Peter Pan and Alice Tempt Each Other, and… (4/4)

School is odd and I don’t understand time management, but here’s the last part of this chapter! Thank you for all your patience, and I hope you’re all well and warm ❤ ❤ ❤

Alcatraz

Yard

 

The moment Leeza realized she was falling, the world seemed to freeze.

Such an impression, however, was only an illusion.

At the moment, her body was still hurtling towards the ground—

Though it was doubtful, really, whether Leeza would even reach that far.

Right now, it seemed Ladd would reduce her to a bloody smear before she ever touched the ground.

 

It didn’t matter if she died.

Even if Leeza died, Hilton would continue to exist among her other vessels.

The thought of losing Leeza, however, was a terrifying one.

Her flesh, blood, eyes, hair, voice, bones – all those were inherited from Huey, and the thought of their loss terrified her. More than anything, she was afraid of having this intimate link with Huey cut.

 

As this fear coursed through her, tears welled in Leeza’s eyes.

But before they even had the time to fade—

Ruthlessly, mercilessly, Ladd’s arm drove forward.

 

Leaning back, Rail let his focus slip –

And, in the next moment, felt his body begin to fall.

A few feet below, Rail’s bomb was also plummeting towards the ground, ready to burst upon impact.

As he fell, Rail knew he was heading towards death.

As time seemed to slow, Rail quietly gazed up.

Before him, the sky stretched out blue and unbroken. As this sky enveloped his vision, for just a moment –

For just a moment, Rail felt an affection for the world.

This feeling, however, came distinctly too late.

And then –

---

Several days later

Words of Salome Carpenter

 

Such a sad, sad affair.

What a stupid thing for Rail to do.

Killing himself – it obviously could solve nothing, and yet he still cast his life to the winds.

Consider, now, the explosive power of a bomb. Not even pieces of Rail were found – unsurprising, considering the heat and pressure that must have been present.

If I had been there, we might have been able to salvage him. At the very least, I would have been present to study the outcome, and thus make it into a meaningful death.

Just our luck, however, but then those group of idiot delinquents arrived.

Such a stupid, stupid thing to happen!

And just like that—

We lost Rail!

---

Returning to the moment of the explosion –

 

What happened next occurred almost automatically.

Without any thought for the consequences, Jacuzzi acted, one thought running through his head—

“That…that’s dangerous!”

This was the imperative that urged his body forward—and it was only because of the almost unconscious nature of Jacuzzi’s action that he was able to accomplish his goal.

The moment he saw Rail jump over the guard, Jacuzzi was already racing towards him. As if heedless of the consequences, he reached towards Rail’s falling body—

And like that, irrevocably fixed his fate with Rail’s.

One foot on the edge of the ledge, Jacuzzi grabbed Rail’s arm.

“H..huh?”

This, now, from Rail.

Instead of the sensation of falling, the weightlessness Rail felt was the result of someone catching him.

Is that…could that be Christopher?

But when Rail opened his eyes, he saw a visage complete unlike Christopher’s – the tattooed, terrified face of a youth on the verge of tears.

“W…why?”

Just Rail stared at Jacuzzi, the bomb dropped earlier went off.

As the sound of explosion reached them, so too did the force of the blast – and as the blast hit them, Jacuzzi’s hand slipped off the guard.

But just as Rail and Jacuzzi began to fall towards the same fatal end –

A figure grabbed Jacuzzi’s arm.

“Nice!”

“Uh…”

Though Nice was doing her best, hauling two people up instead of just one was a drastically more difficult task. Judging by the current state of affairs, it was very likely all three would soon be plummeting towards the ground.

As if to counter that possibility, however, another figure suddenly reached over the fence.

“Rail! Grab onto me!”

“M-Miria!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Miria had leapt over the fence and extended one hand to Rail.

For a moment, Rail hesitated.

Did he truly have the right to take her hand…?

And yet, even as this thought crossed his mind, Rail was already reaching up.

Suspended between Miria and Jacuzzi, Rail felt himself slowly being pulled up—

When just then, another gust from below hit them

As inexorably strong winds tore at her, Miria’s palms began to sweat – and just like Jacuzzi, her grip began to slip.

No matter how strong Nice was, if Miria fell then there was no way she would be able to pull up three people by herself. What was more, it was also doubtful how much longer Rail could hold onto Miria. Realizing this, Carol, the Vice President, and even Lua ran towards the fence, thinking to grab Miria’s hand –

But at that very moment, a figure leapt with supernatural speed towards Miria.

 

And as her fingers slipped on the metal, Miria screamed the name of this figure—

A figure that, to her, seemed almost a miracle.

“Isaac…!”

 

Mortal, this time I will grant you your wish.

 

And as the sky seemed to answer her prayer—

Miria let out a sudden cry.

 

“Uh!”

The next moment, a man’s face appeared above her.

Though the wind had carried off his hat, the man paid it no mind—instead, he stood there, stance as steady as he grabbed Miria’s arm.

“!”

At the sight of him, Jacuzzi and Nice’s eyes widened, as if expecting the man in front of them to be an illusion—

Even as at the same time, hope rose in their chests.

When Miria had recovered from the shock, she realized there were tears in her eyes.

Isaac’s grip, solidly and decidedly real, held her, and as Miria realized that he was neither an illusion nor wishful thinking, a wave of warmth rose over her.

“Isaac…Isaac!”

And as this name resounded in the air, Miria, like a lost child finding her parents, began to cry from joy.

---

Alcatraz

Exercise Yard

 

Curled into a shaking ball, Leeza prepared herself for the force of the blow.

It was, however, not a particularly strong shaking however—and Leeza realized, suddenly, that far from the agony she had been expecting, she seemed to barely even feel the shock of the fall.

“…?”

Hesitantly, Leeza slowly cracked open her eyes—

Only to find herself facing the mortal nemesis who had injured her father.

“F—Firo!”

Seeing herself so close to the man she had just tried to kill, Leeza tensed to dash away—

Her body, however, would not obey.

Because, as Leeza realized then, Firo was holding her.

“L—let go…”

Though she had meant to shout the words, Leeza suddenly realized something was wrong—and as her gaze shifted to Firo’s body, she stiffened once again.

“Firo, the hell you think you’re pulling?”

The cause of Firo’s current state, Ladd was now examining him with a disgruntled expression.

“I swear, you immortals…I just don’t get you.”

Gazing down at his metal arm, where the blood was already drifting towards Firo’s body, Ladd sighed.

“Still…that looks like it hurts like a bitch.”

At the moment, both Ladd and Leeza were staring at a spot on Firo’s torso.

In catching Leeza, Firo had also taken Ladd’s blow.

Upon impact, Ladd’s metal fist had barrelled through both flesh and bone, leaving a gaping hole behind.  As Firo’s body desperately tried to heal, blood streamed back towards the gory cavity.

Had he not already been immortal, then Firo would have surely been killed in his attempt to save Leeza.

With the flinty glare of a Camorra executive still gleaming in his eyes –

Firo gave a weak smile.

 

“…no…it…it’s fine.”

---

Chicago

Nebula

Rooftop garden

 

“Isaac…Isaac!”

“Ah—Miria! Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

After being pulled to safety, Miria had tearfully thrown herself into Isaac’s embrace.

Because standing there—irrefutably, without a doubt—was Isaac, and on his face too was a kind of wonderment.

 

Watching this scene occurs from the edges, Renee seemed oblivious to the warm reunion as she issued her next orders to the researchers.

“Ah…terribly sorry to cut in on this reunion, but if you could…it’d technically still be self-defense if you shot these folks in the legs, wouldn’t it?”

“But director—what about that man with the wrench? Won’t he cause trouble?”

Contemplating the men in front of them, currently outnumbered three to one, Renee hummed for a moment as she thought.

“Ah, those people…would they be allied with the Russo family?”

“Huh? …ah, well, now that you say that, I think I did see some of them at the Russo mansion.”

Hearing this reply, Renee clapped her hands, a bright smile on her face.

“Well then, I’ve got it! This man with the wrench seems like the loyal type…so if we shoot his friend in the foot, he’d be sure to listen and let us kill him, right?”

“….if you say so.”

With more than a hint of exasperation in his voice, the researcher nonetheless obeyed and raised his gun at Graham once again, shifting a few inches to aim at Shaft’s foot—

Only for his arm to suddenly be twisted towards the sky.

“Aaah!”

As the man’s arm twisted up, so too did the muzzle of the gun—and as the bullet entered his skull, the man’s head exploded in blood.

“!”

At the sound of gunfire, all eyes turned towards the source of the noise—

“Hello, all.”

—to alight on a red-eyed demon, looking monstrously cheerful in the sunlight.

 

“Christopher!”

Through his fog of exhaustion, Rail cried the name of his idol.

At the sound of Rail’s greeting, Christopher waved a hand and gave a short “hi,” before walking towards the group of researchers.

“Ah! Miria, look! That’s the same magician from New York last year!”

“Wow, amazing! So right then…was that a magic trick?”

But even as Isaac continued in the same cheerful vein and Miria’s voice picked up, Nice and Jacuzzi wore nervous expressions.

“…really took your time there, didn’t you?”

In response to Graham’s jibe, Christopher only shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“…well, there were a lot of people trying to use the elevator.”

With this response, Christopher turned to examine the man he had just killed—only to discover the spilled blood was already flying towards the man’s head.

“Quick, Miria, look! There’s the trick!”

“I know! It’s shooooowtime!”

Overhearing this exchange between the lovers, Christopher smiled and spread out his hands.

“Ah, that’s fantastic—it’s so good you can’t die.”

“?”

As the researchers stared at each other, Christopher, empty-handed, began walking towards them.

Although instantly alert, the researchers had no idea what their foe wanted. With Renee still indecisive, they were left without any idea of how to react.

In the end, however, their actions at that moment were irrelevant.

No matter what they tried, it would have made no difference to Christopher.

“Alright…ladies and gentlemen, heeello! I’m Christopher Shouldered, and I’ll be performing for you today! Today, for your pleasure…a little trick of human regeneration!”

Clapping his hands, Christopher grinned.

The next moment, he was upon the researchers and, in one fluid motion, twisting the gun aimed at him towards another researcher.

And with the sound of a firecracker going off, an explosion of smoke and blood began the show.

As Graham joined Christopher on the stage, one by one, the researchers slowly to go down.

On the sidelines, Isaac and Miria were wildly clapping, while Nice and Jacuzzi and observed the battle without surprise.

And beside them, his eyes rapt with awe, Rail watched Christopher and the blue-garbed demon work.

Not even noticing that the whisper of “blow it up” was gone, he felt suddenly, immeasurably content.

And slowly, in his heart—

---

Alcatraz

 

“Ah ha…Firo, really, whaddya think you’re doing? That girl tried to kill you—what are you, some kind of masochist?”

Though the still-healing hole in his side was undoubtedly causing him unbelievable pain, Firo, teeth gritted, still managed to give a reply.

“I…I just don’t believe in hurting women or kids.”

“Huh, yeah, you mentioned that before…huh, so that’s it, then?”

With a laugh, Ladd threw his hand into the air.

“Still…me, though—what reason do I have to let this girl go? Sure, you got this thing about not hurting women or kids, but I sure as hell don’t. If I let her go now, what’s in it for me?”

Hearing Ladd’s unreasonable demands, Firo paused a moment before slowly nodding – and then, in a voice too low for Leeza to hear, whispered his proposition.

“Look, if you let her go…later, I’ll tell you how to kill immortals.”

“Deal!”

And as he accepted Firo’s offer, Ladd relaxed. Devoid of his former murderous intent, he clamped a friendly hand on Firo’s shoulder.

“So, Peter Pan…tell me, how’s it workin’ out for you, this whole saving kids thing?”

At Ladd’s jibe, Firo smiled wryly and responded in kind.

“First…why don’t you tell me how you plan on getting rid of that clock, Mr. Croc?”

With Ladd currently pacified, Leeza took the opportunity to finally ask Firo the question that had been nagging her.

“You…why did you save me?”

“Didn’t I just tell you? I don’t hurt women or kids.”

Although Firo had earlier radiated nothing but deathly intent, Leeza felt none of this coldness as she trembled in his arms.

Far from reassuring her, however, his explanation only further confused her.

“But…I…I wanted to kill you—I was trying to kill you. Even after I told you I would kill you and your friends—why, then, would you still try to save me?”

---

Nebula Corporation

Roof

 

“Why…”

Standing by a joyful Miria and Isaac, Rail had been standing transfixed by the sublimity of Christopher’s battle.

Suddenly, however, something pulled him from his reverie, and he turned to Jacuzzi.

“Huh?”

“Why would you…you just met me, you knew nothing about me, so why…why would you risk your life for me?”

---

And on a prison miles away to the West, a Camorra executive gave this reply—

“Do I have to have a reason? I mean, seeing a girl falling off a roof—anyone would do the same, right?”

---

At the same time, miles away on a lake-bordered city—

The tattooed crybaby gave his answer.

“I…I d-didn’t have a reason. B-by the time I realized what I was doing, I was…I’d ah, ah, ah—already ran over. Just thinking about it now…I…I…that was so scary!”

---

Nebula Corporation

Below

 

“Woah…to build such strong creatures…Huey truly is impressive.”

Spurred by fear, Renee hastily run towards the floor level of Nebula.

The moment Christopher sprang into battle, Renee had understood there was nothing she could do—and so, weighing her options, had opted to flee the scene.

With the last three floors of the building devoted to research, Renee was currently headed towards the sanctuary of the sixth development room. With this room close to the ground, Renee was now left with several options.

“Hm, I guess I should come up with something…should I ask someone here to help me? Or just do it myself—ah, I’ve got it! I’ll keep Frank as a hostage!”

Cheerfully pronouncing these dire intentions, Renee opened the lab door—

Only to find an unexpected scene before her.

“Huh?”

Before her unbelieving eyes, the researchers lay around the room’s wreckage.

Besides several unconscious men, stood a woman in a green dress. Close by, standing next to several other researchers who seemed to be dazed, stood a man with his hat pulled over his eyes.

Instantly, Renee knew it was Sickle and the Poet in front of her.

But it was the sight of the man they were with, however, that made Renee widen her eyes—

---

The same moment

Chicago

Nebula Corporation

Roof

 

“Hey, Isaac…how’d you know to come here?”

“D-did Nick and Jake take you here?”

Although they felt awkward cutting into Isaac’s reunion with Miria, Jacuzzi and Nice found themselves unable to contain their curiosity.

Hearing these questions, Isaac, still holding Miria, gave them a blank expression.

“Huh? Nick? I didn’t see him anywhere.”

“W-what? Then…then how did you know where to find us?”

Could this be the power of love?

That was the wild thought currently spinning through Jacuzzi’s brain.

However, the answer Isaac gave was far simpler.

“Well, I made this new friend on the train…and there was another friend I made in prison…and when I got off, they took me here!”

---

The same moment

Chicago

Nebula Corporation

Ground Level

 

“W…what? This…this is…how? Wh…wh…what?”

Staring in front of her, Renee could hardly believe her eyes.

Before her, the man next to Sickle and the Poet gave her a small smile.

“It has been quite a while…Professor Palamades.”

In all the world, there were only a few who knew her by that name.

And this man—

Oh, she had no doubt he was one of them.

“H…Huey, w-what a surprise to see you here.”

Huey Laforet.

One of Renee’s old acquaintances—and one who should have been, at that moment, trapped in the depths of Alcatraz, in a cell designed specifically for the alchemist and terrorist.

Rather than a prisoner’s uniform, however, he now wore the clothes of polished politician. Incongruous with this appearance of respectability were the bandages wrapped around his head, covering his left eye. Seeing her fellow immortal thus, Renee knew that “Felix Walken” had accomplished her mission.

Then…why would he be here first?

Just last night, her reports had told her that Huey Laforet was in Alcatraz Island. Even if he had managed to escape and hop on the first train to Chicago, there was no way he could have reached her this quickly.

Then how did he get here? The most probable answer would be an airplane…but where would he have gotten one there?

Seeing Renee’s shocked expression, Huey laughed softly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so surprised, Professor Palamades. When we were your students, you used to look the same way during each of Elmer’s pranks.”

“…uh…say….what did you come here for?

“What do you think?”

“To…reminisce a little over old times?”

“Ah, professor…you really haven’t changed at all. Though if it had been Elmer here and not I, I suppose what you said would have been true, wouldn’t it?”

Watching Renee’s obvious distress, Huey gave a faint smile.

“Make no mistake…even if they had taken his eye first, Elmer wouldn’t hesitate to catch up with an old acquaintance.”

“Well, Elmer never did have much sense.”

As a wistful expression crossed Renee’s face, Huey softly laughed as well—

And as he did, his right hand dove for Renee, fire shooting from his palm.

Or rather, from the flamethrower he now aimed towards Renee, who had jumped back from the flames.

“N-no—ah ah—aaaaaah!”

The next moment, Huey had pinned her against the wall.

“Now that you have my left eye, I look forward to seeing what you do, professor.”

With an almost romantic gentleness, Huey reached forward to remove Renee’s glasses.

“But first…I think I’d like some new material for my experiments, too…”

Gently, he patted the eyelid of Renee’s left eye.

“This way, we’ll be equal.”

“…y-you…only one of them…”

Renee seemed to have understood her situation.

With a deep sigh, Renee gave Huey a shaky smile.

“…you’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt, right?”

Hearing this request, Huey gave an almost teasing reply.

“How unfortunate, then…I don’t think I brought any anesthesia.”

“H-huh? Ah, then…w-well, there sh-should be some in one of the l-labs o-o-o-over there…o-oh, Huey, please listen, please just a little mercy – ah ah ah ah  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

 

“And now…you have Frank back again.”

Renee lying unconscious in front of him, Huey gingerly picked up one of the bottles from her lab and dropped her left eye into it.

As the bloody organ tried to dart towards Renee, Huey firmly closed the lid.

Gazing at an unconscious Renee, Huey gave a soft laugh.

“Well, Professor Palamades, now that you have only one eye, I suppose you’ll be bumping into things even more often…”

“Do be careful, now.”

---

The same time

Alcatraz

 

As the Caucasian and African-American had been sent to the medical unit, Firo, Ladd, and Dragon began walking back inside the building. Though it was uncertain whether they would be reprimanded or allowed to return to the yard, Leeza found herself unable to attempt anything.

At that moment, the turmoil in her heart consumed all her attention.

…liar.

Liar. Big fat horrible liar, liar liar liar—

But no, that’s not right.

This man, Firo…he hurt Daddy…he’s my enemy, my enemy!

Right then, he was talking about killing Daddy, about devouring him!

…but, but…that’s not all right, either.

Then right then…why did he save me?

He’s lying—he had to have a reason.

Because, otherwise…what he just did…

Unable to comprehend her emotions, Leeza’s thoughts spun in the same circles over and over again.

As the warders slowly came out, questions began to fly through the air:

“Why’s there a kid here?”

“Hey, little girl, where’d ya come from?”

“The hell is going on with these birds…”

“Are you okay?”

Such reactions were no more than what Leeza had prepared for. In fact, she had originally planned to use her unassuming appearance to land her in the prison hospital. Then, she would escape and use another body to find Huey.

Right now, however, all such thoughts were far from Leeza’s mind.

Instead, all that remained was a single thought and a web of tangled emotions.

 

He’s not Daddy…

 

Then why…why do I think…

That right then…that was really cool…

---

Ten minutes later

Chicago

Nebula Corporation

Rooftop
Gazing out at the chaos-strewn landscape, Karl Muybridge began to laugh.

“Ah—ah ha ha ha, how fantastic! To think—that an old man like me could still be so happy!”

“You do realize that for our employees, this is nothing short of a disaster.”

Having said his part, Rubik crunched a sugar cube between his teeth.

 

Just as Christopher and Graham had managed to stun all the researchers, a massive group of young delinquents had barged onto the roof. Supposedly, they had been right behind Graham as he had rushed up the stairs, only to tire as they neared the top – and yet, when the police had begun to swarm the building, they had been quick enough to disperse.

This was because Ricardo, after finally reaching the roof, had led Jacuzzi and the others away through a back door.

 

In the wake of such a situation, with irrevocable losses done to his company, Nebula’s chairman stood in the light of the setting sun, surveying the rubble before him –

And smiled.

“Well, after this today…I wonder what will happen next?”

“If you’re thinking about that now…for us, it’s undoubtedly a huge loss.”

“Yes, yes, but still…because of it, we now know a little more about what Huey and his followers are doing. That, I think, can be called a victory.”

“That’s pointless. Even if he wasn’t immortal, what good would come from getting into this game with him?”

In response to Rubik’s sharp words, Karl only spread his arms magnanimously.

“All of life is just one big ruckus! Accept it or fight it, but all of our fates are intertwined! Such a power—we humans can’t fight it! Even if it’s just one person, they’re already involved…and if they challenge us, well, then the only proper way to respond is to risk it all and fight back, isn’t it? Otherwise, it just wouldn’t be interesting!”

“If you’re going to gamble, then please just do it with your own life

I’ve been with Bartolo and Beriam for a long time…if this were my company, then we could do so much better.

…this damn idiot…how has no one replaced him yet?

With a helpless expression, Rubik shook his head. Taking a row of sugar cubes from his bottle, he began readily crunching them.

By his side, Karl watched his companion’s actions for a moment before issuing a decidedly unprofessional request.

“…you know, you really seem to like those cubes…care to let me try one?”

“You wish.”

---

Somewhere in Chicago

 

Intent on dodging the police, the gang of delinquents hurtled down Chicago’s streets.

With Rail still injured, one of the group was currently carrying him on piggyback.

Being carried like this…it really is annoying.

Even now, Rail’s mind was still troubled.

Because with his mind finally calm, Rail was suddenly hyperaware of his original goal.

Even if it meant working with this group of humans, he was going to rescue Frank –

As these thoughts passed through Rail’s mind, a voice whispered in his ear.

“Don’t worry—Huey and the others already rescued Frank. He’s safe.”

At the sound of this voice, Rail understood that it was Sham currently carrying him.

“…you really are everywhere, aren’t you.”

Though he spoke sarcastically, Rail’s heart lightened at the news that Frank was safe.

Hearing these words even through the din, Sham gave an equally sharp response.

“Well, what now then? Going back to Huey?”

“…”

Though the question was a natural one, it nonetheless gave Rail pause. Although he wanted to see Frank, for the moment, Rail decided that he would have to be content with a glance from afar.

Because right now, he had a message to give Huey.

“Tell Huey I say, go die, you bastard, I don’t need you! And then, tell Frank, I’m coming for you.”

“…you seriously want me to pass that on?”

No response, however, was forthcoming.

Realizing that his companion was asleep, Sham only smiled wryly and continued running, content, for now, with merely following the others.

Even as he approached sleep, however, Rail’s mind still drifting–speaking, now, to a figure who was no longer there.

Hey, Chris.

I guess I can’t help it.

Ordinary people didn’t save me.

Instead…it was a group of people just as broken as we are.

To charge onto that roof just to save me, someone they’d only just met…only a group of lunatics would do that.

So Chris…I guess I’m one of those lunatics now, too.

So next time…next time—

I’ll be there to pull you up.

No matter how unnatural, how unchangeable you are…I’ll definitely be holding your hand.

 

And until then…with these broken people…

I’ll keep living.

And when it’s time, Frank, Sickle, Chi, Adele, the Poet…I’ll see them there as well. And won’t Huey and Leeza be surprised then…

Is this supposed to be fun?

Because it is fun, Chris…it really is…

 

Even as he drifted off to sleep, Rail still continued speaking to Christopher.

And, as if smiling down on this sight, the sky above shone brightly—

While before them, a golden line taking them from one city to another –

Under the flickering shadows of the skyscrapers, the road stretched on.

With no concerns for good or evil, the road stretched forward, shining the way towards new destinations.

 

And in the shadows, far away from this light—

Several trucks stood in front of Nebula Corporation.

In one were Frank, Sickle, the Poet, and various vessels of Sham. As its neighbors took off, this one headed towards the nearest hospital.

Once the trucks were all gone, Huey Laforet turned to his companion.

“Such a rare event, the two of us here…and yet you haven’t spoken a word.”

“U-u-ugh, y, y-you bastard. T-t-take away E, E, Elmer, a-and you’re j, j, just an-any other m, m, ma, ma-madman. Wh, wh, wh-why w-would an, an, any-anyone want t, t, t-to do with y-you.”

“Not quite the words I’d expect from a drug addict…but I won’t deny it.”

“D-d-did you c, c, c-come here f-fr-from p, p, p-prison?”

At Begg’s question, however, Huey only softly laughed before turning to the other man beside him.

“Well then…Mr. Bartolo, it is an honor to dine with you. I do wonder, though…now that you’ve found me, what do you plan to do? Become immortal too?”

“I have no interest in that.”

With bodyguards flanking him on either side, the old man coolly lit a cigar.

“My goal was only to see you…to finally meet the terrorist Beriam is so obsessed with.”

“Well…in that case, my illustrious Mr. Bartolo, how do you see me?”

“You’re a kid.”

Hearing this, Huey only seemed amused.

“Well, that’s quite flattering.”

“I meant no judgment of the sort. Whether or not some boy is good or bad, he still has the potential to change the world.”

Faced with a companion who had outlived him several times over, these were the level words Bartolo spoke.

“Alright…and what do you plan after this?”

“Well, now that it seems as though I won’t be able to carry out my initial project here…I suppose I’ll just stay around, perhaps searching for the next site to start my experiments…”

As he spoke, a soft, almost childlike smile drifted on Huey’s face. With scrupulous manners, he then addressed the mafia leader before him.

“First, however…I’m afraid I’ll have to impinge on your hospitality for this meal.”

 

The sun beat down, new roads glittering to life before fading with the light.

And in the newly arrived dark, a new road slowly emerged.

A new, bold road, a stage set only for the ambitious and the mad—

 

And like that, this day—

 

In the middle of the commotion, the man called Huey Laforet quietly released his poison into the city.

With even Huey unsure of what the consequences it would cause—

The vortex continued to spin.

Epilogue