[August ???, year 2063, ??? AM]

Everything around Shindo was hazy. All he could make out were the rough outlines of buildings, streets, and walkways, but his vision shifted weirdly every time he took a step.

"Herttz..." A faint voice echoed through his hazy surroundings. Shindo jerked his head in multiple directions, trying to look for its source, but he couldn't find it. In fact, he couldn’t make sense of where he was. Still, his gut feeling told him that this was a place in Vermillion Blue City, even if his surroundings were so blurred out that it made the place unrecognizable.

"Herttz." The voice grew louder, this time from behind him. Shindo spun around and the scenery shifted to an alleyway. Curious, he walked towards the alleyway, hoping to find the source of the voice. Unfortunately, his vision became clearer as Shindo got nearer, were finally realized where he was. He could never forget this place.

His hand started vibrating, his thoughts accelerating as memories permeated his mind.

'No. not this place' He thought disdainfully. 'Not again!'

Suddenly, Shindo felt a presence trying to attack him. He immediately reacted by jabing his shoulder back, and then turning to grab the person's neck, effectively choking them. He blinked again, and his focus fell on a man he was all too familiar with.

The man's eyes were concealed, but his facial features betrayed his identity. Shindo knew this man’s solemn smile, that piss poor excuse of a beard, or his weirdly chopped hair. The man in Shindo’s grasp was the one person he didn't want to speak with: His former archnemesis, Lighteater.

"When will you learn, Herttz?" Lighteater tried speaking through the choke. He seemed to have a mocking grin on his lips.

"Never," Shindo spoke through forced anger, something which he found odd. Why had he spoken? He had nothing to say to this bastard! "I have nothing loose."

"Nothing, you say?" Ligheater questioned, his grin widening.

"Yes, I have nothing to lose!" Shindo forcefully declared his lie through his gritted teeth. In his forceful anger, he bit his lips so hard that they started bleeding.

"It's a shame that you think like that. Every man has something to lose." The hero called Shindo out on his lie.

As Shindo's mouth opened to refute Lighteater, something strange happened. No words came out. He tried to refute, to scream, to deny everything at his old archnemesis, but not one word left his tongue. His exasperation to argue only caused the blood in his mouth to drip from his chin. He kept trying and trying, but by the end, he was exhausted. He could only feel his grip lessening and the iron taste of his dripping blood.

This is when Lighteater hummed a melody. It was strangely familiar to Shindo. It was sad, empty, and it overshadowed anything he tried to do. It conveyed his emptiness, his regret… and his hatred too.

"Shindo." Shindo's eyes widened as the humming was replaced with a new voice. Shindo looked up, and in horror released the person in front of him. The blood from his lips dripped in the same rhythm as his vibrating arm, leading to Shindo holding back a sniffle in presence of Ben.

The world around him became hazier; as if it was only Shindo and the man in front of him.

"Shindo, where are you?" The question hung in the air, as Shindo looked at his old boss. His fiery hair danced in worry, but his eyes were what broke Shindo. They were blind, but filled with repulsion. Those eyes flashed through anger, sorrow, and embarrassment; Each new emotion breaking Shindo a little bit more.

"What do you mean that the debt is paid?" Ben started saying, his eyes stuck on Shindo's. "You saved me. You fought for me! But then you left. Why?"

That question gave Shindo back control of his thoughts. "I... I had no choice but..."

"There is always a choice!" Ben's eyes flared at Shindo’s words. On his part, Shindo could not speak, for his knees had crumbled long ago.

"And what of now?" Ben's voice seethed with such sadness that Shindo could not help but look away in shame. "Is parading as a hero something you did because there was no choice?"

With that question, a literal weight fell on Shindo's back, gravity pulling him downwards. And then the floor broke. He started falling into a hazy void, Ben’s figure shrinking as he fell. Shindo tried to reach out, but he was already falling as Ben kept his blind gaze on the horizon.

"I hope your choices lead you to wherever you want to end up." Lighteater's and Ben's voices overlapped together as he kept falling into that hazy nothingness. The last thing he heard was that faint song. A sorrowful hum accompanied him as he fell endlessly.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

[August 17th, year 2063, 6:51 AM]

"AHHHHH!" Shindo screamed as he woke up. The first thing he did was check his hand and breathed in relief when he saw it wasn't vibrating. He took a few deep breaths, breathing in and out, in and out, until he felt himself calm down. Yet, as if to defy Shindo's efforts, his heart was still beating quickly, threatening to rip itself out of his ribcage.

His thoughts went back to that dream. It was so vivid. The way he couldn't speak in front of Lighteater, or how Ben was blinded by something made Shindo shiver.

And that strange song; where had he heard it before? Shindo didn't know it, but that song burrowed itself in his head, looping back and forth, as a reminder of his nightmare...

BUZZZZZZ! BUZZZZZZZZ!

His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang through the room. He picked it up and when he saw who was calling, he audibly sighed. He opened the phone and took the call.

"It's way too early to be calling, eh?" Shindo spoke, as a yawn built up on his mouth.

"You were the one who told me to call you this early, gremlin." Diva's teasing yet perky voice rang through his ears. "Do you want me to remind you of your exam as well?"

"Please, do not," Shindo groaned. He stood from his bed and started searching for his string visor.

"But you did so well, Mr. Wattz!" She kept teasing, "You did such a good job riling them up!"

"Diva... Please." Shindo's voice grew colder. Where had he left that damn visor?

"But I still can't believe it! You had the balls to call the argument between two heroes a 'high school drama'! This tops your stunt with Pyro!" Diva exclaimed in glee. She sure was enjoying herself at Shindo's expense, especially throughout the past weekend. This was starting to get annoying.

"Shut it!" Shindo said as he finally spotted the visor on top of his dresser. He grabbed them and started putting them on.

"You're forgetting your place, Herttz." Diva giggled a bit, but her voice carried a vague threat. A low growl escaped the man as he was reminded of his situation. Diva giggled through the phone call.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The informant said, unapologetically. "Though you have to admit that the way you insulted them was enter—"

"Not one more word." Shindo seethed. Diva took the hint and shut her mouth long enough for Shindo to sit on his bed and defuse his anger.

"Well, why did you call me at Seven AM then?" Shindo asked after calming himself.

"It's around six fifty, Shindo. And again, you were the one who told me to call you this early."

Shindo tried to juggle his memory to try and remember why he did this, but all that came to mind was that weird song from his nightmare. "Honestly Diva, I can't remember why I told you to do such a horrible thing on a Monday morning."

"Oh, quit whining." Diva scoffed. "I called because I got an update on our man."

Shindo grinned faintly at this. "Oh, finally got us a path?"

"Gimme a sec, gremlin." She teased while responding to the informant's language. Shindo could hear her furiously typing through the phone call.

"Manny's still a bit hard to crack. Let me pass you what I got." Diva said after two minutes. A few tidbits of information were relayed straight into his string visor: A photo of his target, Manny Judge, A diagram on a few small pneumatic pistons, and a few pieces of Fiberglass that were usually used on String visors.

"What you see now is all the info I've got on your target." Shindo reviewed the info through his visor as Diva spoke. "As expected of the DSG. They have that man hidden better than the previous mayor's "off the book" mistresses. The only decent lead I could get was from a guy down sector 10. He could only provide me with the pictures you are seeing now."

This led to a few seconds of silence before Diva decided to speak again. "Still, I find it weird that he is getting Fiberglass of all things. From what you told me; Manny has no business buying Fiberglass. After all, doesn’t he hate the "strings" because of the villain stigma?"

"That was his main reason to target me. I think." Shindo mussed.

"Hmm. He made a siren-call?" Diva inquired for more.

Shindo rolled his eyes at Diva's use of the language before answering back. "No, not a siren-call. The man may be going to the siren rock."

Diva stayed quiet for a bit, while Shindo pressed a button on his visor causing the information to leave his sight. "So, you think he's into deep shit then. Guess it will take more time to find dirt."

"You sure there aren't any more updates on the third seat?" Shindo asked.

"A week and a half are barely enough time to find dirt on someone as powerful as the Third seat of the DSG.” Diva replied dismissively, “Be patient and in time I'll find something, and when I do, be ready for the job I have for you."

"Yet you found out the identity of the villain with the highest priority in HOC's list." Shindo jabbed at her.

"You have only yourself to blame for that. You are the one who decided to fight Pyro after all." Diva's words were brutally stinging to Shindo. However, her voice grew serious. "Speaking of updates, if I were you Shindo, I would be careful outside of the costume. Informants may be trying to get a hold of you. Especially since the double reward for recruiting you into HOC is still active."

"I expected as much," Shindo said, exhausted. Yet another thing Shindo had to watch out for. "Yet, why didn't you cash it in, Diva? You recruited me already."

"Why would I cash it in? I have no lack of money!" The informant exclaimed. "In fact, I just made the playing field more interesting by going under the radar~"

"Of course you did that," Shindo groaned, interrupting the woman, however, the clock in his visor showed that it was seven AM. He took a glance at his hero costume, which was neatly folded on a nightstand. However, before he could say anything Diva spoke first.

"Well, this is where we part. I need to take another call." Diva said.

"Well, I'll leave too. Today's the day I start after all." Shindo replied. "I think it's better we call each other tomorrow around the same hour."

"Agreed," Diva said dismissively. "Goodbye gremlin."

Shindo closed the phone call and glanced at his costume. After a few minutes of debating on what to do, he decided to take a quick shower.

"All right then, let's begin the day," He rummaged through the room until he found a towel. He then swung it over his shoulder and stretched his back without a care for the world, before making his way towards his bathroom.