CHAPTER 17: MEETING AN OLD FRIEND

Fifteen years ago, when the first Rank 1 Gate appeared in a major city in Africa, no one knew what the bluish-white portal was... only that all those who entered it never came back out.

And then it turned red, and monstrous creatures emerged and wreaked havoc in the surrounding area before the military and air force intervened. The loss of lives totaled slightly over twenty thousand.

From then on, an abyss gate appeared somewhere around the globe every single day, and with every gate break, lives numbering in the thousands were lost.

Was this divine retribution brought about by the wickedness of man? Or was this an alien invasion? No one knew.

These were the initial times of the descent of God’s Abyss. There was mass panic and jeopardy all over the world. People didn’t know what to do, where to run, or where to hide.

Those times, gates were watched until they broke with the surrounding areas already evacuated, and that was when the monsters were resolved. That was, until the first irregulars arose and ventured into the place of no return.

Such an inspiring tale of heroism spurred massive change all over the world to combat this existential threat, bringing about the rise of the Executioners Association (E.A.).

The globe was then divided into three sectors sharing twenty-seven zones carved out due to strategic and existential concerns, which were then split into districts.

However, there was only so much humanity could withstand the invasion of the abyss creatures. Zones and districts were marked with three possible flags by the organization: Safe, Hot, or Dead.

Currently, Roy resides in District 04, X-City. X-City was a northern zone in the Central Alliance, which encompassed what was once Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

And lucky for Roy, his district was marked as safe.

But it wasn’t always like this.

[BREAKING NEWS: What appears to be a Rank 3 Gate has appeared in the lower residential area of District 12. The Executioners Association is yet to dispatch...]

The news anchor continued to narrate the current circumstances surrounding the event.

Roy, Donny, and Nana paused their meal as the news came up.

Donny had taken the family out for a nice breakfast at an opulent restaurant to celebrate, when the news came up. District 12 was a known ’Hot’ district.

Gate appearances were common, but weren’t attended to very quickly as capable executioners were spread thin. Hence, the organization focused more on ones that were closer to breakage than newly appeared ones.

However, the news brought back unpleasant memories for the small family of three because they used to live in District 12. A Gate appeared close by just like this, but it broke sooner than was estimated and claimed the lives of Roy and Donny’s parents.

Roy was there too, but sadly, he couldn’t remember much from that day; only the scars remained.

’God’s Abyss...’ he solemnly thought. It had taken so much from a lot of people, and there was no explanation.

Roy glanced about the restaurant. Some had sour expressions on their faces, murmuring their worries to each other, whereas others didn’t mind. News like this was a dime a dozen.

Roy then settled his attention on Donny and Nana. They were smiling just a minute ago, but their expressions were sour now.

Donny sighed and said with a forced smile, "What a way to rain on our pride. Should we leave?"

"N-No, that’s not right." Nana shook her head and said, "Let’s just focus on our present. Today is a good day."

"Okay," Donny said and looked at Roy.

"Donny," Roy began, his tone serious, "...what’s next for me? I’m already sick of waiting around."

He hadn’t forgotten what Donny said after Riya Patel left. He reminisced about it despite the laughs and giggles.

Donny sat back and said, a deep expression on his face, "After this, we’re going to see an old friend of mine..."

...

Buzz~ Buzz~

Donny pressed the doorbell button placed beside a thick white door in a hallway. And Roy stood behind him, scanning the area.

"Does anyone really live here? This place stinks," Roy said with a frown. The hallway was littered with trash, the walls were peeling, and there was a pungent smell in the air.

"Check your breath first before saying that," Donny mocked with a passive smile.

"Wh— My breath is okay," Roy quickly retorted, but quickly checked to make sure, and then repeated, "It’s okay! You’re just messing with me..."

Donny laughed and pressed the ringer again.

"This building is abandoned for the most part. Are you sure anyone lives here? When last did you even speak to this old friend?" Roy asked.

Donny pondered before answering. "About... three years ago, I guess."

"What? That long ago? Why the hell are we wasting our time here? The dude might not even be alive anymore."

"Because I’m sure as hell he still lives here. And there are very few things that can kill a D-Class Executioner," Donny said, smirking in addition when he saw Roy’s surprised expression.

"A D-Class?!" Roy exclaimed in shock, but added in defeated agony, "Just a D-Class? That’s who we’re here to meet? Man, that sucks. I thought you were going to meet a C-Class or something."

A vein popped on Donny’s forehead. "Are you dumb? Do you know what D-Class Execs are capable of? And this guy was the cream of the crop at the time! He’s not to be joked with. Execs of higher classes really respected him because he was set out to be immensely powerful..."

"Oh yeah? Then what happened to him?" Roy didn’t believe all those decorations.

Donny took a few seconds before he answered, "He stopped signing in."

"..."

Roy fell silent. ’Why would anyone stop signing in?’

Donny leaned towards Roy and whispered, "And when we see him, no matter what, don’t talk about his hair."

"What’s wrong with his hair?" Roy’s curiosity was piqued.

"Just obey, goddammit."

Buzz~

"Abraham! Are you going to keep on eavesdropping, you damn bastard?!" Donny yelled and pressed the ringer repeatedly, creating a displeasing sound.

Clip~

Suddenly, the door opened and Donny’s finger froze mid-air.

Standing before them was a rather slender, middle-aged man of medium height with a stubble beard, dark bags under his eyes, and blonde hair on his head.

’I’m not seeing any issues with his hair, though,’ Roy carefully analyzed.

He seemed to have just gotten out of the shower, so he was in a great bathing robe.

"Donald Mclloyd. I told you never to seek me out again," the man said, his voice quite soft but oddly firm.

Donny laughed awkwardly and patted Roy. "Don’t do that. This is my younger brother, Roy. And boy, do I have an amazing offer for you."

Abraham frowned, looking almost disgusted. "Tch. You still try to make those dry rhymes... like a child."

Donny smiled. "You still have a shoe up your ass. Some things just never change."

"Hi, I’m Roy," Roy introduced, stretching his hand out for a handshake. It wasn’t every day he met an executioner. They really did have an air to them.

He glanced at Roy’s hand and wasn’t moved.

"Doesn’t D-Class suck?" He voiced with a hint of disdain.

"Who— I—" Roy stammered, trying to defend himself, but Abraham just ignored him and faced Donny.

"What do you want?" He asked seriously.

Donny’s expression turned a bit grave, and he voiced, "You may want to sit down before you hear what I’m about to tell you..."

Abraham, the D-Class Executioner, gave Donald a long look.