On the streets of St Alesia City, couples flooded the area. The night was young, and love was in the air. Kissing and touching were on full display to the unfortunate bystanders on the streets. Unfortunately for the Aurelion children, they were stuck in traffic—right in the middle of the public make-out zone.
"Mum, why is that man swallowing that poor lady?" asked the confused boy.
Elara blushed in embarrassment, cursing whatever gods had put her in this uncomfortable position. If only she had known what these streets were like.
"It's called kissing, idiot. It's what two people do when they're in love," Sarah said, pulling out a book. "Believe it or not, Nova Lira published a book explaining all about it."
Malrik raised an eyebrow, contemplating whether he should ask for the book. Deciding to save himself the embarrassment, he just nodded—until something caught his eye.
"Hey, I think that guy is hurting that woman." He pointed towards a dark alleyway.
The two turned their gaze in the direction he indicated, and Elara widened her eyes.
"It's really dark, but I think he's trying to shove something in that woman's mouth."
Confused, Sarah leaned forward to get a closer look. "Yeah, I think you're right. What are they doing? It looks disgusting—"
"Okay, that's enough. Close your eyes!" Elara quickly pressed a button to her left, which began making a strange honking noise. "No more looking, you two. I want you to close your eyes until we get to the hotel, understand?"
As Sarah closed her eyes, Malrik squinted for a better look.
"I still think that woman is choking."
"Malrik!"
"Sorry," he muttered, averting his gaze. Then he leaned towards Sarah. "I want to read the book."
"No, you don't," she snapped.
The family finally arrived at the hotel, and the building was massive. It towered over every other structure in the area. Elara parked the car before the trio entered. To their left, a brown-toned restaurant was bustling with people. A bar filled with drunk men stood proudly beside it. To their right, a sprawling casino lured in desperate souls. A cream-coloured reception desk stood at the far end.
Elara went over to retrieve the room key while the siblings watched over the bags. Malrik was reading, deeply engrossed in his book about Titles. Sarah hummed along to the music in her ears as she scanned the surroundings. Her gaze landed on the restaurant, her mouth watering at the sight of the food.
"I wish Mum would hurry up. I'm so hungry!" she groaned.
She looked at her brother, who didn't respond, and rolled her eyes.
"You know, maybe if you spent more time talking to people than digging your face into that book, you'd be a lot smarter."
Again, no response. Sarah gritted her teeth in annoyance before turning her head—then she saw someone.
"Malrik, look!" She pointed towards a man and woman walking from the restaurant to the lift. "I think that's Dad!"
Malrik sighed. Sarah was beginning to get on his nerves.
"Nice try. I'm not falling for it. Dad's on a mission for his guild. You think he'd take me to his guild club when he comes back if I ask?"
"What? No—I mean yes—but I'm serious. That's Dad. Who is he with?"
The man pressed the lift button as Malrik groaned.
"If I look, will you leave me alone?"
The lift doors opened.
"Yes! Now just look."
Malrik turned in the direction she was pointing, only to see nothing but closing lift doors.
"Yeah, yeah, I think that's Dad," he said sarcastically.
Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Hmm, wow, that is a nice-looking woman he's got there. You think he's cheating on Mum?"
"Whatever." Sarah walked towards the lifts. "I'll just find him and bring him here and prove it to you."
"Have fun with that."
Inside the lift, Sarah realised a problem—she didn't know which floor to go to. Eyeing the buttons, her gaze landed on the number '6', her father's favourite number. She pressed it, and the lift ascended.
'This is stupid. There's no way Dad is here,' she thought, her mind drifting to the beautiful woman beside him. 'Besides, Dad had a woman next to him. There's no way he's cheating on Mum. I should've just listened to Malrik.'
Sarah wanted to abandon this little side quest. Everything in her screamed to turn back—that only pain awaited her if she kept going. But she had to be sure. She had to know it wasn't him.
The lift doors opened—and immediately the sound of moans filled the corridor.
She didn't know what possessed her, but something told her to look.
Slowly, she made her way down the corridor, her face morphing into one of horror as the voice of a man cursing someone named Eve echoed from one of the rooms. It sounded like her father. The man who had raised her. The cheerful man who'd taken her on missions and taught her everything she knew. Images of her parents smiling and wishing her a happy birthday flashed through her mind—before shattering into a million pieces.
Sarah stood frozen in the doorway, eyes locked on the man she used to call her hero. Standing inside the small room was her father, with a woman's bare legs wrapped around his waist.
Back downstairs, Elara returned with the key. She stared at the boy, passionately reading his book. Looking around, she noticed someone was missing.
"Malrik?"
"That's me." The boy looked up, a flicker of annoyance on his face from being pulled away from his book.
"Where's your sister?"
Malrik looked around, then shrugged. Elara sighed.
A look of realisation struck Malrik.
"I think she said something about finding Father upstairs?" he said, before diving back into his book.
Elara sighed again. "That girl. I'll just call her."
Sarah couldn't move. Her head was fixed on her father. She was sure she was going to throw up, but her brain was still processing this new reality—her new father. She had never seen him like this. He looked hungry—starving, like an animal—as he explored every inch of the woman's body. The erotic sounds from the woman invaded Sarah's ears, searing the image into her mind.
Suddenly, the sound of her phone rang out, snapping everyone to attention. Luckily for Sarah, she moved first—bolting, tears streaming from her face.
Hearing the noise, Dain walked towards the open door to investigate. But just as he arrived—small sparks lit up. BOOM!
A minor explosion rocked the room.
Sarah dashed down the stairs. She had to find Malrik and her mum. The two in question were waiting at the lifts.
"That's weird—your sister isn't picking up."
"Maybe she got lost on the path of idiocy," mumbled Malrik as he flipped another page. "Hey Mum, did you know that more than three-quarters of the population have Titles, including you and Sarah?"
Elara sighed, not in the mood for her son's enthusiasm.
"Oh look—it says here they're called Title Carriers. Wait—it also says people without Titles are called Nameless. Does that mean I'm Nameless? But I have a name."
Malrik focused harder on the book, as if hoping for a different answer. The lift opened, and the two entered with their bags.
"I'll just text your sister the number for the room."
The lift doors closed just as Sarah burst out of the stairwell, searching desperately for her family. Her breathing quickened as she looked around—only strangers. She was alone.
She looked back.
Her father hadn't come to check on her. Hadn't tried to explain that what she saw was just a misunderstanding. Hadn't tried to tell her he wasn't destroying their family.
Soft whimpers escaped her as she dropped to the floor, burying her face in her hands. Passers-by stared like she was a lunatic. She kept crying—until a creepy-looking man placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright, little girl?"
Sarah didn't answer. Her eyes welled up again.
"Hey, how about this—let me take you to my room, I'll get you all—"
"I don't think she needs some creep trying to take advantage of her."
The man turned towards the voice.
A girl stood before him, glaring daggers. Behind her, a tall security guard in sunglasses and a black suit stood protectively.
The man eyed the bodyguard, then the girl.
"Who are you to tell me what to do, little girl?"
She didn't answer. She turned to the security guard, who nodded and stepped forward.
"Hey—hey! Let go of me!" the man shouted as he was escorted away.
The girl turned her attention to Sarah, who was still crying. She bent down and gently hugged her.
"Is it all out of your system?" asked the girl.
Sarah wiped away her tears. "Yeah… I'm sorry for ruining your shirt." She pointed at the wet, stained fabric.
The girl laughed.
"Don't worry about this old thing. I've got plenty more."
The girl had long blonde hair and wore a damp black shirt with a short pink skirt.
"What about you? Are you lost?"
Sarah pulled out her phone. A text message read: Floor 5, Room 6. She smiled bitterly.
"Nope. I think I'll be fine."
Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. She blushed in embarrassment. The girl smiled and offered her hand.
"I don't have much time, but how about I take you for a little dinner?"
Sarah didn't know why, but the girl's smile made her feel warm—safe.
An hour later, the girl was staring at Sarah, who was viciously devouring her food.
She laughed. "Someone's hungry."
Sarah blushed and rubbed her head. "Uh, sorry… I haven't eaten since morning. It took a while to get here."
"So, you're not from around here?"
Sarah nodded. "No, I'm from Lulia City. My mum brought my brother and me on a family trip to see my favourite artist's concert."
The girl raised an eyebrow as Sarah stared down at her plate.
"Nova Lira. She's performing tonight at midnight. I can't wait to see her—she's the best."
The girl smiled, but Sarah quickly realised she was rambling.
"Uh, sorry, ma'am. I get a bit excited when I talk about Nova Lira. Sorry for eating all the food too."
"Oh, don't worry. And also—call me Lira. I'm only sixteen. I'm not that old. Besides, I like helping broken stars."
Sarah nodded.
"So, you came here with your mum and brother?"
"Yeah. My brother and I were arguing about something stupid—I don't even remember. Long story short, Mum thought coming to the concert would make us get along."
Lira looked around. "Well, I don't see your brother around, so I guess it's not going very well."
Sarah sighed and sipped her drink.
"Malrik and I are fine. Siblings argue. We're not even blood related. Besides, he's too busy sticking his face in his stupid book to even have a normal conversation."
Lira laughed and leaned back in her chair.
"Your brother sounds like a piece of work."
Sarah nodded enthusiastically.
"What about your father? Did he not want to come?"
Sarah bit her lip, clearly holding something back. She took another sip.
"Uh… he couldn't come. He's a Champion—you know, pretty cool, huh? I guess he's too busy for his family."
Lira eyed her carefully, sensing the shift.
"Sounds like he's a hero to many people."
Sarah chuckled bitterly, her legs swinging like a child's.
"A hero to others maybe… but he's a villain to his own family."
She threw her empty drink into a nearby bin—almost hitting someone.
"You grow up thinking your parents are supposed to be stable… like anchors. But sometimes, there's a reason you drift. Sometimes, the mask they wear is just a lie too dark to show. And the longer they hide it, the more they destroy the people they're hiding it from."
Lira took a slow sip. "So… what are you going to do?"
Sarah looked up, confused.
"You said you're here on a trip, didn't you? So—are you going to let that mask ruin it? Are you going to let that anchor pull you down?"
Before Sarah could answer, she saw two familiar figures walk in—Elara and Malrik.
Calling their names, she sprinted to them. Malrik turned just in time to be tackled to the floor, his book tumbling beside him.
"Sarah!" he said, wrapping his arms around the teary-eyed girl.
"I missed you."
Sarah buried herself into his chest as he and Elara exchanged confused looks. Malrik rubbed her head.
"What are you talking about? It's only been 30 minutes since you disappeared."
Elara knelt beside them, studying her daughter carefully.
"Are you alright, Sarah?"
A few moments of silence passed before Sarah pulled her face away. She turned to her mother and smiled warmly.
"Yeah. I'm just happy to see you guys."
She glanced back at her table—but Lira was gone. Walking over, she noticed an envelope. Opening it, she found three tickets that read: Premium Seats to the Nova Lira Show.
"What do you have there, honey?" asked Elara, walking over.
Sarah just smiled.
"Just a gift from a new friend."