"You've only been here two weeks, and yet your hair has grown to your shoulders already."

Once again, Van and his group were leisurely sitting in front of the Portal, except for Cynthia and her husband, who seemed to be doing something inside the house, with their activities echoing throughout the Encampment.

​​

"...Oh," Van quickly checked the length of his hair as soon as he heard Nisha's words.

Two weeks have already passed since Van has arrived in the comfortable confines of the PIt, and his hair, which previously just touched his cheek, was now touching his shoulders with even the slightest of movement.

"My… sister is usually the one that cuts it," Van muttered as he slightly fixed his hair, making sure it was still covering the scar on his face. But even without him moving it, his hair was almost already covering most of his entire face.

"Want me to cut it?" Nisha said as she rolled and spun her dagger on the tip of her fingers.

"What? No," Van looked at Nisha, somewhat weirded out with what she said.

"Why not? It's covering most of your face already."

"As I said… my sister is the one cutting it," Van let out a sigh as he repeated his words, "She might get angry if someone else cuts it."

"!!!"

The dirt beneath Nisha's feet slightly trembled as she dodged her knife that dropped to the ground, "...How old are you, really?" She then said, blinking a couple of times as she stared at Van,

"You know… You can be cute if you just get rid of that murderous hobo aura around you."

"...Murderous aura?" Van could not help but check himself as Nisha looked at him from head to toe.

"Pft…"

Van has been in the Pit for a little more than 2 weeks. They thought Grant and Reed were planning something, so their group didn't separate that much… but they did nothing. The only thing that has been happening was Van frequently visiting Boss' house… only to talk about their plans of escape, of course.

But there really was not much to talk and plan about. It was a very straightforward plan. Once they get the first sign of a new Prisoner coming inside the Pit, Van would immediately carry Latanya through the Portal. If he gets hurt in any way, Latanya would heal him instantly.

She assured him that she could even heal him almost at the same time he was wounded… And that was it. That was the whole plan.

Nothing fancy, just plain old brute force.

According to Boss, there should usually be a new batch of Prisoners every other week. The last batch a few days before Van arrived, so a batch should have already arrived a few days ago. But alas, even with their body and their minds fully alert, not even a single Prisoner was sent to the Pit.

Was there maybe something happening outside? Or maybe there weren't any more people committing any crimes?

"...Pft," Van let out a slight chuckle as soon as the thought came to him. No one committing any crimes? That was only possible if all of the people outside died. That was the only way that peace could be achieved.

"...He's lost in his own world again," Nisha could not help but sigh as she looked at Van, who was laughing menacingly by himself. She patted her pants off the dirt as she stood up from the log they were sitting on.

"Where are you going?" Gil, who had been staring at the Portal and staying quiet for the whole conversation, asked.

"Just here and there, none of your business." Nisha nonchalantly waved her hands in the air before tightening her bandana.

Gil's eyes twitched as she heard Nisha's blunt words, "I thought we were friends already!"

"You're too pure for us to be friends."

"...But Van is your friend, isn't he!? He is pure!"

"In what part is this guy pure?" Nisha chuckled as she picked up her dagger from the ground, looking at Van once again from head to toe before walking away, leaving peals of laughter along her trail.

"..." Van once again looked at himself.

"Hoo, don't worry about what that woman is saying, Van," Gil quickly patted Van's shoulders, "I think you're the purest one here."

Van blinked his eyes numerous times as he looked around him. Was Gil… actually talking to him?

"I haven't unlocked my System for a long time, and the number of people I have killed is already past 10, Mir. Gil." Van quickly shook his head as he let out a long and deep sigh. And even without that fact, he was from the Relic Graveyard… that place, and his father had done some things to him that no pure men would ever endure or experience.

Him? Pure? Van could only wryly smile at the thought.

"If you're thinking about the things you've done and where you came from…" Gil looked at Van directly in the eyes, "Those are actually the things that make you the purest of us all."

"...Huh?" Van's eyes wandered as a ball of confusion rippled around him.

"Do you know why there are almost no people from the slums and the Relic Graveyard here, in the Pit?" Gil took in a deep breath as he once again turned towards the Portal, "While I was training, and with the years I have spent assigned as a guard… the System Holders that were born from the Relic Graveyards… were the worst of the worst."

"Hm?"

"As soon as they get their System, they instantly indiscriminately kill, loot, and do whatever they want. They have to be killed like beasts for you to make them stop, they don't even reach the Dome," Gil closed his eyes before letting out another deep sigh, "But you, Van…

...You still hold your humanity."

"..."

"You deserved to be much worse than you are. By all means, the world intended for you to be evil...and yet you're not…

...You're just a misguided soul trying to survive. I just wished the Circle and the City Guards saw that before they tied you up like an animal and hunted you down as they did. But alas, our justice is flawed."

Gil once again sighed as he stood up and stretched his arms. Van, on the other hand, was staring at him with his mouth slightly open, and his vision somewhat blurry. He couldn't help but slightly look to the ground to sneakily wipe the moist that built up in his eyes.

Maybe he really should cut his hair, it was starting to irritate his eyes-- he thought as he slightly sniffled before clicking his tongue in frustration.

"Who's pure?" He scoffed as he looked at Gil. Van was right the first time, Gil was someone who didn't belong in the Pit. Maybe when the time comes, he could also bring him outside. But will he be able to carry two people? He can't just leave Boss, she was his safety net, quite literally.

But still… this talk of justice and his cherry-like hair, could it be…

"Do you know anyone named Gemma, Mister Gil?"

"Gemma? Why do you ask?" Gil placed his hand on his chin as soon as he heard the name, "Gemma… Gemma…"

"She goes to NYSA. We're part of the same… club."

"Gemma… Academy…" Gil closed his eyes as he scoured the deepest parts of his mind, and finally, after a few seconds, it was as if a lamp was ignited, "Ah! My cousin!"

"We're not that close… but you know her!?" Gil's voice started getting louder and louder, "Such a small world we live in, I only knew her parents personally since they were part of the City Guard as well. Come to think of it, both of them left the Guards a few weeks after I got accepted. I wonder where they are now? Ah, such a small world. Small small world."

Once again, Gil started blabbering. Van almost forgot how talkative he was since he had been so preoccupied with thinking about what he would do after he gets out of this place.

Gil's blabberings, however, were quickly cut short by a familiar voice.

"Kid, can we talk?"

Both Van and Gil looked towards the direction of the voice, only to see Rick approaching the two of them.

Van could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow as he saw the clothes that Rick was wearing. As always, he looked too neat to be someone from the Pit, but it wasn't what caught Van's attention.

The clothes that were currently adorning Rick seemed to be the clothes of their uninvited guest from the other side of the Wall last week. Van remembered it being torn by Solomon… did he sew it back or something?

"...I have something I need to talk to you about," Rick said as he slightly bowed his head towards Van and Gil.

"Alright," Van stood up, but before he could take a single step, Rick told him that it was alright for them to speak here.

"Where is the rest of your group?" Rick asked.

"Well, they are currently--"

Before Van could even finish his words, Nisha suddenly jumped out from somewhere and quickly stood beside Van. Cynthia and her husband, who were completely keeping to themselves inside their house, also rushed outside.

Rick's men that were following him from behind became alert, but before they could do anything, Rick raised his hand to stop them.

"What do you want?" Nisha waved her dagger in the air as she looked Rick directly in the eye. Rick also looked back, but it only lasted for a while before he turned his head slightly down towards Van.

"I wish to form an alliance with you and your group." He said without even batting an eyelid.

"...An Alliance? What for?" Van slightly frowned.

"I am sure you have noticed by now, but Grant and Reed are cooking up something… and for once, I am not the target of their hostility…

...You are. I had my men spying on their side, and the information may not be complete, but they could only be planning to send you to their death because of your relationship with… Boss."

"I don't need any help."

"No matter how strong and fast you think you are, they outnumber you almost 10 to 1," Rick let out a short sigh as he shook his head, "You seem to be taking the houses nearest to the Portal, and whatever it is you're planning to do with that, I could care less… but if you want the house my side holds, you can have it and feel free to do whatever you want with it."

"..."

"So," Rick slightly let out a smile as he stretched his hand, "What do you say? Do you want to work together"

"...No."