Golden rays of sunlight seeped through the open window, and the cries of seagulls echoed in the distance. As he lay down on his back, eyes open and staring at the ceiling, Dante felt exhausted. His body didn’t tire, so the previous night hadn’t affected him that much. His mind, on the other hand, wasn’t in its best state.

With a sigh, he forced himself up, getting off the bed. Looking behind him, he couldn’t stop disgust from overwhelming him as he saw the two naked women. Of course, it wasn’t their appearance, but his actions that caused his stomach to turn.

Though he enjoyed the show they put on for him and the night he spent ravaging their bodies, he couldn’t help but regret it all, almost as if all of it had been a major waste of time.

-You just realized that?-

The subtle sensation that he was forgetting something kept him awake all night, so he didn’t even get some good rest. After traveling all the way to Riovanta, the fog seemed to subside a little, but it didn’t clear out. He was still missing something, but no matter how much he looked for it, the truth never revealed itself.

[Good morning, Dante.]

’Yeah... Good morning...’

Making his way to the shower, Dante washed himself while listening to Volcan recounting what they had scheduled for that day.

’It’s today?’

[Indeed.] Volcan replied. [The preparation should be over, so we can start at any time.]

Before the two dancers could wake up and annoy him more than he already was, Dante put on some clothes and 8-6 and teleported away.

~[ ]~

Michael opened the door, and his face twisted immediately. The room was dimly lit, well furnished, and seemed to have been in use until fairly recently. That had been the case even before he and his people arrived. It was almost as if the original inhabitants suddenly vanished one day, leaving everything behind in this dark world. Still, that was not what caused the pained grimace to warp Michael’s expression.

"Why, Priston... why..."

It happened when he was asleep, resting while his friend kept watch. He knew he should have stayed awake as well, kept an eye on him and the others, but he hadn’t slept in days, and his mind finally gave in that night. Priston used that chance to do it, and no one was there to stop him.

"Where the hell did you even get the rope..."

The question didn’t need an answer. Michael went to get the others, and together, they cut the rope and brought their colleague down, laying him down on the floor. The atmosphere grew far too heavy for him to bear, so he left the apartment, then the building, breathed in some of the air, then looked up at the pitch-black sky.

About a week ago, Michael found himself in a strange place, along with a few hundred others. Most were Gaia employees who just happened to be working in Riovanta, though not everyone was from the same location. After a short search, they discovered that they had been transported to a district in a city called Neo-Vatra.

Some found it hard to believe. Even if they couldn’t deny that they had been taken away, Neo-Vatra was far in the north, and moving so many people there at the same time felt impossible. There was the question of where the original citizens were.

Of course, dismissing something as impossible in a world where superpowers existed was foolish. Some of the calmer people began developing theories on what might have happened, and it didn’t take them long to deduce who the likely perpetrator was. Soon after, they had been proven right.

A being in domineering dark armor appeared before them on the second day. He introduced himself as Ghost and explained that their involvement with Gaia was his reason for taking them away. According to him, the place they were in wasn’t a part of the real world, and escape was impossible.

Ghost. Though the name was alien to them, some remembered seeing him online a few times. He was a villain who had recently appeared in the Radmir Union and was involved in major incidents that took place in Neo-Vatra. Some say he faced Paragon twice and still got away. That alone was proof that he was someone to be wary of.

After leaving them with some supplies and commanding them to survive if they hoped to see the outside world again, the villain disappeared. Five days had passed since then, and the despair had long since begun to set in. Those who refused to give in organized themselves and began to search for a way out, refusing to believe what the villain said.

"What in the world is he planning?"

Michael had joined the search party, which was dedicated to inspecting the building and searching for additional supplies. So far, they hadn’t faced anything that threatened their survival, which made the villain’s comments all the more ominous. Some people couldn’t bear the tension born from waiting to face whatever fate awaited them, and so they took the only exit they could find, and Priston was one of them.

"Damn it..."

Hope was lost. The chances of rescue were nonexistent, and their captor seemed to be running short on mercy. All they could do was pray for the possibility that he might send them back, but as things were going, no one believed it was going to happen.

"Hey, Michael!" Someone called from above. "We’re moving Priston now, do you-"

The words were suddenly cut, and when he looked up to check, Michael saw that whoever called for him was gone. He quickly climbed the stairs back to the apartment where Priston took his life, but no one was there. No one besides the corpse.

"What in the-"

Breath catching in his throat, Michael felt a sudden pull from below. The floor had disappeared from under him, and the sensation of falling wrapped around his body, locking all of his limbs as he sank into a black hole.