The crowd cheered for their rushed performance, but despite how brief and quickly it was made, everyone loved it, as though they had entered into a concert.

  Her throat was harsh and dry, and even worse thanks to the alcohol, but there was a sense of jubilation she hadn’t felt in years.

  Since when was the last time she had performed in front of a crowd? The last time was during one of the gymnastics competitions where she performed a plethora of movements to impress a crowd, as well as to the few extremely strict judges. The last time, she was hampered with stress and the ideal of reaching first place.

  But this time, she didn’t care about any of that. She only sang a song, something she never once thought to do in public.

  For once, she let go of her inhibitions, and god was it worth it. The crowd was barely enough to explain her jubilance. No, it was the freedom, the act to do whatever she wished regardless of what anyone else thought of her. Freedom of choice and will–that’s what made her heart beat so rapidly, so out of control.

  She wanted more. Not just to sing–but to dance and move like some wild beast pursuing in the forest. She would gladly start a fight too, but she wasn’t that inebriated. No, what she wanted to do most was to let loose, like Saang said.

  Even at the distance, she could see her vibrant co-worker cheering her on. Even Hamil and Kote returned, looking sloshed but just as easily excited like their female comrade.

  On her side was Zeke, who looked worse for wear. In his right hand was finally an empty mug, and Mikella helped settle it down. He drank the last bits of it with every fiber of his being, unable to waste a single drop considering how expensive it was.

  Honestly, it surprised Mikella how he handled drinking the mug without spilling all of it. Sure, some bits sloshed out of the mug, but not enough to be considered a wasted drink. As the crowd cheered for the end of the performance, the otherworlders quickly settled out of there, wanting no more of the adoration. Besides, throughout the show, everyone else was starting to get in the fun, dancing along with the others doing their own music. It was starting to get chaotic, and Mikella would prefer not to spend the night in jail for boisterous partying.

  It was at that part where she met up with Alissa and Clara, with Zoan surprisingly by their side. Apparently they heard there was a festival and Clara being Clara, she wanted to come and see. After meeting with them and telling them of the tower’s successful demise, Alissa took over on taking care of Clara for now as she realized that Zeke wasn’t exactly in his right state of mind.

  Mikella agreed, not wanting Clara to see Zeke completely sloshed, so under the guise of the chaotic party, she used her wings and flew Zeke up into the sky, landing on top of a tall building several stories up. The view was amazing, and the lights from below looked similar to stars that hovered on earth itself. The people clamoring and moving about looked like ants trying to wade through sparkling lights, and the sounds of the party below was loud, but bearable.

  Her head was pounding, and her chest was aching. The activities she had done so far was starting to bear on her, but there was still that adrenaline that coursed through her veins. Though now they were beginning to peter out, making her drunken state all the more noticeable. Zeke was quiet throughout the entire ride, only whooing and moaning throughout the flight.

  She wondered whether it was the right move to leave Clara, but she supposed Clara is old enough to have her own fun without Sissy by her side. It made her sad, but there was a hint of gratefulness when she thought about Clara enjoying herself rather than staying behind and worrying about the two of them.

  While everyone else was partying their lives away, unsure of what’s gonna happen the next day, Zeke suddenly spoke.

  “I love this world.”

  Zeke said with no slurring in his words. He was starting to get himself back again, or perhaps he finally went through the intense buzz of his drink. Mikella looked back at him, tilting her head.

  “I know, right? It’s so cool with magic and monsters and everything else…”

  She agreed, though the two could tell that they were only speaking about the good parts.

  “...Why couldn’t our own world be as good as this one?” Zeke continued, and Mikella remained quiet. “Sure, this world has some quirks, but ours is like… way worse. I mean, we don’t even know what we’re supposed to do in our lives.”

  She remembered Valorie saying something like that. Something about how their own world expects their young to instantly know what to do for the rest of their lives, despite the fact that just two mere decades aren’t enough to figure out what to do in the moment. Then again, not everyone has the chance to outlive the people of earth where their expected lifespan is just a hundred years at best.

  “This world gets to have the ‘system’,” Zeke continued. “And all we have are parents that just keep expecting us to do the impossible… It’s not fair.”

  Mikella listened intently. The only time Zeke ever spoke about himself, his past, and his family was during the first two weeks they spent together. And Zeke was just barely awake. She only heard him mumble about his mother, and how she abused him.

  She didn’t want to ask anymore questions about that. It was clearly something personal, and something she didn’t want to pry out of Zeke out of respect. But now…

  Now, she can’t hold herself back.

  “Zeke… what’s your life like? Before we met each other?”

  Mikella had to ask. She didn’t mind waiting for Zeke, at least at first. But after almost two years spent together, not once did Zeke mention his past. It was only bare snippets, not enough to satiate Mikella’s curiosity.

  She’ll do what she can to make up to him later, even if he doesn’t know it himself. But right now, this was her chance to find out what he was like.

  For a moment, she panicked when Zeke instantly frowned, turning pale at the memory. But after another moment, he relaxed. He looked over at her, staring deep into her eyes with his own heterochromia eyes.

  “You promise not to make fun of me?” Zeke asked. If he was still in control of himself, he would know that Mikella would never make that promise just to make fun of him. But instead, she nodded.

  “I promise,” She said resolutely.

  He narrowed his eyes at her, as if doubting her words. He had every right to doubt her, but whether she finally managed to break him, or perhaps the alcohol got into his system further, he continued.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “...I was born to a super rich family. Like… super rich. My mother was the CEO of Cosmic World Incorporated. It’s a whole conglomerate filled with all sorts of products going in and out of different countries. If you need something, they got it–that’s their motto.”

  Mikella’s eyes widened to become dinner plates. Cosmic World Inc. is known across the old world as the top most requested shipping company. Their connections can even latch onto distant countries where even the US would have trouble connecting with, but Cosmic World was capable of doing that–for a price, of course.

  Mikella remembered her mother using that often to get her top of the line cosmetics, something that her dad wished she’d stop using considering how expensive they were. But Cosmic World had all sorts of products one normally wouldn’t have available.

  And Zeke was born to the CEO of that amazing company?

  Mikella would have gladly called out that he was probably the luckiest guy she’d known… if it weren’t for the fact that he had no inkling of the spoiled rich kid persona every guy would have with a parent like that.

  “And Mother was top of the line. She was by far the most competent woman anyone would have ever met. She’s smart, professional, and she dominated everything with just a look. No matter who it is, nobody can outlast her in a legal battle, and nobody can say no to her if it means costing her money.”

  Zeke smiled, though it was the most bitter, fake smile Mikella had ever seen from him. He continued, that smile turning into a frown as moments passed.

  “Then I was born. It was supposed to be great for the company. I was the son that would inherit the entire company once Mother retires. But then it was found out that I was born with a once-in-a-million mental disorder. It’s called Prenatal Cognitive Avoidance; or PCA for short. First part means that it happened before I was born–and the last one was a real kick to the balls. Basically–My mind refused to be ‘normal’.”

  Zeke said, curling two fingers in the air to make air quotes. Mikella’s mind started to whirl. She never heard of that condition. To hear that it was a one-in-a-million disorder really would throw a wrench to the plans, especially for a lady who owned a major corporation. But what was worse was that Zeke looked back at it with a hint of disgust–like he couldn’t believe he had it despite having it since birth.

  “When you say refused… you mean you couldn’t function?” Mikella asked timidly. It was the first time she ever hesitated to ask. It was… extremely personal, and she didn’t want Zeke to crawl back into his shell after finally revealing his past like this.

  “...In a sense, yes and no,” Zeke tilted his head, actually wondering that himself. “Imagine being in a fog, but in your head. Someone tells you something, and you’re not sure if that was actually real, or just your imagination. You do an action, but you instantly forget it. Bits and pieces would drift in your head, either memories or your imagination. And your brain can’t comprehend which is which. That’s what it’s like.”

  She balked at the explanation. How on earth can anyone live like that?

  Then she stopped herself. She continued listening.

  “All my life, I had to deal with this stupid disorder and disappointing Mother at every chance I got. I got help. A lot of help, actually. I had tutors, therapists, doctors, the best ones money could buy. I failed them–all of them. And Mother hated that. So, if nobody can help me, she’ll do it herself.”

  And by that, she beat him to be who she wanted him to be. Fury filled Mikella’s chest as she continued to listen. What kind of mother would do such a thing?

  “You know, I tried really hard to be what Mother wanted me to be. I really did. Everyone said I either didn’t care, or didn’t want to. But I really did. But no matter how hard I tried, I just… drift. Like nothing could ever faze me. I thought I was on top of the world, only to realize I was just in the street corner begging for scraps. I hate myself.”

  Zeke tried to drink from his mug again, only to realize that it was empty all this while. He chucked the mug across the roof, the wooden cup hitting hard against the roof’s floor. Mikella didn’t say a word as she listened.

  “And you know what happened at the end?” Zeke continued. “Mother decided that enough is enough. She signed a lot of papers, and got me disowned. She had to write me off her will. Then she threw me out after legally changing my name to ‘Zeke Parlow’... I started working in some shitty company working as an accountant due to her connections, and lived on my own in my one-room apartment. That’s when I was finally awakened.”

  Mikella perked her ears at that. A sad smile spread across his face.

  “Everything just cleared up. I was finally able to remember everything. I turned 18 and I felt like I could do anything… Then I realized I messed up in the worst way possible, and that there was no way I could get it back. It’s impossible. No matter how much I beg and plead to Mother, she would never trust me again. I honestly considered taking my life back then.”

  Zeke’s smile disappeared, and a placid, almost empty void appeared instead. The light in his eyes dimmed like his soul was snuffed out.

  “I don’t know how long that lasted, but it disappeared after. Then, I just… did whatever I wanted. I played games, read books–a lot of books, actually. I wanted to be useful. I wanted to finally be someone I can be proud of. But after a few years, I couldn’t do jack shit. Then, I’m here.”

  Zeke spread his arms wide, showing the once more vibrant and beautiful new world. The light in his eyes returned, showing the same spark that Zeke always had.

  “In here, I’m finally someone. I’m someone that actually matters. That can help,” Zeke said, almost reverently. “And I don’t want to let that go.”

  Mikella kept quiet all this while, listening to his story. A knot was tying up in the pit of her stomach. Guilt and shame spread across her, hearing such a clearly personal story only when he had to be drunk enough to sing and dance in public.

  At the same time, she finally understood why Zeke let out tears when Clara called him Bobo. If someone like her depended on him for her life, of course he would be glad to do so. It was proof that he actually mattered to someone, that can be useful to someone.

  Without really thinking, she held Zeke’s hand, making him look back at her. She kept staring at it, noticing that his hands were shaking, probably from the memories he had to relive for her.

  She held onto it tightly, closing her eyes as she tried to find the words.

  “Zeke, thank you for telling me all this,” She finally said. “Is… is the reason why you never wanted to tell me this was because you didn’t want me to think of you like that?”

  If she had a past like that, the last thing she would want is to publicly shout it to the world, especially to a group of scared individuals trapped in a dungeon. Not even Mikella can say that she would trust him if he told her straight up about his former condition. She can understand why he kept that a secret this whole time.

  Zeke tilted his head again. “Kinda. But honestly… I just wanted to impress you. I wanted to show you how cool and reliable I was. And… I didn’t want you to think I’m a total retard.”

  Mikella gently smiled. It was such an innocent reason, though she should’ve expected this. Zeke, despite everything he’s been through, is still a man. He wanted to look cool to a bunch of scared girls in a dangerous situation.

  She actually giggled at the thought. When that caught his attention, she apologized.

  “Sorry, I just…” Mikella took a breath to regain her composure. “Well, I can’t really take in the whole ‘cool’ part so easily. But you were definitely reliable. Even without the barrier, you always tried your hardest to help others. I always admired that. And also, I would have a hard time believing you had a condition at all.”

  “Yeah…” Zeke nodded, almost dizzyingly. “I don’t know why I got fixed, but I was. But it could come back, or maybe I was never fixed in the first place and I’m just deluding myself again. I just…”

  Mikella cupped his face with her hand. She gently caressed his cheek, feeling the slight stubble he’s been trying to grow to no avail. She smiled at the thought, and stared deep into his twin-colored eyes.

  He looked so flushed, yet there was that sparkle in his eyes that just called to her. Her heart raced when he stared back at her.

  “You’re good enough,” Mikella said, resolutely. “That’s enough for me.”

  “...You smell nice,” Zeke suddenly said. Mikella was taken aback by that, but then realized the obvious of how close they were. “I like… I like… this.”

  Mikella giggled, almost deviously. “Then you’re gonna love this.”

  She hadn’t really thought about it. She wasn’t even sure whether this was part of a conscious thought or not. All she knew was that her mind, body, and soul wanted to do this.

  She lifted his chin up ever so softly, and closed in. Their lips touched, and they stayed there for a solid, almost infinite moment of pure silence.

  And they didn’t stop. Not even for a breath.