There was one hurdle I had to clear before going to the illegal arena.

The game I had borrowed from Shu.

When I returned to the cabin that weekend, Yun was there.

"You're trespassing."

"Did you buy a scooter?"

My training officer ignored my sullen remark completely and countered with a question.

"A motorcycle would've been better."

"I got it cheap from Heshy."

His younger brother wasn't using it anymore. I had refused his offer to give it to me for free and paid him something for it. Heshy seemed remarkably close to his brother, who he said was two years younger. He often said he wished his brother could become a Badger too.

Well, it couldn't be easy to watch only your younger brother grow old.

I hadn't bought a motorcycle because I didn't know whether I had a license for one. They had included a driver's license when they illegally registered me in the system, though.

Yun turned off the TV, which had been showing the news.

"The team list for my mission with Riccardo is out."

I relayed the news after washing my hands in the bathroom. Yun indicated he was listening by remaining silent. As ever, he didn't make a single unnecessary movement.

"There are four of us: Riccardo Sordi, Achille Fisker, Bobby Winter, and me."

"They're all regulars on that assignment."

Yun watched impassively as I shook the water off my hands and set up the game.

"Do you know the last two?"

I had only met Bobby Winter. Twice, at that: when we caught the Pig, and when we went out to Area D. But neither time had we managed much of a conversation. When we caught the Pig, I hadn't been in any shape to introduce myself. Bobby and Sylvia had been there with Tvein and Iho, and even though I had met both of them again in Area D, we had never properly exchanged names.

I'd barely spoken to Bobby in particular. I'd have to make sure we introduced ourselves this time.

I told Yun as much and turned on the console. The TV lit up with a cheerful sound.

Even Achille Fisker's name was unfamiliar.

"Former cop, if I remember right."

Ah. So that was why Fisker got assigned to this mission.

We settled down in front of the TV in the small living room. Yun declined my offer of the beanbag and sat with his back against the wall. I quickly made some iced coffee and handed him a glass, then took my own and sat down in front of him.

I'd actually wanted to take my time and finish it alone...

But having Yun watch would save me some explaining.

The title 'FROM E' appeared on the screen.

"What's Achille Fisker like?"

Keeping my eyes on the screen, I picked up the cold glass. My training officer gave a concise answer.

"Hotheaded."

"... That's it?"

"Grabbed me by the collar once."

PFFT!

Coffee sprayed out of my mouth.

Holy shit!

I choked and coughed for a long time. My nose stung, and the coughing came in uncontrollable bursts. As soon as the harsh, eye-watering fit subsided, I jerked my head up.

"Grabbed you by the collar?"

"Yeah."

"Why on earth?"

Choi Yun's collar, of all people's?

"Did you say something you shouldn't have?"

"No."

"Were you being an asshole, then?"

"No."

"Did you hit first?"

"No. What the hell do you take me for? Just came up and grabbed me by the collar without a word."

"Out of nowhere?"

"Yeah."

"Why on earth?"

Was Fisker insane?

Yun answered indifferently, his face utterly expressionless.

"Don't know."

"... What?"

"I knocked Fisker out before the shouting could start."

Yun elaborated in a voice that suggested he hadn't been particularly curious then, and wasn't particularly curious now.

"Never got to hear the reason."

"... And Fisker never came back?"

"Came back. Bowed and apologized."

Yun took a sip of iced coffee. The clink of ice tickled my ears. His eyes were steeped in boredom as he drank.

"Said sorry for getting worked up. I said okay and left it at that."

"... So you still don't know why Fisker grabbed your collar."

"Yeah."

"... I see."

I'd have to ask Fisker directly sometime. There must have been some reason. I calmed my still-reeling brain and turned back toward the TV. Coming to one's senses and returning to apologize politely suggested Fisker wasn't a complete nutcase. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding.

What could it have been?

I'd be sure to ask once we knew each other a little better.

With a sigh, I wiped up the coffee I'd sprayed and sat back down. I clicked past the title screen to the game's opening scene. Just as it had at Shu's apartment, the title vanished and the game began.

A squat character, barely two heads tall, emerged from a castle carrying an enormous sword.

I watched the character named Hildebert Taleb for a while before breaking the silence.

"Why does Winter get assigned to colosseum missions so often?"

"I heard Bobby's father is in that line of work."

That line of work?

Which one? The police? Or the Mafia?

Before I could ask, my training officer elaborated.

"Runs several famous restaurants, but I don't think the operation's entirely legal."

"Oh..."

"Doesn't seem to be outright Mafia either, though. Ask the head of HR for the details."

"Understood. What's Bobby like?"

"Don't really know. Especially scared of me and Yehyeon."

Aha.

I stared at the screen with a faint smile. That was perfectly understandable.

I was still afraid of Yun myself. We had reached the point where I could joke with him in my own way, treading a fine line, but that didn't mean his chilling nature no longer frightened me. His innate coldness struck an eerie fear into anyone who sensed it.

It always would.

And Bobby was probably afraid of Yehyeon because he was the highest-ranking superior.

Neither of them was easy to show your true personality around. I'd asked the wrong person the wrong question. If I had time later, I'd ask Ami about Bobby.

As I thought this, I placed my thumbs on the Joy-Con.

I'd been making irrelevant small talk because I was afraid to play, but now I really had to face reality.

"Feel free to leave whenever you get bored."

"Just start."

A typically Yun reply.

"And don't even think about quitting halfway through."

Of course. I'm the type who prefers to go all the way to the final boss once I've switched a game on.

I nodded and worked the controller.

* * *

When I came back to myself, the cabin had grown dark. Sitting in the living room, washed in blue light from the TV screen, I slowly set down the controller.

It was over.

I had beaten the final boss.

The game's story had reached a happy ending. The thrilling music stopped, giving way to a peaceful tune. The characters gathered together, beaming.

The protagonist stood among them, smiling with his eyes curved into crescents. I took in the character who bore my name.

The end...

The game had presumably set out to be a traditional RPG. A swordsman and his companions set off to conquer a castle said to have been corrupted by a curse. They killed the source of that corruption lurking inside: the final boss, the 'Source of the Plague.' From E wasn't quite a masterpiece, but it was an indie game that was plenty of fun to play.

The gameplay itself was very simple, and there wasn't much freedom. But the backgrounds and things like props were intricately detailed. There seemed to be plenty of Easter eggs, and there were collectibles too. I could see why it had a devoted fan base.

To those fans, the story would feel neat and natural as well. The plot made sense, and the world remained internally consistent.

As though it had really happened...

Awash in emotion, I listened blankly to the ending music. Yun, who had been sitting motionless behind me, abruptly broke the silence.

"You find this stuff fun?"

Argh!

The spell shattered. Sick of the same nagging I had heard endlessly from Colton Wiseman, I whipped my head around with a scowl.

Enough with the nagging!

"Have some respect for other people's tastes!"

"Why are you flying off the handle?"

Yun had sat like a statue the entire time. It was a fair point, but I didn't soften my expression. Still sullen, I stared at him where he sat against the wall, motionless as a ghost in the darkened living room.

My training officer stared straight into my eyes.

"So."

"Yes?"

"Is this your story?"

I stared at him. I couldn't stop looking at the man so close to me. Slowly, he moved. For the first time in hours, he rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets.

He slowly turned his gaze to the screen. His next words were blunt.

"This story about a swordsman with a longsword defeating the monster in the castle with his companions. Is that your past?"

I remained silent for a long time. The ending music from the screen faded out completely. Silence settled in. Only the whir of the console connected to the TV filled the blue-tinged cabin.

Only when it all began to feel unbearably heavy did I quietly break the silence.

"How did you know?"

"The final boss had exactly the same traits as the Plague God."

Yun's explanation was dry.

"And you flinched every time a new character's name was revealed."

"... You're very observant."

"The world you lived in before coming to Earth."

His dry explanation jabbed at my chest.

"You're saying this happened in the world all of 'you' lived in."

Yes.

This was my forgotten story. A tale from my own distant past, long, long ago, before I had ever set foot on Earth. Memories that had gradually faded over my long years here.

They had been recreated perfectly in a game. Though simplified a little, the developer had done a wonderful job of turning those fading memories into a game.

Probably for me.

"It turns out it is."

I gave a bitter smile.

"The memories came back one by one as I played."

"Hilde."

I raised my head at the sound of my name. Our eyes met. Yun looked down at me, his thoughts all but impossible to read.

"I don't particularly care how the war started."

"... You don't?"

"No. It already happened. Learning the truth now won't change anything."

That was very like him.

I didn't know why he was suddenly bringing this up, but I nodded slowly anyway. He wasn't one to waste words, so there had to be something else he wanted to say.

Sure enough, Yun continued.

"I don't care what sort of life you lived on Earth before the war, or how you ended up here, either. At least, not right now. Learning that wouldn't change anything either."

"Then is there something you could learn that would change things?"

His fierce gaze pierced my golden eyes. It was sharp, as though he were staring at prey right in front of him. I held that gaze and waited for his answer.

He had claimed to have no interest in beating the game, yet had sat motionless, watching me play until nearly midnight.

He broke the silence in a chilling voice.

"Hildebert, what are creatures?"

Some creatures hunted me to kill me.

To punish a traitor.

To carry out the will of my people, the Titans.