Reizel was in the middle of collecting sticks for the fire when a loud scream echoed from inside the cabin. Needless to say, the loud sound came from Zeke who had most definitely found the basement hidden underneath the cabin.

‘Crap! How did he find it so quickly?!’

Feeling a little surprised at Zeke’s ability to discover the hidden compartment, he rushed back to the log cabin. Earlier during the day, he had dragged the bear’s pelt over the basement’s trapdoor, hiding it from plain sight. It was unexpected for someone to find it thoroughly searching for a while first. However, Zeke had been searching for no more than five minutes!

He wasn’t planning on keeping it a secret in the first place, but he did plan on surprising him with it, once things settled down a little. Seeing how this was no longer an option, Reizel opened the door to the cabin and saw Zeke pinching his nose as a rotten odor emanated from the basement.

“Close the god damn trapdoor already!”

Zeke was a little surprised at Reizel’s shout but complied at his demanding words anyway. It’s not like he enjoyed the foul smell either, but he did ask what was down there.

“I discovered it earlier during the day and was planning on telling you later but...”

Pausing for a second to search for the best way to describe what ‘transpired’ down there, he decided it was better not to tell him about the wine incident yet...

“There was a small mishap down there... Resulting in this stench... Anyway... Ahem. There are quite a lot of useful stuff left down there. If possible, we should go grab them later.”

“Hmm... I'll keep my doubts to myself for now, but I have to ask... You are not planning on making me do all the work down there, are you?”

Zeke’s scrutinizing gaze fell on him as he demanded an answer. Knowing Reizel, it wasn’t impossible for him to come up with such a conclusion.

Under Zeke’s scrutinizing gaze, Reizel couldn’t help averting his eyes as he said.

“Well... My arm is...”

He’d barely managed to get started with an explanation when Zeke interrupted him.

“I KNEW IT! You plan on making me do all the work again! I am not letting this pass!”

Letting out a sigh while shaking his head, Reizel said in a matter of fact way before leaving the cabin to get that fire going.

“It’s just your imagination. Get back to searching.”

“Hey Reizel! Get your ass back here! We are not done with this!”

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

By the time night had fallen, and the moon was shining bright light above their heads. Reizel and Zeke were sitting around the newly made campfire roasting skewers. Unlike the first attempt, a mouth-watering smell emanated from the skewers this time around. Zeke’s new skill seemed to work wonders as he skilfully flipped the frog skewers.

While searching, among the pile of stuff he gathered there was the ‘holy treasure’ of the cooking world, or so he said. As for what that treasure was? It was a small leather pouch filled to the brim with coarse salt.

When alive, the hunter most probably used it to tan pieces of leather but Zeke used his non-existent culinary skills to season food.

But that was not all. He further complimented the dish by wrapping the skewers tight with a bunch of herbs. As for where those came from? While the two were walking back from their journey to the lake, Zeke pointed them out for Reizel to pick.

“Hum! Hum... Hum Hum~”

Zeke was humming a happy tune as the skewers were cooking, his saliva almost dripping on them, forcing Reizel to remind him to be careful from time to time.

“By the way, Zeke...”

“Hum?”

Now that they could relax a little bit, it seemed like a good time to consider what they would be doing from now on. Thinking like that, Reizel picked out the piece of parchment he kept hidden in his clothes and passed it over to Zeke.

“This is?”

“It’s a map. I found it inside the basement. That’s how I got to the lake.”

“Ya sure this ‘s a map..?”

Disbelief was painted all over Zeke’s face. The accent he showcased now and then was fully in display now. But who could blame him? Even Reizel barely managed to decipher Erin’s mysterious symbols. Sighing inwardly, he started explaining what most of those meant.

“There should be 3 discernible points of interest on the map. One of them being the log house, another for the lake and as for the last one... My speculations tell me it should be a cave. As for an exit? There is none.”

Reizel didn’t mention anything about the original owners, Erin and Isabel. His heart told him that it was too personal to be involving Zeke in it. If anything, it was something he alone should be handling.

And, after a thorough inspection of the map, Zeke took his gaze off of it and asked while hooking his eyes on Reizel.

“So, what’s yer plans from now on?”

Surprisingly, he didn’t propose a plan of his own. Since it was Reizel who had been giving instructions so far, he would rather hear what he had to say first before voicing his own opinion. That didn’t imply he would go with whatever he said, but as long as it didn’t go against his interests, Zeke was more than fine with it.

“Hmm... I plan on checking out the cave before searching for an exit. Since I don’t know where the exit is, anyway, it’s better than aimlessly wandering about... What about you?”

“Well, I think WE should stick together for now... As ya said it’s better than aimlessly wandering about.”

With a wide grin on his face and putting emphasis on the word ‘we’, Zeke agreed. Searching for a cave inside the misty forest might be harder than finding an exit. But if they managed to find it, it could aid their survival chances.

“It might be dangerous...”

Assuming the cave was most probably Erin’s last destination before his demise, Reizel had to inform him of the possible danger lying ahead... Listening to this statement, Zeke had one brow raised as he debated.

“I don’t know what yer hiding from me and frankly speaking, I don’t really care enough to know. What I do know though, ‘s that if it weren’t for you, I would either end up in a frog’s belly or starving in the forest until something even worse found me.”

Zeke paused for a second to take a breath before looking Reizel straight in the eye and finished what he was trying to say.

“For that, I am more than grateful, and even though I know you didn’t have to go out of your way to help me. You still shared your things with me.”

“If there is danger ahead then so be it. WE should face it together. I am more than willing to help ya.”

Zeke’s determination could be seen in his words. Not many people would be willing to help if they found themselves in their current predicament. Most of them would even be trying to take advantage of the situation to get more benefits. Alas, Zeke was nothing like that. The gratitude he held towards Reizel was authentic, and even though he wasn’t any less scared at the possible danger lying ahead, he still decided to put his trust in him. After all, Reizel was indeed his benefactor.

Even though his facial features didn’t show it, Reizel was truly touched by Zeke’s words. The two of them might not have known each other for long, but his instincts told him Zeke was a genuinely good person. And from the deepest parts of his heart, he felt he found something one could easily be searching for a lifetime without finding any... A true friend.

“Hehehe... Ahahaha!”

With a sudden burst of laughter, Reizel raised his head to look at Zeke. His frequently displayed cold demeanor? Nowhere to be seen. And for the first time in a while, with a genuine smile on his face he said.

“This is great! Really great! I am really glad I met you, Zeke!”

Pausing for a second, he glanced at the roasting skewers and added with a grin on his face.

“I think this calls for a toast!”

“A toast?”

His gaze was filled with confusion, but he didn’t doubt Reizel’s words. The guy seemed to have way too many tricks up his sleeves for him to be surprised anymore...

‘But what is this sense of unease I am feeling...’

Zeke didn’t know why but, for some odd reason, a sense of unease he couldn’t quite place rose in the deepest parts of his mind.

“Yea, a toast! Quick! Come help me out before the skewers start burning.”

The sense of unease he was feeling intensified as he asked in a quivering voice.

“Just to make sure... You are not going to make me do all the work right..?”

“Ahaha! What work? We are just grabbing some wine for a toast!”

A light sigh escaped Zeke’s mouth. The unease he had been feeling since earlier didn’t seem to go away though.

“You’ll have to make a small trip down the basement though. I can’t go down there with that hand, right?”

With a wild grin on his face, Reizel pointed towards his right arm as he clearly indicated Zeke would have to go down there alone.

“GOD DAMN IT! I KNEW IT!”

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

On the topmost floor of a skyscraper, one tall enough to overshadow the rest of its kind. One, from where you could observe the entirety of the city if you looked down from the top. A group of ten people could be seen conversing in there.

But not just any group. They were all part of NANO Games, a company... No, it was a corporation now, a corporation that had risen up so suddenly, it was almost unbelievable.

Among the ten people there, each individual held connections to all sorts of businesses. And, seeing how they were a corporation centered around gaming, most of them were major shareholders of electronics and entertainment industries. But that was not all, some of them even held connections to the law and government.

Weirdly enough, the meeting room was covered in a veil of silence as the chairman read through a stack of documents. He was a middle-aged man whose short dark hair was no longer the vibrant dark it once was, as it had long since faded into grey. His piercing blue gaze, though, had maintained its vitality throughout the years he had been the CEO of NANO Games.

After reading the papers spread before him, he slowly turned his attention over to his subordinates.

“So, how are preparations coming along?”

His voice was deep and steady, showcasing his demand for respect. And, among the people gathered, some had fervent gazes as he looked at them, while others showed a troubled expression. Finally, a bald man stood up among the crowd and made a brief report.

“Reporting to chairman. The server management department has completed preparations for the upcoming launch.”

Once done, the bald man sat down on his chair, and almost immediately, the person sitting next to him stood up and said in a clear and steady voice.

“Reporting to chairman. The capsule production department is one week behind schedule before we reach the estimated minimum standards. BIO and SAV electronics have trouble following our demand for electronic parts.”

One after the other, people reported their department’s progress to him. No major problems sprung forth until it was time for the legal department’s report.

“Reporting to chairman. The legal department is facing problems regarding the country’s law. One-sixth of the government officials have officially approved our plan. About one-third are directly against it and the rest show no signs of agreement or disagreement as of yet. Lastly, the good news is that the Prime Minister started leaning on our side.”

Lucas Tenenbaum, the CEO’s expression hardened as he listened to the report. They had been waging war against the law and politicians for the longest time. Progress was slow but it was progress nonetheless. But now... Now they were pressured for time. The game’s launch date had already been announced and they had a month tops to get through the legal terms.

“Those old fogies are causing trouble again... I’ll be taking over the legal departments matters from now on. Anything else?”

The group of people in the room remained silent at his query. They had already finished their reports and waited for the chairman to end the meeting.

“Very well. Thanks for your hard work everyone. Dis-”

“DADDY!!!”

Right then and there, the door burst open from the outside as a girl in her teens entered the meeting room and rushed towards Lucas’s side. She had bright golden hair and a pair of playful blue eyes as she wrapped her arms around the chairman.

His piercing gaze seemed to soften as he returned the girl’s embrace while slowly patting her soft hair with his rough hands. No one in the room seemed surprised by his actions, they knew the CEO adored his daughter to the point of spoiling her rotten. With that said, one after the other, they slowly stood up and bowed slightly before exiting the room, leaving the two of them alone.

“What troubles my little flower, for her to surprise daddy like that? Do you need more pocket money?”

The girl wasn’t as little as Lucas made her appear. She was in her early teens and had a very well-shaped body. Her mischievous nature was known by all, as she always seemed ready to create one mess after the other. And, frankly speaking, quite a lot of people were almost always on standby, ready to patch things up for her.

But what could he do? She was his one and only daughter.

“No, no I have enough. But there is someone I want to meet!”

“Hmm..? Who wouldn’t want to meet Eli, my little flower?”

Eli, or Elizabeth Tenenbaum, had a troubled expression on her little face. With a quick movement of her hand, she took out her phone from a pocket and started typing something. Soon a video popped up.

Lucas wasn’t unfamiliar with the video’s contents, as he’d already seen it earlier during the meeting. NANO Games would be using part of this footage during their promotional campaign after all. Alas, he couldn’t help feeling distressed at his daughter’s inquiry. With words as mellow as they could possibly be, he said.

“Sweety, you know I can’t do this. It’s illegal to divulge customer information...”

Elizabeth’s brows were furrowed as she looked at Lucas with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster. His heart tightened as he looked at those big watery blue eyes.

‘Ugh... Please don’t look at me with those eyes! My fortitude will not last if you keep staring at me like that!’

He couldn’t help screaming on the inside, but outwardly, he didn’t say anything. He had to hold on, this was one of the little things he couldn’t do for his daughter.

“No..?”

“Hmmm... No darling I can’t do that. But!”

Lucas paused for a moment to think this through and then continued.

“But... I can make some arrangements for the two of you to meet in-game...”

He finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and succumbed to Elizabeth’s pleas. And not a second later, the girl’s eyes shined joyfully as she shouted.

“Really?! Like for real real?!”

Letting out a light sigh, Lucas nodded.

“But, you see dar-”

“Thanks daddy, you are the best!”

Elizabeth gave him a little peck on the cheek, stood up in an almost jumping manner, and happily stormed out of the room before Lucas could even finish what he was trying to say. Staring at her back from the chairman’s seat he let out a light sigh as he pondered inwardly.

‘But you see, darling. Fragmented Realms isn’t as simple as you might think it is. And that goes for Reizel too. He might not be who you think he is...’

Lucas’s expression hardened as he gazed down below, at the city that lay before him.