Beneath a sky both vividly blue and deeply dark, the stars shone brilliantly, with the full moon standing proudly at their center. In silence, the city had just endured one of the harshest periods it had ever known. The attack by unknown terrorists had shattered the peace that had settled over the city for the past twenty years, ever since the Croc had taken command.

  At present, Manu, Shin, and I—against all expectations—had ended up as criminals, likely highly wanted, with nowhere to hide in the vastness of this city. Who could possibly be the ally these two trusted so deeply?

  As we walked through one of the avenues in the southern district of the city, I could tell that their allies were likely influential—and certainly wealthy. Even so, I could only guess who it might be. Jack? But he came from an utterly ordinary family. Or someone on Manu’s side? Who was it?

  In the distance, in one of the dark alleyways, stood a group of suspicious-looking individuals. Among them, one young man stood out in particular. He was around six foot eight, with a muscular build, tanned skin, and most notably braided hair tied into a ponytail. He was the heir to a powerful family of Awakened, even though that family was a vassal house serving one of the organizations of the Ten Kings.

  “You’re late,”

  Donavan said in a cold, weary voice upon seeing Manu, as if there were some lingering grudge between them.

  “If you brought an Awakened with a healing ability, heal Shin and let’s hurry,”

  Manu ordered in an authoritative tone, despite being barely half the height of the man standing before him. Still, albeit reluctantly, Donavan complied.

  “Don’t give me orders,”

  he complained as he sent one of his subordinates to take care of Shin.

  A man similar to Donavan, though smaller, approached Shin and bit him.

  “What are you doing!?”

  I cried out angrily at the sight. They’re going to kill him… Yet Manu didn’t even turn around. It was only when I heard Shin scream and turned back that I understood: the young man’s body was regenerating before my very eyes. It seemed the subordinate’s gift was a most bizarre form of healing…

  “Done? Let’s go,”

  his leader said sternly after checking that Shin was back to normal. That was when we headed to one of Donavan’s family’s secondary buildings.

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  It was a massive villa on the outskirts of the city, with an incredibly flashy, bling-bling appearance unlike anything I had ever seen. Yet one question kept tormenting my mind: why was Donavan helping them? Wasn’t he one of Manu’s former bullies?

  I had the feeling that something far bigger was going on behind all this. As we passed through the villa’s doors, my heart began to race. The interior was just as luxurious as one might imagine, with an enormous, immaculate hall. The space was large enough to store several trucks, and every decoration in the room was extravagantly expensive.

  And that was when I saw him. My heart skipped a beat. Despite the years that had passed, I recognized him instantly. He had grown into a handsome high school student. He had reddish hair like mine, his mother’s blue eyes, and a noble yet fragile air that gave him a certain charm. Without holding back, I ran toward him and pulled him into my arms.

  It had been so long since I had felt the warmth of family—the gentleness and joy of seeing those who are precious and irreplaceable to us. Tears flowed almost automatically, beyond my control, and I felt my son’s timid embrace as he, too, seemed to be crying.

  “Mom?”

  Hearing his voice, my heart tightened. I had so much I wanted to say.

  I wanted to apologize for all those years of absence, confess my guilt at being the reason for all this, promise him it would never happen again, and above all… above all… tell him how much I love him…

  “Yes… Mom is back, my son.”

  As I broke down in sobs, he held me tenderly in his arms. To think that he was taller than me now… And yet, it felt like only yesterday that he was starting middle school.

  “So, you finally made it? Honestly, Shin, you never change—always causing chaos wherever you go.”

  A calm, slightly arrogant voice echoed through the room.

  It belonged to a beautiful young woman with gentle, captivating features, like those of a princess. She had bob-cut hair, golden eyes, and a rose-shaped tattoo stretching along her right arm. Standing before her felt like facing a gigantic serpent piercing you with its gaze.

  She was the one person you must never offend in the city of SpeedWagon—to the point that even the mayor was required to show her respect: Cynthia, one of the favored heirs to take the position of patriarch of the Drim family, currently held by one of the Ten Kings, the one known as Thanatos.

  “Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want—you owe me that much after what I did for you,”

  Shin sighed as he collapsed onto one of the sofas in the hall.

  “Sorry for the trouble, Cynthia,”

  Manu added, sitting down as well, showing not the slightest respect toward her.

  As they all gathered around a table, everything became clear in my mind.

  The third ally was Cynthia. That explained Shin’s overwhelming confidence when it came to taking care of Rubis—and even more so, to running away. Donavan’s family was a vassal house of Cynthia’s, and Donavan had sworn loyalty to her years ago, which explained the current situation, even if the mystery of how Shin had managed to win him over remained unresolved.

  In any case, my heart felt deeply reassured knowing that Shin had such a powerful ally in his game.