The next day, Amadeus woke to the sound of knocking. As he sat up, a couple of maids walked in and greeted him. It was incredibly embarrassing to be served by women while he was practically naked, but since he had no idea how to wear the complex layers of the dress, he had to endure it.
He requested a simple ponytail, finding it uncomfortable to have his hair swinging everywhere. He also flatly refused to wear a corset; the maids looked at him in confusion, but they eventually gave up after he insisted. They also failed to adorn him with many jewels, as he rejected those too. In their eyes, he was simply a very free-spirited woman.
After finishing his preparation and applying (forced) a light touch of makeup, the maids accompanied him to the dining room to have breakfast with their lord.
Alistair was waiting patiently at his seat. As soon as the door opened, he stood up, strode toward Medea, and placed a lingering kiss on the back of her hand.
He stayed up all night as questions filled his mind. Medea was so ethereal that he couldn't help but fall for her; this feeling was new to him, but so strong that he couldn't let go. Even if everything about her seemed suspicious, he still thought that perhaps she was from the slums, but there was no one in the registration with her face or her name.
"Good morning, my lady. I hope you had a lovely night." he said, his voice as sweet as honey. Amadeus's ear twitched. He glanced at the servants standing in the corners of the room and restrained himself; yesterday, when they were alone, he had spoken freely to the fool, but now there were outsiders watching.
"Good morning, my lord. Thanks to your hospitality, I have rested plentifully."
He had been reckless. If he had known from the start that this was the planet where he would find his answers, he wouldn't have spoken to Alistair in such an unmannered way. But it was too late for regrets... and besides, Alistair didn't seem to care.
He sat in the chair Alistair pulled back for him and saw a spread of delicacies on the table that nearly made him drool. After years in the bleakness of Vexis, this was paradise... and he had finally found a golden spoon who took care of him like a precious jewel.
Alistair smiled, hearing her formal tone. He knew she didn't like speaking that way at all. "I've located your two friends. If my lady wishes, I will have them brought here immediately."
He was in the middle of grabbing some scrambled eggs, paused to think. "I would like to go myself and visit them in the slums." He was curious to see what kind of place it was, now that he was here. Since not knowing things might bring him some unlucky events.
"It's... it's not a truly safe place. Please, reconsider," the other man replied. His hesitation made Amadeus unhappy; Alistair had said just the other day that his every wish was a command, and now he was taking it back. Amadeus furrowed his eyebrows but then remembered that he was a truly beautiful woman right now.
Amadeus placed his fork down and leaned in close to Alistair. "You'll be there to protect me anyway, won't you, 'my lord'?" With the tip of his index finger, he hooked Alistair under the chin, drawing the man's face toward his own. He smiled at him like a true temptress.
In that moment, Alistair, forget how to breath and immediately nodded.
...
Amadeus soon found out why they called it the slums. But something was wrong...
"What is the meaning of this?"
What lay before him looked like any other city on Earth, but it was underground. The buildings, the roads... it looked as if an apocalypse had swept through. Because they were in the subterranean depths, there was no natural light; the atmosphere was gloomier, and the people were dressed in the same ordinary clothes worn on Earth.
Alistair watched his reaction. His final guess that the maiden was from the slums, faltered, and his doubts increased.
"Long ago, there was a Great War. This is what remains of it." Alistair said, placing a hand around her shoulders and guiding her forward to a less crowded place.
"And the people? Are they also the 'remains' of that war?" Amadeus rebuked, his voice sharp.
"These people are just the descendants of those who were against the war and lost the favor of the gods. It is difficult to gain wealth for them now; the divide is wider than you can imagine. I'm sorry if this information saddens you, my lady." He replied with total sincerity. Not everyone was allowed to visit the slums, and many above didn't even know they existed.
"What was the Great War about?" Amadeus asked, stopping in his tracks after they reached a narrow hallway where he could speak freely. He was angry; what he saw around him was so much like the home he missed...the world where his family, his friends, and his dog lived. A world where he could play his favorite games, laugh heartedly without worry, and eat his favorite food. Once again, hatred rose toward the Exotrack, toward this planet, and its people.
"I'm mortified that I can't answer that, unfortunately. I am also in the dark; only the royals know the true story."
"Then..." Amadeus could tell that Alistair was a good person, his instincts never failed him but after seeing this, he wasn't certain anymore. "Do you approve of this?" it came out more angrily that he thought as he glared at the so called Grand Duke.
Alistair saw those ruby eyes and immediately closed the distance between them, as he held her hands tenderly, trying to soothe her. "My lady, I was raised to be righteous and to defend my planet. The only thing this planet lacks is empathy toward those beneath us. Everyone born above who knows of the slums was raised to hate them. It was a lesson implanted in us every day, just as you are taught that dogs are companions and cows are meat."
His pink eyes locked onto her red eyes with unwavering focus. It wasn't that he hated them... he simply didn't care.
"Not only the slums... but the inhabitants of the other planets as well. You see them all as beneath you." Amadeus was pissed, but he understood it wasn't entirely Alistair's fault.
It was the very foundation of this world that was trash.
He had heard that some of their trials involved going to Mythara to defeat beastmen... but from what he had seen on that planet, the beastmen were civilized and didn't spill blood, even when the two species fought each other.
It wasn't only Earth; every other planet was under their watch. He clenched his fist and looked at the ground. Was he destined to always run, never feeling safe? He was going insane, constantly having to die and escape. He would never forget the pain of each death... how could he keep living like this?
He couldn't help that he was born a half-blood, whatever species he truly was. He wanted to return to his family so much, but how many years had passed? He had lived for seven years in the parallel world, ten in Vexis, one day in Mythara, and two days in that horror game...
Was his family still searching for him? Would he be able to return home in time?
He had spent so much time on these questions in the other worlds that he had become numb; sometimes, he had given up hope entirely. But since people on this planet could travel to Mythara, maybe they could go to Earth, too.
But it was too dangerous. He didn't know how long the black potion Saint Karina made for him would last.
Alistair, who had been watching the maiden lost in her thoughts, was also lost in his own. If she wasn't from here, where did she come from? He didn't feel any power within her... but Anomalies were called that specifically because they fell outside of all normal categories.
And that's why they were dangerous.
He sighed and took the trembling hands of the lady he had madly fallen in love with. "My lady, your friends are waiting for your arrival. Should we continue, or would you like some time alone?"
Amadeus looked at Alistair, his eyes a little wet from the tears he couldn't afford to spill and nodded. As they continued to walk, their hands remained intertwined; the only comfort he could seek was thanks to the other man.
Amadeus had always been someone who needed people around him to be happy. He had always been a character full of light, someone who took care of others and never rejected kindness.
From the very beginning of his story, I told you he was righteous; he found joy in the little things, like helping the elderly, helping his friends, and putting everyone else's well-being before his own.
He was the light itself. He was the kind of character who was supposed to be the hero of a story.
Now, put this kind of character into a never-ending cycle: in the first world, he was happy but died without explanation; in the second, he saw his new family die before him; in the third, he stayed alone for ten long years before hanging himself, only to keep killing himself in brutal ways.
Wouldn't such a person have gone insane already?
Amadeus looked at Alistair and smiled. Such a kind person he had found. Maybe, this time, they could try to be friends.
...
Yes, he had gone insane long ago. No sane person would hang himself and still appear normal.
...
After some walking, they finally arrived at a Japanese-style house. It looked clean, with no sign of war at all. They walked in and found some men waiting for them.
"Grand Duke, the two friends of the lady are right inside." The guard opened the door for them, only to reveal two people kneeling with their heads bowing until they touched the floor right at the entrance.
"What the-" Amadeus let go of Alistair's hand, embarrassed by the situation. He had been a little too sensitive a while ago; his emotions had gotten the best of him.
He crouched down, poked the two heads, and leaned closer to whispering to them. "Hey guys, it's me, your savior Amadeus."
Jane and Ryan had been surprised this morning by some burly men who told them to wait because someone important was going to visit. They had been obligated to wait for two hours, kneeling on the ground while the other men watched them.
They were obviously terrified of whoever was visiting, so when they finally heard the name Amadeus, they were shocked. But something was strange... why the female voice? When they looked up, they gasped in unison.
"What the freak!" Ryan shouted. Two big breasts were right in front of him, yet this woman said she was Amadeus?
"Oh my goodness!" Jane covered her mouth in shock. The woman was beautiful. "Y-you're..."
"Medea." Amadeus corrected, glancing back to find only Alistair there, as the other guards had remained outside.
Alistair, of course, heard everything but didn't say a word. He only glared at Ryan. "You should speak with caution before the lady. And if you look where you shouldn't, I'll poke out your eyes."
Ryan gulped and lowered his head to the floor once again, scared for his life.
"Alistair, shut up. I like their way of talking more than yours... and it's you who should be careful. You're the most perverted one I've seen yet." He glared at the Duke, stating the true facts. Alistair was taken aback and didn't speak anymore.
Seeing that, Jane and Ryan finally relaxed their minds and bodies. They looked at Amadeus once again. "Come on, get up. Let's sit somewhere." He helped them stand, and they walked to a room where they could have some peace of mind and close Alistair out of the room.
But on second thought, Amadeus knew Alistair could probably hear them with some strange futuristic device. He opened the door and saw Alistair right in front of it, looking at the floor. He frowned. "Go somewhere far away where you can't hear us. No one should hear our conversation. If you do well, I'll do something you would like." That was perhaps the only way this would work.
Alistair raised his head hopefully. "Like what, my lady?"
"Whatever. If you like, you can massage my feet once again." Amadeus slammed the door and looked behind him to see the two little fools looking at him strangely.
"Um... where should we start?" Ryan asked uncertainly as he sat down on a couch. This was his new house; he had asked the system for wealth, and it had provided this. He had been living his new life peacefully, only to be surprised and forced to kneel for two hours straight.
"How about we start with the most important part... the fact that you're an Ano-" Jane was interrupted by Ryan, who shouted "Woman!" instead.
Amadeus smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know everything that well myself, guys. I only know I'm an Anomaly because they started hunting me. In the horror game, after you all left the sanctuary, the Exotrack appeared. I had to jump into the lava to kill myself, and then I woke up in this body."
"Wait... what do you mean you killed yourself?" Jane and Ryan looked at each other in horror since if someone dies in the Engine Games, they die in the real world, too.
Amadeus took the time to explain everything, from his first life to his current situation. The two teens listened carefully; they were shocked, but they knew Anomalies possessed strange powers.
"So now I'm here seeking your help since you're the only people I know. I actually wanted to stay and live with you... but it seems like the Grand Duke and Marshal of this world has taken a fancy to me." He sighed at his own misfortune. "But at least he's a good guy."
"Hey, are they real then?" Ryan pointed at Amadeus's chest.
"Of course they are... and I also lost my dick." Amadeus sighed once more, looking depressed.
"That's so sad!" Ryan patted the back of the frail-looking lady and laughed loudly.
"Anyway, Amadeus, we need to thank you. Without you, Ryan and I would have been stuck in that game for a long time...maybe even died." Jane hugged Amadeus, truly thankful for everything. She wasn't afraid that he was an Anomaly; she was determined to do her best to help him.
"Anyway, I like living in luxury... so why don't you follow me up there?"