Before their trip to Mantidale, the entire team met up at Kestrel’s place. Everyone checked their gear, weapons, and supplies, going over the plan and route once more while having a casual chat.

Locky came with a bunch of yummy snacks for everyone: honey-topped soufflés, soft beef short ribs, and sugar-dusted waffles. Plus, there was sweet wine and candy.

The mood was awesome, with everyone enjoying their drinks and chatting more than they usually did. It felt more like they were heading out for a fun trip instead of a dangerous mission far away from home.

Olivia showed up the latest, speaking louder than usual. She plopped down next to the table, chugged a jug of beer that was there, and laughed loudly, saying, "This is great! We won’t have drinks this good once we leave. Today, I have to outdrink Kestrel."

Kestrel watched her closely, asking, "What happened?"

For a second, Olivia’s smile disappeared. She slowly emptied her wine glass, then said, "Oh, right, I can’t hide anything from you beta folks."

She looked at her drink, her voice becoming quieter as she continued, "It’s nothing big, just something that happens often. A really good friend of mine... died in the Polluted Zone."

Her panda psychic incarnation shrunk and looked really sad, clinging to her shoulder. Kestrel used one of her tendrils to comfort it, drying it off with a big towel.

Rakan, sitting next to her, refilled her glass and they toasted.

After having some more to drink, Olivia asked Rakan, "Rakan, why do you keep going to the Polluted Zone? You could easily stay safe in the Tower because of your high status and noble family ground. Why choose to go to such a risky place, especially after you lost an arm there?"

Holding his glass with his cool robotic arm, Rakan took a sip before saying, "At first, it was to honor my mentor who died there. But after seeing the harsh reality over there multiple times, I couldn’t just stay back and waste away in a make-believe safety."

He raised his glass towards Raymond, who was sitting opposite to him, saying, "That said, I really respect you guys who are constantly defending the front lines."

Raymond joined in the toast, his eyes downcast, and said, "Before I came here, I had no clue people in the Tower had it this good. It’s hard to think about the never-ending feasts and loads of food. Back at the post, so many kids die of hunger every year. These kids, not even fifteen, lie about how old they are to join the army, hoping to get enough to eat."

"Our commander there really looks out for us and values every member of the team. Yet, from the friends who started with me at the camp, only a few remain."

The teapot bubbled happily, a pleasant aroma wafted from the wine, flowers were blossoming everywhere, and the towering structure of the Tower could be seen not far off.

"Let’s toast," Olivia said with a laugh, lifting her glass to break the somber atmosphere. "I mean, we face stuff like this every day, it’s not new, right?" She grinned, raising her glass even higher. "Here’s to this crazy world."

Nicole, who usually abstained from alcohol, decided to join in, sipping a little with Olivia. Her face turned a rosy color, and her words became slightly slurred.

"I’m not a fan of this tower either," Nicole confessed, resting on the table. "It’s just corrupt to the core. You’ll see, one day it’s going to crumble... I know many people are hoping it does..."

She was mumbling now, and everyone pretended not to hear, but it was just a reflection of what they all silently felt.

As evening approached, the sky resembled a blood-soaked canvas, the sun sinking heavily towards the horizon. Kestrel gazed at the gradually darkening sky, realizing this was their last evening before setting off.

...

"People are so confusing," the knife on his back kept whispering to Ren, staying close to him. "You’ve been busy non-stop lately just to spend time with her, haven’t you? Why not just say so?"

They were climbing a hill, the massive, pristine Tower looming close, its vast structure almost blocking the entire sky. As they turned a corner, he glimpsed a house at the peak, its lively rose garden peeking over the courtyard wall, easily catching the eye.

Next to the huge Tower, that courtyard seemed so small, yet it emanated a comforting, homely feel.

Ren walked towards the flower-filled courtyard, the knife’s constant chatter echoing in his head:

"Isn’t this a bad time to be thinking of romance?"

"Wasn’t your goal much bigger? To bring down the Tower, topple the Empire, and save humanity and all that?"

"Why worry about that beta? She chose to go to the Polluted Zone, and she has plenty of people watching her back."

"You’ve climbed up the ranks to become a deputy officer, entering the Tower’s elite circles."

"Shouldn’t you be behaving, mingling with others, gaining their trust?"

"It’s all about the greater good, right? I get that much. You can’t abandon your mission, can you?"

"Come on, Captain Sloan, respond, will ya?"

At a fruit stand along the road, Ren paused to buy a bag of apples as a gift.

The stall was manned by a lady with a young child next to her. She accepted Ren’s ashcredit with multiple thanks, her gratitude echoing as he continued on his way.

Ren held the big bag of apples and handed one to the little kid. The small child looked really skinny, his head looked too big, kind of like a puffy radish, but he happily bit into the apple right away, even before his mom could say anything.

Walking with the apples, Ren started chatting with the talking sword in his head.

"A lot of people have big dreams, but mine isn’t like that."

"Really?"

"I really hate this tower. But if she isn’t in the world after the tower falls, it wouldn’t matter to me."

"Huh, you sound less like a hero and more like someone who’s lost it a bit."

As Ren kept going uphill, the enormous tower was in front of him, looking kind of creepy in the reddish light of the setting sun.

"A bunch of people who were with me are gone now. I might not make it all the way either. But I hope, well, I think she stands a better chance to see that day come. If she can see the world on the day the tower comes down, and she does that for me, then I got what I wished for. Being a little nuts for that reason is okay."

Finally, he got to the yard where roses were blooming, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, and the soft glow of street lights came on.