awakened. Security, maintaining infrastructure, cutting loose ends, the distribution of Carnage.. they do the brunt work."
They were soldiers basically.
"For ease of management, every affiliation has one head leading the whole group, and a deputy supporting them. Of course, the deputy gets paid very generously, so if you try hard enough, you might rise to that position one day."
Curiously, Nero asked.
"You have a deputy?"
He couldn't recall anyone from the mob he fought back then that stood out apart from Mujin. Maybe they were busy doing something else at the time, so they were absent.
"I don't."
Out of interest, he inquired,
"Why?"
Mujin sighed, before pressing his finger against his forehead, as if he were struggling to jog his memory. Eventually it did it come to him, although very hazy.
"The last one collected my pizza order late, and gave it to me cold... so I killed them? Yeah, that sounds about right."
Nero's eyes widened trying to process what he just heard, then he quickly shot him a weird look.
'This guy cannot be real.'
But from what he knew of him so far, he wasn't that surprised.
Snapping back to reality, Mujin continued,
"Anyhow, although there is one head for each affiliation, there are actually 8 deputy's in total, with the extra having authority and jurisdiction equivalent to us heads."
The tone of his voice suddenly shifted, becoming a little dark, fearful even.
"That's because.. the one he serves.. is the boss himself. If all seven affiliations are The Red Sons, then it would be fitting to call him The Red Father, for he is the one that founded our group since the day the first humans were infected by the spell."
Nero's interest suddenly spiked. From what he knew, the government had never been able to find that guy, nevertheless even learn his name or see his face. To think he was about learn more about him, than they could in the last how many years?
"I've only met him once. He spends most of his time sleeping behind closed doors, so his deputy practices all of his responsibilities in his place. That includes gathering us for monthly meetings."
Shifting in his seat, his hands suddenly froze above the keyboard.
"Believe me when I say he's creepy. Speaking with him was the most unpleasant experience I've ever had, and I wish I'll never have to see him again."
He frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing with worry, a drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. Taking a quick sip from his straw though, his nerves instantly calmed.
'He was able to leave this much of an impression on an ascendent?'
By calling The Red Sons his enemy, Nero considered The Red Father a person he must defeat in the future too. He figured he must be incredibly powerful, as well as crafty if he was able to avoid the governments gaze.
Thanks to his little monologue though, Mujin's concentration on the screen slipped for just a second. Quickly taking advantage of that slip up, Nero's focus heightened, as he mashed several combos into his keyboard with quick succession.
Panicking, Mujin tried to salvage what he could, even yelling,
"Wait!"
But it was too late. For the first time, those glorious words flashed on Nero's screen.
[VICTORY]
Jumping up out of his seat, he screamed in victory as an indescribable joy filled his whole being. He clenched his fist while raising his middle finger, and shoved it right in the Ascendents face.
"Suck it!"
Right after though, the joy he felt from his victory, was quickly overwhelmed by an insidious fear, as he felt a horrifying malice creep up from behind him. Turning around carefully, he was distraught to see the gorgeous café assistant, still smiling.
"I'm going to have to ask the both of you to leave."
**
When all was said and done, the sun had long since set with a waxing crescent moon now hanging high in the night sky.
Walking down the illuminated streets, was a strange duo. One was tall, handsome, while the other was much uglier in comparison. Despite how harshly they contrasted though, they fit together like jigsaw puzzle.
Nero thought,
'It's this late already.. I should be asleep right now.'
It would've been the last time he'd be able to sleep peacefully, without the fear of something killing him in the middle of the night. Not to say that today wasn't fun, this was his first time playing video games after all.
'I wish got to do it with Brother instead though.'
And then, a dark revelation hit him. With a hint of anger in his voice, he asked,
"Did you really call me here.. just to hang out..?"
Confused, Mujin replied,
"Yeah? What else? You weren't doing anything important were you? If you didn't want to come, then you could've just said no. Like a normal person."
Holding back his anger, he could do nothing but scream in his head.
'AGGGHHGGGGHHHHHH. HE WASTED MY TIME ON PURPOSE!'
Intrigued, Mujin laughed.
"What!? Were you expecting me to teach you something!? Do I look like a teacher?! How hilarious!"
"Anything like that would've been infinitely better than this!"
Quickly calming himself down though, Mujin declared,
"Ok! Well.. if you're so eager, I can tell you a thing or two. But it's up to you whether or not you find it useful."
Mujin was an ascendent. He'd seen horrors, and fought harsher battles that no other awakened could ever compare too. His words would hold far more weight and experience, than any teacher at the Awakened academy.
Knowing this, Nero listened closely.
**
"They say back in lost ages, back when men still rode on chariots pulled by horses, there was a genius known as Daedalus. He was an inventor of incredible intelligence, with every one of his crafts revolutionizing the world as they knew it. Some would dare say, his feats could rival that of the gods."
"One day, in his arrogance, he dared to put that praise to the test, and attempted to do something that only the gods were said to be capable of. He tried to create life."
"Against all odds he succeed, as he created the minotaur, a humanoid monster with the head of a bull."
"Despite being a human, he'd achieved the impossible. And so out of fear, the gods came down and punished him, first forcing him to build his own prison, an infinite maze that constantly shifted and changed daily. Ultimately, he was sealed with the minotaur, along with his only son, Icarus."
"While Daedalus wallowed in his despair, Icarus who was a young boy and no smarter than he, still held onto hopes and dreams of the future."
"One day he said, I want to be free, just like the birds... I want the freedom to stretch my wings and soar across the skies. I want the freedom to be able to go anywhere in the world, and see everything that I can, because this world that we live in is such a beautiful place."
"Hearing this, sparks of Hope flickered in Daedalus's eyes. His desire for freedom rose once more, and his genius mind plunged back into work."
"Taking inspiration from his son's dream, he constructed a pair of wings made from wax and feathers. The two were able to take flight, and fly far above the maze, leaving everything behind."
"Icarus, now experiencing his dream, could feel nothing but utter happiness. He rose, higher and higher, as just like the birds he admired, he was free."
"But drowning in that ecstasy, he didn't realize that the closer he drew towards the sun, the faster the wax that glued his wings began to melt. Until eventually, he plummeted."
"Icarus fell to his doom, and died a fools death."
"Having watched his only son die, Daedalus who made it to the land alone, blamed himself for what happened. In his despair, he took his own life."
"Their story, ended in tragedy."
**
Nero glared at Mujin, disappointed. He had hope for something eye opening, maybe even enlightening and world changing, but all he got was...
"What the hell am I supposed to learn from a fairy-tale???"
Mujin threw his head back and burst into laughter. It tore out of him, wild and broken, a sound that didn't belong in any sane throat. It sounded so clear, yet somehow confused. He was laughing so much, that a small tear even leaked out from his eye.
"What were you expecting from me? Have you ever seen me take anything seriously?"
He quickly wiped it away, before scratching his scalp. Reaching into his pocket, Mujin pulled out another lollipop. He swiftly tore off the wrapper with his brute strength, before putting it in his mouth.
He didn't say anything for a while, instead just stared at the moon as the two walked around pointlessly.
Eventually, growing bored, Nero said,
"I hope your boss kicks your ass or something."
Turning around, he ran away without looking back. Mujin did nothing but watch him despair into the horizon, but now by himself, he thought,
'Nero, I despise ambitious people. The world may favour some over others, but fate drags us all down eventually, to be crushed, and to die.'