Chapter 6: The Weight Beneath the Rain
The doors of the theater creaked shut behind him. A hush fell over the street, drowned only by the patter of rain and the soft hum of distant traffic. Sebastian Mohram stood still, letting the downpour soak his pristine white coat. His gloved hand trembled slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn photograph.
The edges were frayed, ink smudged by time and desperation—but the faces were still clear. Two boys, one younger and wide-eyed, the other with a cocky smirk and a coat far too big for his shoulders. Alexander Cain. The real Mr. Nobody.
Sebastian's usually composed gaze faltered. Rain mixed with the bitter sting of memory as his fingers clenched around the photo.
"Erase the past, huh?"
Lucas's voice echoed in his mind, still wrapped in the cadence of performance, but cutting through like prophecy.
A crack ran through Sebastian's reality. He staggered forward a step… and the world dissolved around him.
---
Years Ago – The Research Facility
The white walls of the facility weren't sterile. They were stained with the screams of children.
A much younger Sebastian was curled in the corner of a cold glass chamber, his eyes dull, body stitched, punctured, and wired. They called him Subject 43. They called him many things—an anomaly, a treasure, a failure that wouldn't die.
His Trait—"Pseudo-Immortal"—made him the perfect test subject.
He wasn't immune to pain. He wasn't invulnerable.
He just didn't die.
That was the problem.
Electricity. Acids. Cellular breakdowns. Implosion fields.
Again. Again. Again.
Days blurred into nights. The only constants were pain and the cold hiss of syringes.
He had forgotten how old he was.
He had forgotten his name.
One day, something changed.
The intercom buzzed—an emergency alert. A dull explosion shook the ground.
Screams echoed from the upper levels. Doors slid open. Gunfire. And then—silence.
His chamber remained locked, airtight. Still, he sat unmoving, hugging his knees, barely breathing.
Until—
A single clang. Then another. Then—
Crash.
The door shattered inward, and amidst the mist of released gas and sparks stood a boy—fifteen, maybe sixteen—his posture lazy, a cigarette in his mouth, a broken crowbar resting on his shoulder.
He wore a tattered black coat and shades far too big for his face. A smirk played at his lips.
"Yo," he said, tilting his head. "Subject 43, right? You look like shit."
Sebastian blinked. He didn't speak. Couldn't. His throat was raw. His heart had stopped hoping months ago.
The boy stepped inside, ignoring the blood, the restraints, the smell.
"I'm Alexander," he said casually. "A real piece of work, apparently. Just took out the guys upstairs who called themselves gods."
He crouched, meeting Sebastian's eyes. "You wanna leave?"
Sebastian croaked something—then nodded. Slowly. Just once.
Alexander didn't flinch. He took off his coat and wrapped it around Sebastian's broken form.
That was the first time Sebastian felt warmth again.
---
Months Later – The Warehouse Safehouse
Sebastian had grown stronger—physically, at least. Mentally, he still bore scars, and his body still twitched at the smell of antiseptic.
But Alexander was patient.
He never forced him to speak. Never asked for gratitude. He just… existed. Smoked. Talked nonsense. Rambled about how the world was fake and how he wanted to make it fun for a while.
One evening, as the sun dipped behind a rusted skyline, Sebastian finally found the words.
"Why… did you save me?"
Alexander didn't look up from his ramen cup. "Because I could. And you looked bored."
"…I want to serve you," Sebastian said quietly.
Alexander chuckled. "That so?"
Sebastian nodded. "My life… it's yours. Command me."
Alexander finally turned to him, this time removing his shades. His gaze was sharp but unreadable. "You're serious."
"I am."
Alexander stood, stepped forward, and lightly flicked Sebastian's forehead.
"Then earn it," he said. "I don't want a dog. I want a kingmaker."
That night, Sebastian made a vow.
Not to live.
Not to survive.
But to become the shadow behind the throne.
---
Back to the Present – Beneath the Rain
The flashback faded like mist, and the city returned with its soft neon lights reflecting off rain-soaked asphalt.
Sebastian stood frozen on the street, eyes heavy with history. The photograph in his hand was now pressed to his heart.
"Your will reaches through time, my King…" he whispered.
He took out his phone.
The screen lit up with the contact: Underworld Director – 'Tidekeeper'
Sebastian typed:
> "The order has been given. Initiate protocol 'Clean Slate.' Mr. Nobody has spoken."
He closed his umbrella, letting the rain pour onto his face freely.
---
The past had bled into the present.
A child tortured into madness.
A teen who became a god to the broken.
A secretary who now saw divine will in stage lines.
And Lucas Cain, the cheerful college student, had unknowingly said the words that reawakened the monster of the past.
"I don't like the past. Let's forget it."
He didn't mean it.
He was just acting.
But some truths are too powerful to be fiction.
And now, the shadows were moving again.
---
End of Chapter 6
---
Back to Lucas's side,
unaware of the chaos his "acting" has ignited. Was now exiting the stage with a sense of accomplishment he had never experienced before.
He was now looking forward to the next time he gets to perform such an amazingly piece ever.