The night was cold.
Sunny walked alone through the quiet outskirts of the Deadlands, the dim moonlight guiding his path. His breaths were shallow and tired maybe from the earlier quarrel with his sister and John, or maybe because every step here reminded him of things he tried not to remember.
He reached a lonely patch of earth.
A small grave.
Unmarked.
Simple.
But belongs to someone.
Sunny crouched, gently brushing away the dust that had gathered over the top.
"…sorry I haven't come in a while," he whispered.
He placed a few wildflowers on the grave small, pale things he had picked along the way. Flowers struggling to survive in a place where life wasn't meant to exist. Just like him.
He bowed his head and stayed still for a long moment, letting the silence speak for him.
"I thought I wouldn't see you here anymore," a voice said from behind.
Sunny turned slowly. A familiar figure stood in the shadows.
"Ingo," Sunny said, a tired smile forming. "Didn't expect you out here."
Ingo stepped closer, hands in his pockets. "I figured you'd show up tonight. Been a long time… how have you been?"
Sunny shrugged. "Busy. Too busy. You know how it goes."
Ingo huffed a small laugh. "Yeah… I get it. Me? I've been living quietly. Ever since I failed to become a Razor, I became a Tatoist. Boring life, peaceful life. But…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "I've always wondered how you managed to survive those trials."
Sunny smirked faintly.
"When we first met as Raz kids, you were like a cat quiet, careful, staring at everyone like they were gonna stab you. But you turned out okay."
Sunny rolled his eyes. "You really haven't changed."
Sunny stepped forward, preparing to leave. "Anyway… I should get going."
"Wait sorry," Ingo raised his hands quickly. "I was messing around. Don't go yet."
Sunny stopped.
Sunny gave a small, genuine nod. "Thanks for looking out for my family. When I am gone… they're good people. They deserve someone like you watching over them."
Sunny looked away. "You saved them more than you know. You've always helped them whenever i wasn't around."
"Least I can do," Ingo murmured. "After all, you saved my life in the Razor trials. If you hadn't dragged me out of that pit, I'd be a corpse right now."
Sunny's eyes softened. "You look different, you know."
"How?" Ingo blinked.
"You look… dull," Sunny said quietly. "When you got your first kill count, you had fire in your eyes. Now it's gone."
Ingo exhaled slowly. "Killing more than two hundred people before turning seventeen… it empties you. Sunny, you're human. You can't keep going like this forever."
Sunny clenched his fists. "I'll figure it out."
He turned again. "See you later, Ingo."
"Take care," Ingo said softly as Sunny walked away, swallowed by the darkness.
Meanwhile, back at the Raz kids' center…
R.V. stepped out of the small washroom, drying his hair with a towel. He barely took three steps before a circle of boys tightened around him.
Jax smirked. "You two watch the hallway. Make sure no one's coming."
The boys scattered.
R.V. frowned. "What now?"
"You embarrassed me today," Jax snapped. "In front of everyone. So I'm gonna teach you a lesson."
He lunged.
R.V. ducked, letting him stumble past but Jax spun and delivered a hard punch to R.V.'s cheek, knocking him down.
"Stop! Someone's coming!" one of the boys cried.
"What? Shut up!" Jax barked.
He raised his fist again.
But then—
A dark fog erupted around R.V., swirling like black smoke. Jax hesitated, eyes widening. A faintly glowing mark appeared on R.V.'s forehead.
R.V's eyes changed.
Emotion drained completely. Cold deadly looks replaced it.
"You trying to scare me?" Jax hissed, voice trembling.
R.V. moved.
Fast.
He slipped past Jax's next punch and struck him in the chest hard. Jax flew backward, crashing against the wall, gasping.
"Please… spare me!" he whimpered.
R.V. approached, each step sending chills through the room.
"Hehehe…" his laugh was low, warped. "You wanted to teach me a lesson, right?"
"N-No… I didn't!"
R.V.'s gaze flickered to the ground. Something shiny caught his eye. He bent down and picked up a glass shard.
"What are you doing…?" Jax whispered.
"Hehehe…" R.V. tilted his head. "Let's see if you really learned anything."
He struck.
The shard plunged into Jax's eye.
Jax screamed high, sharp, animalistic. Blood streamed down his face, staining the floor.
R.V. stepped back, chest rising and falling. The dark fog slowly faded. His eyes returned to normal.
He laughed once more but suddenly his body went limp.
He collapsed.
"What the hell…?" Sunny muttered.
He had returned early, wanting to check on the newbie he met earlier. But what he saw made him freeze.
R.V. lay unconscious on the ground.
Around him were trembling boys.
And Jax… screaming, bleeding, broken.
A boy year younger than Sunny had just destroyed a group of Raz kids as if it meant nothing.
Sunny's heart pounded.
He had seen killers.
He had seen talent.
But this?
This was different.
The Deadlands, it seemed… still had far more monsters waiting to be born.