The City of Above

19:59

In the City of Above though, CHE5TER tried to not appear as He rushes somewhere since it would cause Him trouble, but His footsteps are bigger than the normal ones He usually takes. X4NDER managed in the end to catch up too and it seems that before they entered the above, He had also enough time to get something from CHE5TER in order to disguise Himself as well. Though He still doesn't know where exactly are they going. But none of them say a word.

The ruler still seemed mad and a bit pissed, but it is also interesting the fact that those aren't the only emotions He lives right now. Maybe He feels betrayed because He was lied His entire life, or maybe He feels ashamed of the fact that there is a possibility of His father never wanting to tell Him anything about the truth because He never saw CHE5TER to be trustworthy or enough as a character to deserve to know the truth. Or maybe He feels upset on the fact that He spent His entire reign trying to find out the truth, only for His work to be wasted and useless. Or maybe He too feels as useless as His own work.

Liar. Liar. Liar.

You have trusted a liar.

In no time, they both arrive at the club which the ruler visited some time ago, enter the door and start rushing towards where CHE5TER knows to be the entrance of the room He wants to get in. But as a consequence, He is greeted again by the same woman He also had to endure the last time.

[ANUV4]-Oh, wouldn't you look that... You've came back earlier than I expected... Perhaps did you miss me, dear...? I'm sure you did... And you should be sure that I also--

--But this time, CHE5TER had enough of everyone's bullshit and completely ignored what the woman said. Instead of listening, He grabbed her by a hand and quickly went towards the booth He entered the last time, making sure that after X4NDER entered too, the door can be closed and He can mind His own business in peace. He pulled the hand of the woman towards the wall, opening the door of the elevator and letting go of her in no time once both Him and the boy got through the door. The woman didn't even have enough time to say anything since the door was closed quickly, but she was now obligated to stay in the booth until the two men will come back just to not rise suspicions on what is happening there and where did the two men disappear.

Meanwhile in the elevator, CHE5TER already took His disguise off and which resulted in X4NDER doing as well once noticing His action. Again, none said a word, but when the boy was looking at the ruler, He wasn't able to see His face nor imagine what exactly is He feeling at the moment. He was just standing there in silence, waiting for the elevator to stop and open its door. When it did though, CHE5TER immediately left while X4NDER followed Him, only to get into a room that stands underground, with a man sitting alone on a chair behind a desk with his back towards the two, looking at the walls that were actual screens.

[AL7AN]-...Well, you did keep your promise, CHE5TER. You visited earlier than the last time. But why does it feel like you ar--

--Yet when the man turned towards them, CHE5TER has already disappeared, only noticing an unknown face standing in the other part of the room. Master AL7AN was confused though, since he believed that his old disciple was the only one who knew about the room. But it didn't take long before he got his answer, as a hand that comes from the back of the chair he sits on now tries to eliminate any kind of air there is possible for him to take.

Since He took him by surprise, AL7AN had no time for any reaction and was now very vulnerable, being taken by the Great Leader by the neck and then thrown in the wall, breaking a bit from the screen, left to breath for two seconds before CHE5TER taking him by the neck again and raising him into the air towards the wall to try and asphyxiate him.

[CHE5TER]-...Why didn't you tell me that He was a liar?

No response. AL7AN was barely struggling to even breath, let alone look CHE5TER in the eyes and give a response. But since He didn't get an answer, His anger grew and He moved His head closer so that AL7AN will hear better, while also screaming right into his face, all of this while still keeping him in the air by the neck and pushed towards the wall.

[CHE5TER]-WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT HE LIED, AL7AN???

[AL7AN]-...C-CHE5--

[CHE5TER]- --YOU KNEW HIM BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE! YOU WERE HIS FRIEND -- HE CALLED YOU HIS FRIEND! YOU KNEW THE TRUTH AND CHOSE TO HIDE IT AWAY FROM ME ALL THOSE YEARS! GIVE ME A DAMN GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!

[AL7AN]-...I-I... d-don't know... what... y-you're talking... about... C-CHE5TER... please... l-let...

AL7AN was barely even managing to give out words out of his mouth. They were silent and very easy to miss, while his breathing was fading the more his own disciple was forcing His hands on his neck. CHE5TER on the other hand was getting more pissed by each second, and even His C colour was lighting as it never did before, almost as bright as a sun and even possible to blind someone when looking at it. And though no conscious of this because of His anger, the light was taking away from His energy as well. If He is to stay like this for a long time, it might lead to Him losing His own consciousness.

Even so, X4NDER was staying behind, right next to the exit all this time. He did not want to intervene nor say His own point of view about what the ruler is doing. In fact, He felt rather useless but also not the right person to do something in this situation. He just considered that it is better to let CHE5TER settle Himself alone rather than make the whole thing even worse. After all, He doesn't know the background of what exactly is happening nor does He know why is CHE5TER so mad about finding out the truth, when He was the one asking for it.

What He does notice though is the fact that His energy is also going down for no reason. His C colour doesn't even light up, it just exists there quietly in its normal form but being affected by an external problem. He does remember though that Leo told them both that the ore connects them in a strange way, and if it is for something to happen to the person alive, CHE5TER, then the one who simply took the copy of the physical form of that person as a soul of a deceased body, X4NDER, will suffer the same energy problems. And if it is for the ruler to die, then He too will disappear. But, again, He doesn't do anything other than just observe the situation.

Since CHE5TER did not get any answer from the method He used, He decided in the end to let go violently of His master's neck, almost as a way of throwing it away from Him, while AL7AN falls on the ground, taking himself by the neck and beginning to take deep breaths to get back his powers. And while he was trying to recover, CHE5TER was looking at him in disgrace, while His C colour continued to shine.

[CHE5TER]-...Do you dare to speak now?

No response. AL7AN was still trying to take some more breaths before finally answering CHE5TER's questions.

[CHE5TER]-Why didn't you tell me that He died of old age?

[AL7AN]-...C-CHE5TER, I don't understand the question... W-Who are you talking abo--

[CHE5TER]- --M4TTH3W LENKOV. My father. Why didn't you tell me that He died of old age?

[AL7AN]-Because He never did... I don't know wh--

[CHE5TER]- --He died at over 200 years of life, AL7AN. There was no curse nor illness what caused His death. So why didn't you tell me?

[AL7AN]-...W-Where did you get this from...? M4TTH3W was barely any older than me... The chances of Him dying by old age were so low... Why do you think that I know the answer...?

[CHE5TER]-...Because you knew Him the best out of all of us. You've stood with Him ever since you came in this city.

[AL7AN]-But He never told me that He was this old... He just presented Himself as "M4TTH3W" and as the ruler of the city... He never told me anything else about Himself... Why don't you believe me...?

[CHE5TER]-...Because you are a LIAR! This is who you were from the very beginning! A liar, a scammer and a criminal! Yet He still accepted you as His friend! And you betrayed both Him and His own children!

[AL7AN]-CHE5TER... if He never told His secrets to His own children... t-then what makes you think that He will tell them to a sinner...?

CHE5TER didn't respond. Though He thought of AL7AN to dare enough to lie about this whole subject, his question did have its own logic.

[AL7AN]-...Believe me that I never knew He was this old. I-I always thought of Him to be around my age and I was as surprised as you were when He died without any reason. If I knew He was suppose to be like this, then I would've told you from the very beginning... I am aware of the fact that you deserve to know everything about your own father. I-I just wasn't aware of the truth myself...

Again, no response. But CHE5TER's C colour has began to calm down slowly, maybe since He realised that it would bring Him more trouble losing His own energy from His feelings than actually beating His own master. And since He considered that He only wastes His time here too, He decides that it is better to leave and add no other word. Yet even so, His master did notice his own mistakes.

[AL7AN]-...I-I'm sorry, CHE5TER. I should've made you more like your father, not like myself. This way, maybe you would've known and understood Him more than I did, and maybe all those problems would have never existed... Please, forgive me... I just wished for you to succeed in your life by yourself, just like I did...

What's interesting though is the fact that AL7AN chose to say those words instead of recovering his breath first. After all, his voice was still struggling and he was still standing on the ground as he was left to. But he did not look at his own disciple while saying these sentences, instead he was staring at the ground while keeping his right hand on his neck and his left one put as support so that his body won't lay on the ground. So it made no sense why would he choose to say these words, especially knowing the fact that AL7AN wasn't the type of person to ever apologise.

But again, CHE5TER did not say any word. Instead, He just chose to leave without even looking back at His own master, going through the only exit. The boy though did look at AL7AN for a second who was still trying to recover his breath, and even though He did not know who this man is, He kind of understood the words he has spoken and the truth behind them. But He did not say a word either and just continued following the ruler.