After a night of sleep, Shizu wakes up. He slowly opens his eyes and remains sitting on the bed. He yawns with his hand covering his mouth and starts stretching. After a few seconds of analyzing his surroundings, still heavy with sleep, he looks to the side of the bed—and is startled.
Anistina was watching him.
Shizu jumps up immediately, startled, and asks:
— M-Miss Anistina?! What are you doing here??
She, with a mocking expression, responds while crossing her arms:
— Me? I'm just here, watching the little princess sleep in so late…
Shizu apologizes, embarrassed, explaining that he didn't sleep well the previous night. Anistina raises an eyebrow and asks:
— How come? As far as I remember, you went to bed early last night…
She says, scratching her head.
Shizu thinks, irritated:
"I couldn't sleep because Carlius kept pestering me not to tell anything to the Boss…"
Anistina then lets out a soft sigh and says:
— Get dressed. I want to take a walk and talk to you.
— Alright. — he responds.
After some time, Shizu leaves the house dressed. Upon seeing Anistina waiting, he asks:
— Shall we go?
They start walking through the slums. As they walk along the bumpy streets and between makeshift houses, Anistina asks:
— Kid… you said you're from another world, right? What was it like?
Shizu looks ahead, thoughtful, and begins to describe:
— My world… it was a chaotic place when it came to politics and countries. If you weren't smart or didn't maintain a good status in society, you had no rights. People were forced to do whatever the president ordered, or they were reduced to nothing… and paid dearly for disobedience. When you're a kid, you have the right to study for a profession, and the smarter you were, the more chances you had to get a good job and avoid hunger…
Anistina listens in silence, then looks ahead with a sad expression.
— It's almost the same here… I thought where you came from would be different, but… I was wrong. I'm sorry.
— No… it's not the same. There, if you weren't corrupt, if you didn't steal or weren't smarter than everyone else, you simply wouldn't survive… That place was trash.
Anistina stops walking and looks at him firmly:
— As I said… it's the same here! If you don't step on others to get ahead, you'll never get anywhere. "If you don't want to be knocked down, knock the other down," that's how it works here.
She takes a deep breath, regains her composure, and continues walking.
— But changing the subject… is there something you'd like to know about this city?
Shizu thinks for a few seconds, then looks at Anistina and asks:
— You… you were once the third commander for Empress Babadar, right? What kind of work did you do?
Anistina's expression changes immediately. She scowls, visibly irritated, and answers angrily:
— When I was a commander, she forced me to torture people to pay their debts. Other times… I had to throw them to monsters. It was horrible. The level of cruelty from her was unbelievable… her gaze caused an unnatural fear. It was like… she was possessed, as if there was no soul left in her…
Shizu becomes sad, regretting asking the question. But Anistina continues:
— But, after a long time, I managed to leave. I formed this faction with my own hands. I regret everything I did, but that won't bring those people back. So…
She turns to Shizu with a determined expression:
— I want to free everyone from this hell! But for that, I'll need your help. So… I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Shizu.
Shizu looks at her and agrees with a slight smile:
— I'm counting on you too, boss.
Anistina gives a small smile and then asks:
— Could you buy some herbs for me?
— Sure. — Shizu responds.
She hands him some coins. After a short walk, they find Carlius, who greets them with a friendly smile:
— Good morning, Miss Anistina. Eh… good morning, Shizu. How are you?
Shizu turns his face away with disdain and answers curtly:
— Everything's fine…
Anistina, noticing the strange mood, looks at Carlius with doubt:
— Did you do something to upset him?
Carlius looks away and responds, changing the subject:
— N-nothing major…
Shizu leaves the slum and heads toward the city. As he walks through the streets, he observes the movement: people sitting between the walls of houses, others selling vegetables and fruits. A few children ran and played.
— You won't catch me!
— I will!
Two kids run past Shizu. He watches the scene and murmurs:
— Children running and playing… When was the last time I saw something like this…?
In his memories, Shizu sees himself studying relentlessly:
"There was no time for games or friendships in that place… knowledge was everything."
Suddenly, someone pulls at his shirt. He looks to the side and sees a little girl with purple hair, dirty clothes, and tear-filled eyes. He crouches down and asks gently:
— Hey… something wrong, little one?
In a weak voice, she responds:
— I… I'm hungry, sir…
Shizu's heart tightens. He strokes the girl's head and smiles warmly:
— You're hungry? Okay… I'll buy you a little bread, alright?
She returns the smile:
— Thank you, mister…
Some time later, Shizu and the little girl are sitting on a bench. She is happily eating the bread he bought. Shizu then asks:
— Where are your parents?
The girl stops eating. Sadness overtakes her face.
— The bad people… they took my parents somewhere. Since then, I haven't seen them… I… I want to see my mom… and dad…
She starts crying again. Shizu hugs her and says:
— Everything will be fine. I promise.
He looks into her eyes and asks:
— Do you want to come with me? To a better place?
Still crying, the girl nods affirmatively. The two begin walking back to the slum. As they get closer, she hesitates and asks:
— Sir… isn't it dangerous here?
Shizu places his hand on her head and responds with a light smile:
— It's fine… as long as you're by my side, you'll be safe.
As they reach the faction leader, Anistina asks with a sharp look:
— So, did you bring what I asked for?
— What… did you ask for? — he asks, scratching his neck.
She frowns and answers angrily:
— Yes, damn it! The herbs I asked for!
Shizu's eyes widen as if he had been slapped back into memory:
— Ahhh! The herbs! I forgot!
Anistina, now with a vein almost popping in her forehead, retorts:
— You forgot to buy them?? Go back and buy them now!
Shizu starts sweating.
— Sorry, boss… I spent the money…
Even angrier, she steps forward:
— Spent the money??! What do you mean?! Spit it out, what did you spend it on?!
At that moment, a soft cry interrupts the tension. Anistina looks over Shizu's shoulder and sees a little girl with watery eyes.
— S-sorry, ma'am… I made the uncle buy me some bread… sorry…
Speechless, Anistina looks sideways at Shizu, lets out a heavy sigh, and pulls out more money from her pocket, handing it to him.
— Go. Buy the herbs now.
She then crouches down, looks at the girl, and speaks in the gentlest voice:
— I'm sorry, little one… It's not your fault. Let's go inside and have a little chat?
The child wipes her tears with the sleeve of her shirt and follows Anistina closely. Shizu watches the scene and thinks with a slight smile:
"It's just as you said, Carlius… the boss really does have a big heart…"
Meanwhile, inside the imperial castle…
CRASH!
The sound of a glass smashing against the wall echoes through the cold stone hall.
— WHAT THE HELL! HOW HAVEN'T YOU FOUND THOSE RATS YET??
The Empress screams in fury, her eyes flashing, as the three Commanders kneel before the throne, cowering. Anin, trying to remain calm, responds:
— Forgive me, Your Highness! We've intensified the search, but haven't found any trace of them.
Oliver also speaks seriously:
— Apologies, Your Highness… we searched every corner of that slum, but found no trace of those filthy ones…
Babadar, even angrier, leans forward, resting her face on her clenched fist:
— What a pain! I really had high hopes that you would find them… What a disappointment… But it doesn't matter. I'll use another method for this.
"Another… method? What is she planning?" — Anin thinks, worried.
The First Commander, with black hair, fair skin, dark eyes, and white armor, gets up and walks toward the door of the hall:
— I'll lead further searches, Your Empress! With your permission, I withdraw.
Anin follows, saying the same. Now, only Oliver and Babadar remain. The Empress turns to him, her gaze like that of a serpent.
— Did you do what I told you?
With his head lowered, Oliver answers:
— Yes, my lady! I did exactly as ordered. Now we just have to wait for the full information.
She smiles, satisfied.
— Great.
In the slums, at the appointed time…
Everyone is gathered again, around Shizu, who steps forward, his expression firm:
— Now, let's begin the final attack plan to bring down the tyrant!
— HEEEEE!! — they all shout in unison, raising their fists with strength.
Shizu watches the group with determination and whispers to himself:
— Get ready, Babadar… We're bringing you down!
But from the distance, in the shadows, something moves. A small, hooded figure watches everything intently. Their face is covered, and their voice is low, almost a whisper in the darkness:
— No...