Cypher

The group continued their banter up to the monorail station.

“The next match is also in 3 days later. This time, we can’t have a team member missing,” spoke Vix. He then turned to Midas and asked, “Midas, can you go to the ‘Entertainment District’ and check up on Cypher? See if he’s alright?”

“Will do, Vix,” saluted Midas.

“Can I join you?” Aether asked suddenly. When he saw three pairs of curious eyes look at him, he chuckled and said, “My second job is located near the Entertainment District.”

“How many jobs do you work, Aether?” asked Fox, curiously. As far as she remembered, apart from the four hours that he spent in her shop every day, he always seemed to be working.

“Three. Well, four if you’re counting this one,” replied Aether with a laugh. Before, when he did not have a financial crisis looming over him, Aether worked two jobs to support his livelihood and Mei’s, and to save money for Mei’s education. Now, however, he worked three with the clean-up job outside the city being the most recent addition.

After working the job for four days, Aether no longer felt repulsed or depressed at the sight of the incomplete, torn-apart bodies. He performed it with mechanical efficiency, dissociating his thoughts and emotions from the process. It wasn’t a very healthy way to deal with the situation but was currently the only method that he possessed.

Between mental health and earning money, Aether felt that the latter was more important given his current situation.

“Four? Wow!~ Do you ever sleep?” exclaimed Fox.

“The human body only requires five hours of sleep to maintain above-average functionality. That is more than enough for me to get through the day,” Aether replied.

“So,” he turned to face Midas, “do you mind?”

“Not at all, man! Cypher would be ecstatic to get to know you!”

“Another fine addition to our cult. All hail God Aether,” inserted Vix, only to be shot a ‘you too’ glace by Aether.

Having finished their discussions and decided on a time to meet up tomorrow, the group separated. Vix and Fox left in the monorail that arrived first while Aether and Midas left in the following one.

Onto the Entertainment District.

---

The Entertainment District was the largest and most densely populated area within the city of District 4. Orderly wide roads, tall buildings displaying the latest adverts and commercials, clean alleyways that led toward many niche and cool shops, and neon-lit stages that had performers performing at all times. It was the rich, glitzy part of the city.

The oppressive gloom that is present in every other part of the city is absent in this part and even the thundering clouds of reckoning are drowned out by the glamour of the district.

The people littering the streets are no longer as poor and lifeless as those belonging to the rest of the city but instead, possessed liveliness and spontaneity that is hard to come by. Their clothes were richer and more colourful, and their heads were no longer hung from hopelessness.

Shortly put, if Eden was the paradise created by God, then the Entertainment District was the paradise carved out by humans. It provided life and hope to this otherwise lifeless and hopeless hell.

“They make it really obvious that this is the good part of the city, don’t they?” Aether commented after exiting the monorail station with Midas. Breathing in the lively, sweet-smelling air of his surroundings, he finished, “Entertainment District. Here we are!”

“Where does Cypher work?” he asked.

“It’s a place called ‘Chrysanthemum Bud’. It’s one of the high-flying clubs in the district,” replied Midas.

Hearing that name, Aether’s lips couldn’t help but automatically curl up. He remembered an old joke from a bygone time and realised how fitting the name was for the club.

“They put a lot of thought into its name, didn’t they?” joked Aether.

“Huh? They did? Why? What does it mean?” Midas blinked his eyes in confusion.

“It’s because…” Aether was about to explain the joke when he caught sight of the innocent light within Midas’ eyes. “...You know what, never mind. It’s an old and probably terrible joke.”

“Aww~ I really wanted to hear it though,” Midas shook his head in regret.

“Yes, it is such a shame,” replied Aether, his lips twitching. A part of him wanted to corrupt that pure, innocent light within Midas’ eyes while a greater part held back his sadistic impulses. “Maybe some other day.” He resolved himself and shook his head.

“Let’s not waste any more time. Do you know where the club is?” questioned Aether.

“Yeah, man! I know where it is. Follow me.” Saying so, Midas briskly led while Aether followed.

---

“Is this the place?” asked Aether, standing in front of an extravagantly decorated building. Just from first glance, it looked and smelled like a high-roller club. “Looks very fancy.”

“It is fancy, man,” Midas rolled his eyes, coming in contact with Aether’s miserly side. “Anyways, let’s go in now.”

Reigning in the shock in his heart, Aether nodded his head and followed Midas’ lead. The pair entered the gates, walked along the polished metal pathway and came to the entrance. There, they saw an absolutely drop-dead, gorgeous-looking young man wearing a tuxedo manning the entrance.

Noticing the absence of the air-filtration mask on his face, Aether muttered with a shocked breath, “Androids… guarding the entrance? Looks to be a PleasureBot too.”

Owning a PleasureBot wasn’t cheap at all. Even the most inexpensive, basic model starts at 300,000 credits. The one before Aether right now was neither inexpensive nor basic.

“Welcome, honoured guests,” the android greeted with a professional smile. “Do you have an invitation?”

“Nope! We are here to see a friend,” Midas replied confidently.

“Excellent,” The android clapped its hands, a heart-throbbing smile filling its gorgeous face. “Entrance will cost 5000 credits per guest.”

“Wh-what!?” The miser clutched his heart in shock.

“Entrance will cost 5000 credits per guest.” The android replied, its smile never leaving its face.

“Okay! Two entrances for me and my–” Just as Midas removed the button-like device from his pocket, he was tackled by Aether. The latter pulled him aside and yelled, “What are you doing!?”

“Buying us the entrances,” replied Midas, matter-of-factly. He looked confused at Aether’s reaction.

“But that’s 5000 credits! PER PERSON!!”

“Yeah, man. What’s wrong with that?”

Aether stared at this bony youth reminiscent of how one would stare at an alien creature. His voice quivering, he asked, “Y-you, isn’t that an exorbitant price?”

“Exorbitant? Oh, do you mean expensive? Man, that’s a fancy word. I didn’t understand it at all!” Midas went on a tangent as usual. “Don’t worry about it, man! It’s a little pricey but I can still afford it.”

“...a little pricey? Little pricey? Little? Pricey?” Aether seemed to have experienced an OS crash. He stiffly held onto Midas’ shirt lapel and kept absentmindedly mumbling the same words over and over.

“Hey! You okay, man? Do you want to sit down?” Midas asked worriedly.

Focus returning to his eyes, Aether seriously gazed into Midas’ eyes and said, “We are not paying for that. Never!”

“Huh? But how are we going to get in then?” Midas asked, confused.

“Follow me. I know a way,” replied Aether, letting go of Midas’ shirt. He then turned around and walked out of the club’s premises. Still feeling as confused as ever, Midas quickly followed.

Aether, followed by Midas, walked quite a bit away from the club’s location. Sticking to the edge of the street, Aether found the target of his search –an alleyway– and quickly entered it. Following along its route, Aether made a few turns here and there, finally coming to a stop ten minutes later.

“Why are we stopping here man… Oh?” Midas had his question answered when he saw the tall, metal fence blocking the path before him.

Looking at the fence, Aether performed a small mental calculation. After confirming that he had come to the right place, he then began looking around.

“Try to find a small rock or piece of broken metal. Something that we can throw at the fence,” he instructed Midas to aid in his search.

“Why man?” asked Midas, promptly following the instruction.

“Fences like these are usually electrified. It’s best if we test it out before grabbing onto them,” explained Aether. “Aha! Found one.” He grabbed a piece of broken concrete.

Aiming at a dense junction of metal wires, Aether threw the piece. The projectile crashed against the metal wires and no electric sparking followed.

“Looks like someone forgot to pay the bills. Excellent.” Wasting not a single second more, Aether leapt up and grabbed onto the fence. With little effort, he climbed over and landed safely on the other side.

Midas deftly followed.

“Alright now. We should be at the back of the club’s building,” said Aether, pointing at the building in front of them. “Going by how these establishments are usually built, the break room for the workers should have an entrance around here. Let’s enter the building through that and then try to find Cypher. Got it?”

“How do we pass through the entrance? Aren’t those things usually protected by an electronic lock?”

Aether flashed a playful smile and answered, “Nothing that can’t be broken into. Trust me, I’m a professional at this.”

“Professional at breaking and entering?”

“No. At fixing already broken and entered locks. Point is, I know what I’m doing!”

“Because you’ve done this before?”

“Well, no, not exactly this…” Aether replied with exasperation. Why did this kid keep focusing on unrelated matters? “Why don’t we just start? I’ve got somewhere to be after this. Now, stay low and follow me.”

“Aren’t there cameras or something watching us, man?”

“There are, but it doesn’t matter. We are not here to cause any trouble. I’m sure they will understand,” said Aether. “Now, keep shut and follow me. Keep close.”

Crouching as much as they could, Aether and Midas sneakily approached the building and the entrance door that Aether had spotted. He did also spot a few cameras pointed towards them but did not pay them much attention. As he had previously said, since they weren’t here to cause any trouble, they wouldn’t garner any reaction.

Closing in on the entrance door, Aether noted the terminal and its model. Fortunately, it was one that he previously had experience repairing. Retrieving the set of small, handy tools that he always carried with him, Aether got to work.

Snapping open the metal cover plate, bypassing the initial alarm, disarming the secondary alarm… the process went smoothly. Just as he was about halfway done with opening the door, Aether suddenly cursed, “Crap! Someone’s opening it from the other side.”

He quickly pulled Midas by his arms and dived into a nearby hiding spot that he had taken note of earlier.

“Wow, man! You really are experienced at this!”

“Shush!” The last thing that Aether wanted to do was take a trip down his unruly, roguish past. He gestured for Midas to quieten and carefully observed the entrance.

Swish! The door opened with the signature sound of air escaping. Following this, Aether saw a few people exit and chatter follow.

“This f*cking pansy! What did I tell you about stealing my customers!?!” An effeminate-sounding voice bellowed in rage.

“I… didn’t… steal your… customer… he… called me… to attend–” The sound of a fierce slap interrupted the broken reply.

“Shut up!! Do you think just because you’ve got a slightly better face than mine you have the right to steal my customers!?”

“This guy must’ve been a dog in his previous life. Wagging his tail and going over to lick the hands of every person that calls out to him.”

“Please… let… me… go…” the broken voice begged once again.

“Oh? Oh, I’ll let you go alright! Right after I finish drawing up your face!” The effeminate-sounding voice evilly declared right before pulling something out of his pocket.

From his hiding spot, Aether immediately caught sight of the object that was taken out. The cold glint of steel as it reflected light was unmistakable. A knife!

“No… no… please… don’t!” The weak voice begged between intermittent sobs.

“Shut up! This will teach you not to mess with me.” Just as the effeminate-sounding man was about to pierce forth with his knife, he heard a foreign voice announce.

“Let’s all just calm down, shall we?” Aether walked out of his hiding spot and appeared before the crowd.

The crowd of club workers, who were bullying their weak colleague, instantly backed away in fear when they saw a stranger appear. Their beautiful, unmasked eyes narrowed in displeasure and anxiety upon seeing Aether.

“Who are you!? What are you doing here!?!” Aether saw the knife-wielding man, whom he assumed to be the leader amongst this group of three bullies, point the knife towards him and ask. “I’ve never seen you here before! Who are you!?”

“Just a concerned citizen who heard a cry for help,” Aether replied with a smile. He then gazed at the crowd of bullies with narrowed eyes and softly said, “Calm down now, alright? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Answer my question! Who are you!? What are you doing here?” The knife-wielding male asked. His tone wasn’t as calm as it previously was and his hand holding the knife started to quietly quiver. Seeing the stranger talk and act so calmly, he was starting to feel afraid.

Noticing the quivering hand, Aether raised his hands and slowly approached them, “Didn’t I already answer that question? I’m just like you, a regular citizen. Look, I’m even unarmed.”

“S-stop!” The knife-wielding man sputtered. “Stop coming closer!” He yelled. His fear started to affect the people around him.

“Of course. I’ll stop,” Aether immediately stopped, five or so steps away from the crowd. Flashing a full smile, he spoke, “See? Aren’t I harmless?”

Just as his positive demeanour seemed to be quelling their nerves, Aether suddenly stomped his feet and screamed, “GET OVER HERE!!”

His sudden, thundering yell promptly shook the group of bullies at their core and caused them to shriek. Screaming at the top of their lungs, they turned around and began running without turning to look back.

The knife-wielding leader, who seemed to possess the most backbone amongst his colleagues in the group, dropped his knife and was the first one to run away in fear. Like headless chickens, they all scattered leaving alone Aether and the bullied person.

“Fuu~” Aether exhaled in relief. He felt very glad that his scare tactics worked and that the situation did not escalate. A fistfight was the last thing that he wanted today. Turning around to see the bullied person, who had curled up his quivering body into the foetal position, Aether stayed where he was and asked, “Are you okay, man?”

“T-thank… you…” came the reply.

Just as Aether was about to continue with his questioning, he heard Midas speak up.

“Cypher! MAN, IS THAT YOU!?!” Midas’ body blurred across the scene and arrived next to the curled-up person.

---

12:14:33
In front of Ackman’s AV Shop.

Sitting on a bench outside the shop, Cypher, who had a blanket draped over him, uselessly pleaded for his dear friend to stop fretting like a mother hen. “Midas, really, I really am alright. These are just a few light injuries.”

“Ohh! Look at your arms! They’ve almost been bruised purple! Those animals!!” Midas cried, noting the state of Cypher’s injuries.

Bruises covered his arms, chest, and stomach. Cuts, which seem to have been made from glass, covered his palms and feet. Cypher’s thin, bony frame was covered in a variety of abuses and injuries.

“It’s okay. They don’t hurt–” Just as he cried to speak up, Cypher was ruthlessly interrupted by Midas. “Wait here! I’ll go buy you some medicine!!” Then, without waiting for a reply, he immediately ran away.

Cypher, who saw his words fall on deaf ears, sat stunned and sighed heavily. He shook his head. “This guy…”

“Here,” he saw a palm, carrying a blue-coloured capsule-like canister, appear in front of him, “take this.”

Lifting his head, Cypher’s gorgeous eyes met with Aether’s handsome pair. Flashing a smile with his eyes, Aether pointed at his mask and explained, “Your filter is about to run out. Best change it now.”

“Ah? Ah, thank you,” Cypher bowed in a dazed reply and thanked him. He then reached out with his frail hands and grabbed onto the canister. Just as he had picked it up, Cypher’s fingers stung with pain causing him to lose the canister. “AH!”

Another hand immediately flashed and caught the falling canister. “Whoops! Almost dropped it,” joked Aether.

He then approached Cypher closely and said, “Allow me to help you change it.” The younger boy nodded his head and lifted his face, allowing Aether easier access to his mask.

Holding the mask by his chin, Aether quickly worked with his fingers and replaced an already empty canister with his new one. “All done!” He then removed his hands and backed away.

“Thank you so much, Mr…” Cypher paused, realising that he did not know the name of his saviour.

“Aether. Just call me Aether.”

“Aether? Oh! Are you the new team member!?” Cypher exclaimed, his dull, overly polite voice finally gaining the vibrance of his youth. “Midas had messaged me about you! I’m sorry for not meeting with you sooner. My name is Cypher. I play PeaceKeeper.” He then tried to get up and perform a bow in greeting.

“Don’t bother bowing,” Aether immediately reached out and pressed the younger boy into his seat. “I’m not that much older than you! I’m only twenty-six!”

“Besides,” he continued, his voice becoming firmer, “you shouldn’t recklessly move your body right now.”

“Ah, okay,” replied Cypher and obeyed Aether’s words.

An awkward silence settled between the duo.

“Those injuries,” began Aether, wanting to make conversation with his fellow teammate, “are they from your work?”

“Some of them are,” replied Cypher, awkwardly. “Most, however, were inflicted by that group of bullies that you saved me from earlier.” His expression turned downcast.

“Why are they bullying you?”

“They think I stole away their customers, even though I didn’t do anything of that sort.”

“Ah, I see,” said Aether, nodding his head in understanding. “No wonder. You are the most beautiful-looking person that I’ve ever seen.” Aether honestly complimented.

Shoulder-length wavy golden hair, sapphire-coloured eyes, skin as pale and smooth as pearls, it was without a shadow of a doubt that Cypher had the most beautiful features that Aether had ever seen on a person. And this was with the lower half of his face, masked.

If the lower part of his face was equally… no, half as good-looking as the upper-part it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that Cypher’s face looked perfect.

His beauty was the type that moved people of all genders.

Hearing Aether’s sincere compliment, Cypher’s face blushed. He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Aether, and softly replied, “Tha-thank you.”

“I truly meant that. You don’t have to thank me,” Aether politely replied.

Cypher blushed even harder prompting him to bury his face into his chest. At this moment, only he knew how fast his heart was racing.

“Pardon me for sounding insensitive but, why don’t you fight back?” asked Aether. “I’ve seen the footage of you playing PeaceKeeper and they are honestly fantastic. Your movements are practised and refined. If you apply some of that combat experience in real life, then you should be able to hold your ground at the very least.”

Hearing Aether’s advice, Cypher smiled bitterly and said, “I’ve tried doing that before. It doesn’t help at all. I… my body is too small and weak.”

Lifting his thin, bruised arm, he mocked, “If I were to throw a punch using this arm which is weaker than a child’s, I’m afraid that it would be my arm that breaks first.” Growing depressed, he finished, “I’m powerless.”

A depressing air hung around Cypher causing him to grow disheartened. ‘Powerless’. That single word summarised all of his life’s struggles up to this moment.

Inside the game, Cypher was one of the Top 10 Best PeaceKeepers. He was simply amazing. Outside of it, however, he was nothing but a powerless sex worker whose only redeeming feature was his outstanding looks.

He was a pathetic existence. Or at least, that is how Cypher perceived himself to be.

“You know,” Aether suddenly spoke up, “size isn’t everything in a fight. Even someone as small and scrawny as you has their advantages.”

“Advantages in what?” Cypher scoffed, growing resentful. “Running away?”

“Well, it’s better than getting hit, isn’t it?” Aether asked with a smile. He then mysteriously asked, “Do you want to learn a special fighting style from me? A special style that will allow you to win 100% of your fights?

Seeing the smaller boy look up to him in confusion, Aether mysteriously asked once more, “Well, do you?”

Cypher absentmindedly nodded his head.

“Alrighty!” Aether coughed to gather his attention, “First, you have to keep your body loose. Don’t want to catch a sprain in the middle of the fight you see.” He began to shake and loosen his limbs.

“Second,” Aether changed his stance, “keep both your feet at shoulder level and plant them firmly in the ground. Raise your hands like this and look your opponent straight in the eye. This is very important!” Aether presented alongside his explanation.

“You with me so far?” asked Aether, looking towards Cypher. Seeing the latter nod his head, he continued, “Now, for the most important move. With your body loose, feet firm, and eyes staring into your opponent, you say…”

“‘Hey, come on! I’m just a little guy!~ It’s my birthday today! You wouldn’t hit a little guy on his birthday, would you?’” recited Aether. Staring at Cypher with a straight expression he continued. “You tell it to them the exact same way I told it to you. Repeat it a few times for greater effect. Not too much though. For then they’ll catch on to the fact that you’re lying.”

Turning back to face his imaginary opponent, Aether finished, “Just as your opponent stands there dazed and confused, sneak a kick at their nuts, turn around and run away! You run away and NEVER look back! Keep running until you find yourself in a new area!”

Straightening up, Aether turned to face Cypher and bowed, “And that’s ‘Aether’s Secret Style to Win a 100% of Your Fights’. Trademarked and all rights reserved.”

Cypher looked at this strange person in front of him with confusion. “Are you serious?”

“A 100%!” replied Aether, his face as straight as the road.

The two of them kept staring at each other in silence for a few seconds when Cypher suddenly broke into laughter. “Hahaha! A hundred per cent! I-I can’t!”

“Wh-what? You think my secret style, passed down in my family through the ages, is funny!” Aether exclaimed, feigning anger. His face, however, could not help breaking into smiles.

“Hahaha! You are a strange person, Aether!”

“Hey, hey, come on!~ I’m just a regular guy.”

“Ahaha! Again, with the jokes! I-I can’t! Ahahaha!”

And so, Aether found another person who enjoyed his strange jokes. A first amongst the younger generation.