Tony and Hikiri headed to the south side of the city after Hikiri insisted on going to find Simone.
At the port, Tony scanned the area from left to right, but there was no sign of Simone.
"You sure she's here?" Tony asked.
"Normally, yeah… Come on, let's check around the boats," Hikiri replied.
As they approached a boat slightly removed from the port, they saw Simone stepping out, a smile on her face.
"Why are you shouting, Hikiri?" Simone said, noticing their presence. "Well, Tony, you finally decided to get off your butt, huh?" she teased.
"I was injured, but say what you want," Tony shot back.
"And why the big smile?" Hikiri pointed out.
Simone's smile vanished instantly.
"You've got a knack for killing people's joy, don't you?" she said, shooting Hikiri a hateful glare. "To answer your question, I found a boat, and I've got the keys in my possession."
"So, what, you want us to leave now?" Hikiri asked.
"No, I'm thinking we leave in a week. We're all going to train, and I want to reach rank seven before we go," Simone explained.
"And where are you guys staying?" she asked.
"Sorry, Tony, you can't come with us. We're already too many where we are, so find somewhere else to sleep," Simone added.
"That's not what I meant. But there's gotta be a place where we meet up, right?" Tony replied.
"Yeah, there's a bar next to a clothing store in the center," Simone said.
"Alright, see you tomorrow," Tony said, waving goodbye.
"He's already found a place to sleep?" Simone asked, glancing at Hikiri.
"How should I know?" Hikiri replied.
A few minutes later, north side of the city
Tony entered Kelvin's house and didn't find him in the living room. Thinking he might be asleep, he was startled by noises coming from the second floor.
Cautiously, Tony climbed the stairs. The first thing he saw was Kelvin, on his knees, crying.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Tony asked, "Why are you crying, Kelvin?"
His face soaked with tears, Kelvin stammered, "My… my… friend is dead."
"How?" Tony asked.
"It was… it was horrible. Before he died, he started vomiting blood, his eyes were bleeding too. His veins… they kept swelling bigger and bigger. And the whole time, he wouldn't stop cursing Dono and some guy named Rieze for sending him to Dono. And… just before he died… he gave us one last smile, and then he exploded. The smell of blood, his head rolling in the street…"
"I'm going to kill him! I swear, I'll kill Dono for doing this to my friend!" Kelvin shouted.
"Calm down. What are you going to do? End up like your friend?" Tony said bluntly.
Kelvin lowered his head and muttered, "Is that any way to talk to an eleven-year-old kid? Why are you so cold? You saw me crying, and you didn't even try to comfort me!"
"IT WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT YOUR FRIEND BACK!" Tony snapped harshly. "You can cry if you want, but don't waste your life knowing full well you don't stand a chance. What you just said is just a plan to commit suicide!"
He continued, softer now, "If you want revenge, get strong. Build your mental strength. Because while you're fighting to survive, others let death catch them. Damn it, my best friend is who-knows-where, probably on another planet, and I was trapped in an illusion for a hundred and fifty years. And yet, do you see me complaining? No, I'm moving forward quietly for now, so I can later kill everyone who dared make me suffer. Complaining never gets you anywhere."
Looking at Tony, Kelvin kept crying and said, "But it's hard, and it hurts. If I lose my friends, who I consider my family, I don't know what I'll do. I don't think I have the strength to stay alone and find another purpose to fight for."
At those words, Tony pulled Kelvin into his arms and said, "That's something you'll have to figure out. You'll need to find your own path, and when you do, you'll do everything in your power to reach it."
"Uh… Tony," Kelvin murmured, touching his mouth and nose.
Tony looked down and saw blood pouring heavily from Kelvin's nose and mouth.
"After all, this poison comes from Dono. Not surprising it's spreading," Kelvin said. "But… I don't want to die…"
He passed out in Tony's arms.
"You can forget about dying on my watch," Tony vowed.
At the castle
In a chamber, a man with white hair and silver-blue eyes was smiling.
"It starts in less than a week. This entire city will be nothing but a memory," Rieze murmured.