A man's love.

One life ended, again.

Already in the dark, Gen Gott wakes up as if nothing had happened.

He can barely move — not from pain, but from the feeling that his head had been blown off a second ago.

"What is going on..."

In the sky, the stars were clearly visible, illuminating the dark world.

He didn't move a muscle.

'Why can I revive? Wasn't my power just Kamarad? What are the criteria? I don't understand...'

Gen put his hands to his head, his face pale.

"I can return from death. I will never die..."

A single tear fell from Gen's left eye. The attempt to absorb everything that had just happened was futile.

"W-What the hell is going on?... Why me? Why I can just always return—"

A sudden realization dawned on him.

"W-Wait, I never die, I can always come back... This is actually perfect. Why are you crying, you idiot!? God wants you to destroy this country! If I don't die, it means no one can stop me from doing what I want!"

Taking a deep breath, Gen stood up.

"I need to learn to use this power!... But, what should I do now? I can't go back home. I don't even know if there's anyone else around here besides armies."

He looked at his free hands.

"It must have broken when I fell... Good, at least now I can use Kamarad.""

Aimlessly, he strode forward toward the trees.

Each step felt light and unnecessary, like someone who had no idea what he was doing.

'I can't just end this... I am forced to fight...'

The wall of trees was giant and green, the sound of crickets travelling through his ears.

'What should I do...'

Gen just kept walking.

"Is it possible to sleep in the forest? Is that a good idea? I'm pretty sure it's not... I wonder if I could starve to death and actually die."

But then he heard a sound behind him — the rustling of leaves.

He turned around.

Before him stood a grey, hairy boar.

'A boar...'

The animal, with two large tusks, growled, staring into the human's eyes.

It was ready to attack.

But Gen just stared at it. His eyes were almost closed, apathetic.

'I could easily beat it with Kamarad but... I just don't feel like it.'

With a guttural roar, it charged.

'Why do I feel so tired? My body has completely healed; there shouldn't be any reason for this.'

The boar leaped, aiming for Gen's right arm.

'I can easily dodge this, but I don't have any energy to... Maybe because I know that if I die, there's no problem at all.'

But when it was one centimetre from his hand, the boar turned to the right and ran forward.

'Ah? Why is it—'

Looking in the direction the animal was running, Gen saw something standing against a tree.

A child.

'SHIT!'

Gen leaped, his hands stretched out in front of him, grabbing the boar's chest.

Slamming his body into the ground, Gen desperately tried to keep the animal from attacking the little kid.

The boar kicked Gen in the face, nearly breaking his jaw.

'F-Fuck! How much does this thing weigh?!'

The boar squirmed, kicking Gen in the head again; Gen's body rocked and bounced on the ground.

Finally, it turned sideways and fled, leaving Gen.

"G-Goddammit..." he mumbled as he stood up.

His clothes were completely covered in mud. Small pieces of bone from his lower jaw were embedded in his skin.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU IDIOT—"

"BUAAAHHH!!"

The child started crying.

"I-I-I was just going to grab some plants... b-but I-I thought I-I was gonna die! T-thank you... s-sorry, thank you, sorry—BUAAAH!!"

She was a small girl, no more than twelve years old, with short blond hair and blue eyes the same colour as her tears. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt, brown trousers, and boots.

"D-Don't cry..." he sobbed. A drop of sweat ran down Gen's face; his teeth were chattering.

'Why did I help her!? My body moved on its own... W-What do I do now!?'

"I-It's fine, I-It's fine... I-I'm alive! Y-You're alive!"

'What the hell am I saying!?'

The girl wiped away her tears, sobbing.

"O-Ok..."

Gen's eyes darted everywhere. He turned his back.

'This brat... I-I need to get out of here!'

"O-Ok, kid... I'm going away—"

"NO!" she yelled, her voice firm.

"You're all hurt because of me! L-let me at least take care of your wounds at my camp! A-And wash your clothes!"

"N-No, you don't need to... I'm fine—"

She grabbed Gen's arm, forcing him to stay.

"PLEASE!"

Gen was shivering slightly from cold and pain.

'Tsk, there was a much easier way to do this... But calm? I need a place to stay anyway.'

"Alright..."

The girl turned around. She frowned and began walking forward, her arms straight at her sides.

"Follow me! One, two! One, two! One, two..."

And Gen silently followed her.

'Is she marching? It's literally the same as I did in the army... what an idiot.'

"You know..." said Gen, one hand on his neck, looking away. "A girl—"

"Alice! That's my name—Alice Bert!" she interrupted, smiling as she marched on.

"...Ok... A girl—"

"What's yours?" she asked.

"...Gen... As I was saying—"

"I'm 9, and you?!"

Gen started grinding his teeth.

"16... You know..."

"You're really pretty bad... Need help?" she tilted her head.

"No!... A girl your age shouldn't walk alone here... in a forest, in the middle of the night... phew."

The girl placed a finger under her neck.

"Oh, that's what grandpa always says..."

'I wonder why!'

"Still..." she grinned, her eyes on him.

"You appeared, so everything is alright!"

"...Y-Yeah." Gen's head hung down.

"There it is!"

Alice pointed forward after passing through one last thicket.

What unfolded was incredibly bright: an open space with a few small houses or tents, all made of wood. A few lamps lit the ground.

Sort of like a small village—or rather, a camp.

"Welcome to the Anti-Revolutionary group!"

Chapter 6 "A man's love.":
In the pitch-black of night, only lamps strategically placed on the ground illuminate the field.

"Y-You said..."

"Anti-Revolutionary Group! That's my home!" answered the girl.

'A-Anti-Revolutionary Group?... It can't be.'

"Come on. There's an extra tent — you can sleep there. There are also boys' clothes and some medicines you can use."

Alice started walking forward, Gen right behind her.

'Anti-Revolutionary Group? Could that name mean what I think it does...?'

They reached the tents. Alice's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Shh!" She put her hand in front of her mouth. "Everyone is asleep right now, so we can't make any—"

"Alice..." a male voice interrupted.

"What are you doing awake? Your grandpa—"

Their eyes met. A familiar face: curly hair, a baby-blue hoodie with "PT" written on it...

"Theo?!"
"Gen?!"

Yes, it was Theodore Moretti.

Their eyes widened, staring at each other. Alice's wandered between them.

"You know each other?"

"Yeah... He tried to kill me once."

"O-Oh, c'mon, I was recruiting you! But since you're already here, it seems I don't need to do it anymore."

"...What are you talking about?"

"Are you friends?!"

Theo looked down and crossed his arms.

"Alice, this is, uhm... real men's talk! You need to walk away."

"Men's talk?" She tilted her head. "But I want to be a soldier—"

"Ah..." Theo crouched down. "C'mon Alice, it's very late. If your grandpa finds out he's gonna kill you."

"B-But... But he stinks!"

"That's... a you problem. C'mon."

She sighed. "Fine..."

"Gen, I'll take her to her tent. Please wait."

Alice smiled. "Hey, he saved me! Can we give that tent to him? He deserves it."

"Sure, that was the plan all along."

Theo pointed to his right, to the only cabin that wasn't lit.

"Wait there please. I'll put her to bed."

"Bye!" She waved as Theo guided her away.

Gen stood, serene and quiet.

'I count six tents. If the girl sleeps in her grandpa's, then there are seven people, counting me and Theo. Without us and the girl, there are four new people... I need to know what this group is.'

Gen turned to where Theo had previously pointed, and walked forward.

"You..."

These words reached Gen, catching his attention.

'Someone called me?'

He turned around. There was nothing.

'It seemed like it was from far away... Maybe it wasn't for me.'

Gen entered the cabin. A small, cramped space, with only a bed covered in red blankets and a few shelves.

He lit an oil lamp and lay there. He stared at the dimly lit, pyramidal ceiling. His mind was full.

'I'm not sleepy... Today was a different day... Oh, I shouldn't sleep really, he is coming soon.'

"..."

'I just realised I got mud all over the sheets from my clothes... fuck.'

He sat down. His jaw began to tremble.

'That roar almost killed me, what a stupid death it would be... Now, both my clothes and jaw are fucked up... Great.'

His eyes were swollen black. His hands clasped together, intense.

'There's a very simple way to end all my problems. I... I'm thinking too much—'

"Hey! I'm here!"

The screams came from the entrance, on the side where Gen was. The voice belonged to someone Gen had seen a little while ago.

'He arrived...'

"I'm coming..." He stood up.

He strode over and with one hand opened the zipper, revealing the outside.

But what was there wasn't Theo.

It was a man holding a harpoon.

"Hehe, found you."

"WHA—"

Grinning with malice, he fired the harpoon.

The result? Gen's cheeks, hair and clothes were blown back. The mud on his clothes came off, floating behind him.

In his ears, a very loud buzzing almost burst his eardrums.

"W-WHO THE HELL ARE YOU—"

Gen flew backwards — not just him, but all the pieces of wood and the tent's canvas. His bed and other furniture were lifted too.

Gen flew backwards a good few metres, until he landed on the ground. His body cracked and smashed into the furniture.

"G-Goddammit..."

Some rips and tears were visible in his tracksuit. Mud had been replaced by blood.

With difficulty, Gen tried to get up.

'What the hell was that? Did he fire something from the harpoon that sent me flying backwards? I felt an immense pressure... Why am I feeling so hot?'

Gen's body was on fire.

Fire coming from the wooden structure spread across his back.

'Ah?! Fire?! Ah, it must have been the lamp... Tsk.'

Gen held his breath.

"Kamarad!" His left eye bleached to a cataract white.

Slowly, the fire diminished until it disappeared.

'I exchanged the property of being oxygen for the property of being nitrogen nearby. So the O₂ here is zero. Fire can't spread without oxygen.'

His clothes weren't even singed; the fire didn't have time to burn them.

Gen's face turned slightly red.

'B-But if there's no oxygen in here, I can't breathe! Or talk... I just needed the fire to go out...'

And the moment the last spark went out—

'Now!'

Gen's eye returned to normal.

"Buah!" Gen placed his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"Phew... Air is back."

He looked forward, at the tent markings on the ground.

No one was there.

"Who is that guy... I need to find him!"

Meanwhile, nearby.

"Hehe, I'll kill him soon. I'm going to be a minister!"

A blond man wearing ornate red clothes and huge glasses smiled confidently, holding a harpoon.

"Anti-Revolutionary Group or the Revolution, same shit! What matters in the end is where I am, and... a certain Regent promised me something."

In the dark of night, he positioned himself hidden behind a tree, part of the forest surrounding the camp.

"I just need to kill one and bring the body, right? Easy peasy..."

He looked at the harpoon he held in his right hand.

"Just imagine, Hunter, you and I, Martinville, both of us being part of the government? I'd want a pretty good cabinet, wouldn't I? Hehe."

His face moved slightly closer to the weapon; his voice was thin and sensual.

"Which one do you want, huh? Agriculture? Hehe, you really are a hungry little one. Oh, defence, of course that's the one you want, you cheeky boy... And how about the economy? I could... 'put my little hand in' and give you some nice gold ornaments. You want them, right?"

The harpoon trembled slightly in his hand.

"OHHHHH, YOU'RE SO, SO, SO EAGER!! Well, then don't worry, daddy Martinville will bring you everything..."

His lips touched the sharp tip of the harpoon. His tongue darted out and licked.

He licked and licked until he bled.

But he didn't stop.

"YES, YES, YES HUNTER! OH, YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD BOY!"

He continued; his lips split and his tongue was almost halfway out. Blood flew everywhere.

"OHHHHH, YOU WERE NEVER SO EAGER BEFORE!"

Until suddenly it stopped.

"Hehe, I think we both went a little too far today, didn't we? ♡"

His tongue brushed the corners of his mouth.

"Well, let's go get his body."

He took a step out from behind the tree, and immediately raised an eyebrow.

"That's strange, we swore it had caught fire, we broke that lamp, right?"

He remained silent.

"Maybe the lamp didn't break? Actually, that would be good; the others won't wake up. Anyway, I'd better go check what happened. Nothing Hunter can't handle."

However, just a few steps ahead, he saw a human silhouette.

"T-THAT'S HIM!? THE GUY I WAS AFTER? H-HE'S ALIVE?!"

Noticing his hurried breathing, Martinville took a deep breath.

"Calm down... It's quite dark, the other houses that give off light are far away; he needs to focus to see me. And he was also certainly hurt on impact. I don't know who he is, nor his name, still..."

He positioned the gibbet in front of him, aiming right at Gen.

"We're gonna deal with this. Hunter!"

With a slight tremor, the sound "Hey!" travelled from the tip of the harpoon forward.

Travelling quickly, the sound spread in a straight line, getting farther and farther away from the projector.

"Hunter, Hunter, Hunter... always so helpful, always so friendly... Now just wait for the pressure to reach you and—"

In less than a second, the grass rose in size.

"A-Ah?!"

Martinville stared, his vision completely blocked by weeds taller than him.

"W-What is this? G-Grass?"

He cut a chunk with his harpoon. The grass split in half, falling to the ground.

"It really is grass, normal grass... But why the hell is it so big!?"

But suddenly, in a single movement, the grass returned.

"A-Ah?"

Martinville looked down; the cut grass was there, now its normal size.

"W-What... What is going on—"

He looked ahead. There was no silhouette.

"W-WHERE IS HE—"

"Behind you."

Like a rusty spring, Martinville's head snapped back, but soon—

"GYAHHHHHH!!!"

Martinville's skull met Gen's fist with a sickening crack.

Involuntarily, Martinville was thrown backward. He landed on his back, then bounced a couple more times before coming to rest.

The skin on his forehead split, oozing blood. His nose was broken.

"H-How... GYAHHH!!" He put his left hand to his head.

"My Deus..." said Gen. "I traded my size for the plants, and went behind you. I have to admit, running at a height of just a few inches was... interesting."

Martinville still held the harpoon.

"H-How... How did you find me?..."

"You're such an idiot. Theo called my name; there was no one. Three times. No one was there."

Gen jabbed a finger.

"So it's pretty obvious to deduce that you have the power to create sounds. Since I was previously propelled backwards with a buzzing sound, it means you create specific sound waves. I just had to go where the sound came from."

Martinville crawled weakly. He didn't have the strength to do much.

But his right hand continued to hold the harpoon.

"Y-You... Kid whose name I don't even know... hehe... HUNTER!"

He raised his hand, holding the weapon.

"IT'S MORE THAN A HARPOON!"

It pierced Gen's chest.

The tip came out the other side of his body, bleeding.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU BASTARD!... Tsk, pollutes Hunter though..."

Gen's eyes lifted for a brief moment. A very brief moment.

He smiled.

"H-Haha... A-Actually, that's good... I-I need to get used to th-this... I... I have to get used to it..."

"...You... Y-You are crying."

"Y-Yeah, because it hurts a lot... B-But still— GAHHH!"

Gen took another step, driving the harpoon deeper into himself.

Tears streamed from his eyes like a river. His breathing was heavy and laboured.

But he laughed a little.

"I-It's nothing compared to what I-I'll need to go through... I-I have to endure, a-and get used to this... A-A lot worse will happen. There's no problem at all; after all, that is my fate..."