Lonely Tree
Soon, the narrow street they were walking on made way for a small lot. Spaces like these were not rare in the outskirts, since no one really bothered with city planning here. The mess of streets and alleys grew chaotically, with many of them being nothing but an accidental result of tall buildings, factories, and massive human hives being constructed in close proximity to each other.
As a result, there were plenty of random gaps like this one around. What made the empty lot special, however, was that it had somehow turned into a small park. Greenery was exceedingly rare in the outskirts, which made the park especially precious.
The modest space in front of them was currently covered by dirty snow, but come spring, patches of real grass were going to appear from beneath it. There were a few bushes, a frozen pond, and a lonely tree that somehow clung to life despite all reason. Currently, it stood bare and dark, devoid of the bright crown of its leaves.
The park was surrounded by tall buildings, making it seem as if it was situated on the bottom of a deep well. Sparse sunlight fell on the tree from far above, illuminating its thin branches and the grey snowflakes that swirled in the air around them. There were several clean pathways through the snow, as well as a few damaged and vandalized benches here and there.
Several people were sitting on the benches, enjoying a quiet moment of respite. They gave the young woman dressed in white and the young man dressed in black uneasy looks.
Nephis studied the park for a few moments, then glanced at Sunny:
"Aren't you wary that something can happen?"
He took a look at her, then at himself. Both were obviously out of place, considering their physical appearance and expensive clothes. Everything about them screamed of wealth, status, and citizenship.
Sunny doubted that the inhabitants of the outskirts would recognize them as Ascended, but they would inevitably come to the conclusion that the strangers were rich.
He shrugged.
"What can happen? Even if some idiots decide to try and rob us, the worst they can do is shoot at us with cheap firearms. I doubt that their bullets can bruise our skin, let alone penetrate it."
One would have to use a heavy assault vehicle with state-of-the-art magnetic cannon, or better yet a spelltech armament, to leave a small scratch on the body of a Master. Even then, landing a shot would not be easy.
Nephis shook her head.
"I'm not worried about us. I'm worried about… the idiots."
Sunny smiled.
"Well, don't be. If there is one thing we outskirt rats are good at, it's self-preservation. Anyone can see that both of us are killers. They'll stay away."
Changing Star gave him a hesitant nod.
A few moments later, she asked:
"...So what is the reason?"
He lingered for a moment, then shrugged.
"I met your mother already. So I thought I would bring you to meet mine."
Nephis raised an eyebrow.
"I thought your mother was dead."
Sunny nodded.
"She is. Come…"
He headed toward the tree, knowing that Neph would follow. As they approached, Sunny sighed and said in a neutral tone:
"Most people in the outskirts don't get to have a burial, so there are no graves, either. Space is a precious commodity… energy and fuel are, too. Human remains are usually dissolved, and then discarded. Still, it is nice to have a special place to remember them by. This tree is such a place for me. A long time ago, I carved two lines into it — one for my mom, and one for my dad."
He stopped and stared at the tree, a distant expression appearing on his face.
In truth, Sunny had been thinking about his mother a lot recently, and that prompted him to visit the small park. Taking Nephis along was just an afterthought. He had decided that showing her the hidden side of the city would do her some good. It could give her perspective, at least.
As they stood silently under the tree, Nephis studied it for a while, and then suddenly said:
"There are three lines."
Sunny looked at her in confusion.
"What?"
Neph pointed to the bottom of the trunk.
"There is a third line."
He stared at her for a moment, then turned away.
"Oh. The third line is for me. I added it before going away to face the First Nightmare."
Changing Star glanced at him, then asked in her usual even tone:
"Were you not confident of conquering it?"
Sunny laughed.
"Gods, no! I was pretty sure that I would die. I was ready to, actually. Back then… I was sort of ambivalent about life, I guess. Very few people from the outskirts survive their Nightmares. We are physically weak and less educated than proper citizens. Local schools are not exactly known for training skilled fighters."
He remained silent for a moment, and then added:
"It's weird, actually. A large part of why I survived the First Nightmare was exactly because I did not really care to survive. Since I already accepted that I would die, I did not worry too much about anything. No matter what happened, I was able to calmly react instead of panicking. I acted with unrestrained coldness and calculation."
Sunny sighed.
"Of course, such an attitude is of limited utility. It helped me at the start, but one can't get far by acting like a walking corpse. It was only halfway through the Nightmare that I suddenly decided that I wanted to live. And once I did… I really, really wanted to live. That was what pushed me to go on despite all reason, and eventually escape."
He looked at the lonely tree, lingered, and said:
"I haven't been back here since. When I was carving the third line for myself, I had no idea that I would return one day as a Master, let alone one with the Special Strategic Asset designation and enough value to make both the government and the great clans fight over me."
Sunny shook his head and grinned.
"...What a strange turn of events, huh?"
