"Mom..."
Rondo sobbed. The world around him just... stopped. His fingers clutched his mother's hand tightly. No one heard him cry. Just emptiness, quiet, and silence.
---
Later that night, under Exion City's pitch-black sky, Rondo stood in front of a tombstone. 'Faye Ernias'. The night wind blew, ruffling his hair.
Rondo left the cemetery, his face grim. On the walk home, he looked around Exion City. Blue and white neon lights glittered everywhere, highlighting bits of him as he walked. The sounds around him were loud, chaotic. There was no sadness here. Everyone was happy.
Hey world, why are you so cruel to me and my family? You're all dancing, while I'm suffering in silence. I guess it's true... sadness and death really just depend on people's perspective.
Rondo thought to himself, walking down the city sidewalk.
On the street, Rondo saw some kids his age, happily walking home from school. They wore formal-looking uniforms, so neat and sharp. Some of them went into convenience stores, game shops, or just walked home together, laughing. Rondo gave a small smile watching them. But a moment later, that smile faded.
When Rondo got home, his face was dark. He went back to his room. His mind drifted back to the past, when his mom was still here. The one moment he remembered so clearly was after they'd gathered some scrap metal—they stood watching the news or some entertainment show on a TV in a store window for just a few minutes.
After the shop owner noticed them, they ran off to avoid getting yelled at. Rondo and his mom ran, laughing and happy.
Rondo's thoughts snapped back to the present. He looked around his shabby room. The clothes he had on were the same ones from a few days ago. He opened the drawer again, pulling out a wedding photo of his father and mother.
As he held the photo, tears started to flow slowly.
Where am I supposed to go? What's going to happen to me? he wondered.
A few minutes later, someone started banging hard on his door.
"Rondo! Rondo!" yelled the landlord from behind the door.
Rondo got up from his room and went to the door. He opened it and stood face-to-face with the landlord. As soon as it was open, the landlord started coughing.
"Haven't you bathed or what? You stink," the landlord asked, covering his nose.
"Y-yes, sir. I haven't bathed yet. I was about to go look for more scrap. It's..." Rondo answered, looking down.
"So, when are you going to pay the rent?"
"I already promised next week, sir. Besides, my mother—"
"Your mother's gone, right?"
Rondo's right hand clenched into a fist.
"What's your excuse now? My own mother is in the hospital. She has surgery tomorrow. You think you're the only one suffering? I'm suffering too. We're both suffering, so try to understand. You're just a brat acting all pitiful. What do you even think about? You only know how to eat, drink, sleep, and fart," the landlord said, jabbing a finger at Rondo.
Rondo's right hand was clenched so tight. His eyes were wide. But the landlord just kept rambling on about Rondo being nothing but a little kid.
He couldn't take it anymore. Rondo swung a punch at the landlord's head. But...
Suddenly, his punch was caught by a tall, large man wearing a neat black suit and sunglasses. The man gently lowered Rondo's arm. Next to him was a large, silver briefcase.
"Control your emotions, kid," the man said in a deep voice.
"S-sorry, sir," Rondo mumbled, pulling his hand away.
The man in black turned to the landlord.
"How much does he owe?" the man in black asked.
"7000 Exon," the landlord answered.
The man in black took money from his briefcase and handed it to the landlord.
"Here's 10,000 Exon. And you don't go near this kid again."
The landlord counted the money. "Okay, it's all here. At least I won't have to deal with this smelly brat for a month."
"He won't be living here anymore," the man in black said.
The landlord raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He said, walking away.
The man in black turned back to Rondo, who was looking at the ground.
"Th-thank—"
"You don't need to thank me yet. Let's go inside. I have something you need to wear," the man cut him off.
They both went inside. The door was shut tight. They sat in the living room. The man in black laid his big briefcase down and opened it in front of Rondo.
Rondo was shocked when he saw what was inside. A red suit jacket, black formal pants, clean white casual shoes, a black belt, a white casual shirt, and a small round bottle.
"This is for you. You're the one who filled out the form this afternoon, right?" the man in black asked.
Rondo couldn't stop staring at the contents of the briefcase.
"Yeah, I filled out the form. Can I... can I touch the jacket?" Rondo asked.
"Of course. Just don't take it all the way out," the man replied.
Rondo lifted the red jacket a little. On the upper chest, he saw the name 'Rondo Ernias' shimmering and blinking slowly. Sometimes, the name would fade completely.
"If I remember right... didn't the form say pickup was tomorrow morning?" Rondo asked, curious.
"Yes. But 'morning' meant you have to arrive at the school by tomorrow morning. The school is far away, so if we left in the morning, you'd be late," the man in black answered, adjusting his glasses.
"So, you're picking me up tonight?"
"Yes. Just follow my lead for now."
"Okay..."
A moment later, Rondo put the jacket back. The man in black told Rondo to go take a bath. Rondo mentioned the water wasn't very clean, but the man said it was fine for now.
After he got out of the bathroom, Rondo went to his room. He saw the shirt, jacket, and other gear were already hung up neatly by the man. Rondo smiled wide.
He put on the uniform with excitement. He also opened the small round bottle on his table. It was perfume. Rondo sprayed it all over himself. Now, he smelled good and looked sharp. He put on the casual shoes, too.
When he came out of the room, he looked like a completely different kid. A 180-degree change. But the man in black felt something was missing. So, he called Rondo over.
After Rondo got closer, the man pulled a long comb from his pocket. He started combing Rondo's hair slowly.
"You have to look perfectly neat, clean, and smell good," the man said while combing.
"Why do I have to be *perfectly* neat, clean, and smell good?" Rondo asked.
"If you're not, none of the girls will want you," the man replied with a small laugh. Rondo laughed too.
After combing, Rondo looked even more handsome with his new side-swept hair. The man in black told Rondo to follow him. Before they left, Rondo asked for a minute to go back to his room—said he forgot something.
Rondo went back to his room, opened the small drawer, took his parents' wedding photo, and put it in his right jacket pocket. Rondo looked around one last time before he left. He already missed this place, with its million memories.
"Goodbye, mom. Rondo's going to school now, okay?" Rondo whispered.
He left his room and told the man he was all set. Outside, Rondo locked the rental house up tight.
"So, how am I supposed to give the key back if I'm at school?" Rondo asked as he followed the man.
"I'll take care of it. Don't worry. You just focus on school," he answered.
Rondo went quiet. After the man stopped walking, Rondo was directed to get into a black sedan. Rondo got in the front passenger door. The man in black got in the driver's side.
After they were both inside, the man started pressing buttons on a hologram display next to him. A few seconds later, the car's engine turned on. The car started moving. Rondo looked amazed at the view outside the window.
"I still don't know your name, sir. What's your name, so I can be polite?" Rondo asked.
"Jay," the man in black answered shortly.
Jay then stopped the car in the middle of the trip. Rondo got confused.
"Jay, why'd we stop? What's wrong?" Rondo asked, his face full of confusion.
"Rondo, can you look at the roof of the car for a second?" Jay asked.
Rondo looked up. Jay quickly tased Rondo with a stun gun until he went limp and passed out.
After Rondo was unconscious, Jay started the car again. He then called someone through the car's system.
"Hello sir, Rondo is secure. I'm heading to the location now," Jay said.
"Good. Bring him here safely," said a man with a deep voice on the other end of the line.