Low-pitched whistles thrummed through the city as the magtrain zipped from one stop to another. Addey sat within his family’s private car, watching buildings move past as blurs of colorful light.

​

The momentum carried him from Deep City’s center to one of its far corners in only a matter of minutes. The sky was dark and clouded, creating dim shadows that seemed to work in tandem with the neon bars posted along skyscrapers.

​

The three moons took place above the grey fog, casting bright light that could somehow creep its way through the veil covering the city. Rain fell, as usual, painting clear specks across the window Addey looked out from.

​

His eyes locked on a building in the distance, followed the structure as the magtrain grew closer, then let go of his focus as it seemed to shoot by with a swift woosh.

​

Addey continued to do this… over and over again… attempting to pass the short amount of time he would be spending on the train.

​

Luckily, it was almost over. Addey had grown to hate waiting. It reminded him too much of sleep. And recently… sleep was something he was beginning to dread… or the lack of it. Most nights he would stare at the ceiling, wondering what he would make of his life. He supposed every young man went through the same thing, but he couldn’t help but think his came earlier.

​

Addey was twenty-six now, or almost; his birthday was soon. They didn’t mean much due to the length of the year; only two hundred days long, but despite that, he still felt like a child. Though maybe he was one.

​

People liked to tell him he was mature for his age. Wise as a few had said. But to him, after that mess a few months ago… he wasn’t sure what he was anymore.

​

Perhaps that was why he could hardly sleep now. That question lingered in his head, begging Addey to find the answer.

​

But it wasn’t so easy. Not to him. Help wasn’t always available. Addey thought he had been good at talking about the way he felt on the inside, but recently, he discovered that wasn’t the case at all. Never once in his life did he try to understand himself.

​

That just wasn’t who Addey was.

​

But now… now, he was finally being forced to pioneer that path. That experience — Addey being kidnapped and the people he met during that time — changed him. He just wasn’t sure if it was for the better yet.

​

Bearlan… Ensten too, even if he didn’t want to admit that, made him a different person. And it was about time Addey found out who that was, exactly.

​

Gradually, outside of the window, Addey watched as the city changed. Tall cloudscrapers that tore streaks through the mist, slowly shrunk in height, rising barely above the train that carried him.

​

Even those, in time, slowly turned to flat industrial buildings, spewing black smoke that joined the clouds overhead. It seemed a grim comparison to the city’s Core, where the overall feel was not nearly as dirty as this. Even the air outside of the towers of smoke seemed off. Brown and dank. Addey was genuinely surprised people lived here, though he tried to understand that not everyone was born as lucky as himself.

​

Addey was the son of the most powerful man in Deep City South… maybe even all of it. He certainly was the richest.

​

His father, Addenei Sartan, was — depending on who you asked — a man spoken about with reverence. He ran this side of the world’s most powerful tech corporation, Barnaly, alongside owning portions of multiple other companies within Deep City South, such as the one that oversaw the majority of the factories Addey passed by.

​

Some called his father a crime lord, though he was much worse than that. Most of his business practices stayed within the law — if it still existed in this city — while he wasn’t afraid to extort and murder others to get what he wanted.

​

For a time, directly after the Civil War in the East, a conflict that split Deep City into two, Addenei was easily the most feared man on the planet. Since then, upon raising his own family, he had settled things. Addey respected that, but the man still wouldn’t mind burning a building to the ground to get what he wanted done.

​

Not needing to be said, his father was a man you didn’t want to mess with. But that still didn’t stop some from trying. To the north, the Deep City Reds, a violent union of gangs made up of killers and alley waste, tried to compete with his father and the other families that controlled the south, known collectively as the Sartan Organization.

​

And as much as Addey hated to admit it, they did a good job of that, especially considering they were made up of dozens of individual groups.

​

Addey hadn’t known many Reds, but from what he had seen, most were just as bad as the foot soldiers of the Organization, if not worse. But he was still young and had plenty of time to meet more. Addey just hoped that it was under different circumstances than his first time officially meeting one.

​

Being kidnapped never was an ideal introduction.

​

Addey stood from the chair he sat in, walking to one of the two side exits of his train car. He moved along the glossy black walls and windows running parallel to each other on either side. Vibrant white lights were positioned overhead, like thin strips of the Sun itself.

​

The magtrain, a highspeed machine somehow propelled by the use of magnets along its railway, gradually slowed to a stop.

​

He was far within Bestel territory now, or the land controlled by one of the six Sartan Organization’s families. The Bestels were known for their interest in manufacturing, hence the factories sprawling to the southern horizon.

​

Addey looked out from the exit’s window, watching as a magtrain terminal took place beside him. It was indoors, as most were, shielding the train from the frequent storms of powerful red lightning.

​

Sure, he could’ve taken a hovercraft instead, as his mother would prefer, but Addey was in the stage of his youth where he wanted the opposite of what his parents suggested.

​

Still, not everything he tried to deny them came to fruition. Such as… the bodyguards that followed him around… day and night.

​

Addey was sick of the lack of privacy, but he understood why his parents took the precaution. Sure, Addey wasn’t the heir to the Sartan Organization, but if something were to happen to his older brother, Avden, then his parents needed Addey safe.

​

And considering the incident with the Reds, he didn’t blame them for being careful. Despite that, he still allowed himself to hate the experience of being followed around constantly. Did they not have a better job opportunity somewhere else for these guys? Addey would hate his life if that was all he did; follow the entitled son of the richest man in the city around until told otherwise.

​

Soon, the magtrain doors slid open, hissing as they retracted into the walls of the car. Addey quickly stepped out, eager for some space from his escort.

​

“Addey,” one of his guards said from behind, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

Addey rolled his eyes, not turning to meet the man. “I’m right here,” Addey groaned, dropping his arm to remove the man’s grip. “What will happen to me… when I am literally in arm’s reach?”

​

“It’s your father’s orders, sir,” Nad said, his dismissive tone angering Addey. The guard then moved past him and exited first, scanning the new landscape.

​

Addey scowled as he and another guard passed; there were four. Three of which he couldn’t stand. And the last, Tine, one of the few people Addey genuinely liked.

​

Speaking of him, he approached Addey with a smile on his face and a pistol tucked within a holster on his belt. They exited the train together. “Excited, are you?”

​

Addey sighed, following the first two. “Just want some time alone.”

​

“By spending it with a friend?” Tine asked, watching the surroundings. The terminal was rather empty, but could still be a location of the potential ambush his parents were scared of. The simple action of keeping Addey safe aggravated him unless it was performed by Tine. If so, Addey had no problem.

​

“It’s a different… type of alone,” Addey said, putting his hands in his pockets. It was cold, being the middle of winter. The nearly frozen drops of rain wouldn’t make it any easier either. Luckily, he was still inside.

​

Tine nodded understandingly. “It might not be my place to say, sir, but it seems you’ve been spending your time exploring both types of alone.” Tine cleared his throat after finishing his words, as he frequently did.

​

He was a large man, dressed in a completely black suit. Everything was black. His tie. Socks. Shoes. Everything. Even his hair. The Organization had a color code that even Addey was forced to follow.

​

The Sartan Organization was famously from the East, meaning most of the head families’ skin and hair were light, unlike his. Addey had tan skin and jet-black hair, resembling his mother who was born here in the West.

​

She had moved to Kraine in the East, met his father, and then together, they moved back to her home city shortly after Addey was born.

​

“Who says there’s only two types?” Addey responded, keeping his eyes forward. They began down a staircase leading to the road — the terminal was elevated — where a car would be waiting for him.

​

Tine laughed, though almost inaudibly. “Either way… I worry about you.”

​

Addey squinted to himself. “That’s not your job.”

​

“Yeah, I know. But—”

​

“So, don’t do it. I’m fine.”

​

He could feel Tine nod, before slowing his pace on the stairs to give Addey some room. Maybe if he was given more space, he wouldn’t spend so much time alone away from everybody. Seriously, did they not understand that?

​

They expected him to be babysat every minute he was not in the Sartan Spire, then got confused when he made up for that lack of privacy in his bedroom.

​

It was like his parents didn’t know how to think rationally. They could run one of the most influential corporations in the world but didn’t know the first thing about understanding their own son. They weren’t old their entire lives, right? Weren’t they like him at some point in the past? But Tine wasn’t his parents. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way.

​

“Sorry,” Addey said back to Tine. The man was just trying to help. “Thank you for worrying about me… but everything’s okay.”

​

No response came, but Tine’s heavy footsteps continued down the staircase, following him. Another guard took place beside Tine, and the two, shortly after that, started a conversation without Addey.

​

Now being alone — sort of — Addey looked up into the soot-filled sky as he stepped from the staircase into an open area bordering a nearly empty road.

​

Rain gently splashed against his face as the dark clouds flowed and glided overhead. He watched a hovercraft, a vehicle that could somehow defy gravity, as it soared just underneath that grey expanse. Its engine trembled through the air, sending faint vibrations Addey could feel from the ground.

​

He closed his fist, feeling… then moved toward a car waiting for him on the road.

 

(TIME SKIP)

​

An electronic gate whirred as it slid into the walls surrounding the Bestel mansion. It was a low structure with flat roofs over its many extending hallways and connecting buildings.

​

Its exterior was a rustic brown, faced with black, boxy windows. It was a fortress. A property fit for the family that it housed… all except one member.

​

Brydan.

​

He was an… interesting boy the same age as Addey himself, though they differed greatly when it came to personality. At least Addey thought so.

​

Brydan was the third son of Edar Bestel, so much akin to Addey, wasn’t important enough to warrant their fathers’ immediate attention. But that was nearly all of their similarities. By some weird chance, the two were very close friends.

​

Addey hadn’t seen Brydan since the incident up north. Brydan had actually sort of been the one to get him into that mess in the first place. Still, Addey didn’t blame him at all. Everyone involved had a part to play in what happened. Even himself.

​

Giving a bunch of young teenage boys a way into a red-light district could never have gone well. Addey shuddered at the thought, embarrassed. Just thinking about the boy, Brydan, made him remember that night. Really anything that could relate to that time stoked dormant memories in his mind.

​

Addey and five others decided it would be fun to venture into Red territory to experience one of its more… taboo offers. On their way north, they stopped in the territory of a minor gang leader… and apparently, someone recognized him right before he was taken.

​

The whole thing was uncomfortable, more after the fact than during. Explaining to his parents where he was off to that late at night was probably the hardest part of it all.

​

Oh, yes Mom, I was just on my way to experience one of the greatest delights in life. Holographic prostitutes.

​

Addey closed his eyes, groaning as he walked up the mansion’s front pathway, laid with fancy grey stone. He would pray to Jesan that he wouldn’t make a mistake so stupid again… but she rarely listened, so who knew what he would do next?

​

Dozens of guards were posted around the mansion’s grounds, clearly still on high alert. Months ago, an intruder broke in, found Edar Bestel, and interrogated him. To this day, they hadn’t found out who that person was or how they were so efficient in finding a way into the house without being spotted.

​

The entire Bestel Industrial Security System was shut down from a panel on the inside of the complex. That meant someone within the house allowed the intruder access… but that wasn’t even the most worrisome part. The inside man somehow bypassed the authorization of the system completely.

​

Even Addey’s father seemed disturbed by that. It took a lot of convincing to even allow Addey to visit one of the most protected buildings in this half of the city.

​

But Addey sensed there was more to the whole situation, and he couldn’t help but think the problem here was connected to the sudden necessity of security guards.

​

Or maybe Addey was just trying to find a way to displace the blame.

​

Either way, his father had been acting strange lately. More involved in his work than usual. Sure, he was a man who rarely left his theater — a room of holograms and fake scenery — but now… now it was almost never. Addey felt he barely ever even saw the man away from his business anymore. And when he did… Addey could tell something was off. The crime lord, a man above the law, actually almost seemed scared of something. And that alone scared Addey.

​

But he was young. He shouldn’t have to worry about that kind of stuff, for he had his own worries. The main one of which was the reason he was here. He needed someone to talk to… or someone to try talking to.

​

It was easier said than done.

​

Soon, Addey made it into the Bestel’s house, entering from the front. The guards immediately recognized who he was and didn’t say a word. That’s how it usually went. People stationed here would know his face, and by that, know his father.

​

Addey’s own guards stopped a while back, allowing him his rare privacy since he would be secure while on the Bestel grounds.

​

He walked through the massive, empty building, passing strange pieces of abstract art and cold living areas. It seemed most of the family members were gone; out on business or something.

​

That meant Addey knew exactly where Brydan would be. Following through seemingly random corridors of white walls and bars of pale lights, Addey made it to an elevator leading upward. He took it, and upon the doors opening to the roof, saw his friend.

​

The boy sat in an old reclining chair, protected from the rain by a large rainbow umbrella. He positioned a nightstand next to the seat, which was littered with food wrappers and drink cans. There was a second chair as well, not shielded from the rain, but Addey moved toward it anyway.

​

Addey smiled when he saw his friend. He was a rare light in the grim city. Brydan had pale skin, matched with nearly non-existent hair. For whatever reason, Brydan preferred it that way.

​

Maybe it made wearing his headset easier; less hair to disrupt his immersion. Brydan laid on his back, a set of large virtual reality glasses strapped to his head. With that, he also wore a blue robe, making him look absolutely ridiculous.

​

“Brydan!” Addey called, hoping to scare the boy. It worked.

​

Brydan jumped, nearly to his feet, and let out a quick yelp. Addey immediately began laughing.

“What— Addey!” Brydan called back, voice shaking. “Thought you weren’t coming until later?”

“Was gonna stop by early. Figured you wouldn’t mind,” Addey responded, still smiling.

​

“I— I don’t. It’s just a heads up would’ve been nice.” Brydan readjusted his headset, which came loose from his reaction. “I was in the middle of something.”

​

“Every time I see you, you have that thing on,” Addey said, sitting down next to his friend. The chair was soaked with rainwater, but that was something they got used to. “You hate our reality so much you stick with virtual.”

​

“Artificial reality,” Brydan corrected, deciding to pull the glasses from his face instead of continuing. “Much rather spend my time here, than there.” He nodded toward the far-off buildings in the Core that his house faced. Somewhere in that direction was the Sartan Spire.

​

Addey scoffed at that. “Everything already is artificial. No need for those.”

​

“I might be wrong,” Brydan set the glasses down on a table between them, first brushing trash to the ground, “but weren’t you kidnapped while trying to… find something artificial?” He asked it with a smirk.

​

Rolling his eyes, Addey responded, “It was your idea.”

​

“My idea, but I wasn’t the one taken so it doesn’t matter.” Brydan wagged a finger at Addey. “You’ll be known for that.”

​

“Oh, I’ll be known for having a cool story where I escaped being kidnapped by the Reds? Thanks. I bet so too,” Addey said with his own smile.

​

That made Brydan frown. “That’s not what I meant.”

​

Addey gave him a blank look. “Really?” he asked sarcastically.

​

Brydan rolled his eyes, crossing his legs which were held up by the recliner. “Okay. What do you want to do? We have all day since you decided to show up so early. Maybe you should have spent some of this time sleeping. You look tired.”

​

Addey looked to the ground, hesitating. “I’m not… and I actually just wanted to talk for a minute.”

“About your initiation?”

​

Addey met Brydan’s eyes. “How’d you know?”

​

“What else would you want to talk about?” Brydan asked. “It’s coming up soon.”

​

“Yeah… I just—” Addey paused. “I guess I’m nervous. You know, about the whole hunt part.”

​

“The hunt is the initiation. You’re nervous about the whole thing?”

​

Addey shook his head. “No, just the ending.”

​

“The killing part?”

​

Addey nodded.

​

“Well, I don’t see how anyone could be excited about that part,” Brydan reasoned, before pulling in his lips. “Except maybe Aventin.”

​

The two of them visibly shook after thinking of the man; the second son of Vendino Haitop, and one of Addey’s cousins.

​

“Aventin was always different,” Addey agreed, putting up his own seat, and laying down to look into the dark, cloudy sky. “It’s barbaric, I think. Killing for something like this.”

​

“It is, but necessary. The Reds are our enemies, Addey. Think of all the trouble they caused just you. One kept you in that basement for days.”

​

“And one also kind of saved my life.”

​

“Oh, one of them. How many others were involved in keeping you there?” Brydan asked, leaning forward. Addey could feel the boy’s gaze intensify.

​

“Only a few.”

​

“That’s still a few more than who tried to help. Think of Aventin. He wouldn’t make us all evil, just as this Red that helped you didn’t make them all good.”

​

Addey blinked. Brydan had a point. Bearlan Kost was a good man. One of the few he had the pleasure of meeting, even if it was only for a couple short conversations. But still, Bearlan being admirable didn’t represent any of the other Reds Addey had met.

​

Most were bad, dirty men, whose sole purpose was to use and hurt others. But that got Addey wondering. Recently, he’s been… confused. He’s had a lot of time to think in his bedroom, attempting to get away from the steady watch of his bodyguards.

​

Addey frequently thought of his own purpose. What was he supposed to do with this life he was given? Addey was born in a weird place. The second son of a corporate god. There were things expected of him, though he wasn’t given the attention from his parents that he needed, since, again, he was only the second-born sibling.

​

So much time to himself spent just thinking, made Addey realize how lonely he had become. It was a weird feeling; being surrounded by bodyguards, friends, and family, but still feeling there was no one he could talk to.

​

Even now, after traveling all this way to meet with Brydan, one of his closest friends, he felt his words weren’t worth it. He knew they would be heard. He knew Brydan would try to help in some way, but… that just didn’t happen. Boys wouldn’t talk about that sort of problem with each other.

​

Strangely, Addey didn’t look back on his kidnapping with anger or remorse, because at that moment in his life, he had people’s attention. Addey liked being important. It felt good to be cared about. It felt good to have people go after and look for him.

​

Maybe he still wanted that feeling. Being taken made him realize what he was missing. Addey knew it was a strange way to think; wanting the attention he was given while people feared for his life, but he couldn’t change the way he felt.

​

“Addey?” Brydan’s voice said from his side.

​

Addey blinked, realizing he had been staring into the clouds, lost in thought. He looked down, finding Brydan watching him.

​

“You good?”

​

“Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.”

​

“Better not be thinking of backing out,” Brydan said, pushing his recliner in and standing to his feet. “You’re lucky, Addey. Any one of us — me, Heliot, Kelt — we would all jump at this opportunity. Joining the Sons of the Six at this age is…”

​

“I know. It’s important.” Addey shrugged dismissively. “Of course I’m not gonna back out,” he said, though he felt weird saying it. Like he was lying… but he wasn’t… right? “Thought you knew me better than that, Brydan.”

​

“Thought I did too. What happened to your confident self?”

​

Addey sat up. “My confident self?”

​

“Nothing. It’s not important.” Brydan moved to the edge of his mansion’s roof, resting his arms on the half wall surrounding its edge. “I hope you remember me after you join.”

​

“Why wouldn’t I?”

​

Brydan bit at his lip before taking a breath. “I don’t know. It’ll give you a new group to be a part of. Will forget us or something.”

​

Addey stood up. Something to be a part of, he thought. It sounded nice. Addey hadn’t even thought of it being the cure to his… loneliness. He didn’t like that word, but he couldn’t think of what else to replace it with.

​

“I won’t,” Addey assured, though he wasn’t certain if he could keep that promise. He’d do anything to feel better again.

​

“Good, Heliot’s missed you,” Brydan said, scratching his nearly bald head. “He’s always been sensitive.”

​

Addey smiled at that. It was true. Heliot Emarce, son of one of the six Organization’s families, had always been prone to showing his emotions. Maybe that boy could help Addey with his own. Maybe... “I’ll go see him soon. I’m gonna be busy for a little bit though.”

​

“I bet. Do you know who they’ll have you go after?” Brydan asked.

​

“No, they’ll tell me soon. Tonight.”

​

“Tonight?” Brydan turned, surprised. “I can see why you’re nervous. Didn’t think it was this close.”

 

“They’ve been planning it for a month now.”

​

Brydan raised his eyebrows. “And they’ve left you out of it all? Until now?”

​

“Avden thought it would be a good idea since I was so young. He wanted to make sure I didn’t get confused or something.”

​

“Ha,” Brydan laughed, “Avden’s… what? Fifteen years older than you? And you’re already way smarter than he will ever be.”

​

“Eighteen actually.”

​

Brydan laughed again. “Your brother is something, Addey.”

​

“Yeah, I know. He started all of this. I was only kidnapped because Ensten wanted to get back at Avden for killing his friend.”

​

“Ensten? The guy that took you?”

​

Addey nodded. “Maybe that’s why I’m feeling weird about this. I don’t want something else to start because of it.”

​

“Yeah, I get that,” Brydan said consideringly, stepping away from the edge of the building. “Let’s try to get your mind off it then. My dad just got his own theater, wanna go see it? It should be a lot like yours. I’ve been wanting to try it out while he’s not here.”

​

“I see mine all the time.”

​

Brydan rolled his eyes at that. “Come on. Share the excitement with me,” he said enthusiastically, causing Addey to chuckle.

​

Brydan was a good friend. Addey might not be comfortable sharing his true feelings with the boy, but he knew Brydan was there for him. That’s all that mattered. “Fine. But I get to choose where we see first.”

​

“Deal,” Brydan agreed, before the two walked off back into the building.

​

The conversation didn’t help… not as Addey was hoping, but he hardly planned on it. So as of this moment, Addey was still confused about what to do, but glad he had another distraction.