Chapter 3: Hersa, An Unexpected End
Nero's home was a small one being roughly 70 square meters, obviously unmaintained for years due to the overgrowth on the outside lawn. Yet, though it seemed to be a mess on the outside, upon entering the crooked wooden door, a simple scene of any ordinary flat appeared before his eyes, as an old carpet lined a path over the planks which paved the ground.
Many different trinkets such as a small TV, radio, and other things were arranged on top of a standard mahogany TV Stand with two draws. A small couch stood before them, and a bit further behind everything was a small kitchen with a portable electric stove on its surface.
Carefully looking around this room, one would see a few pictures hung atop the walls and two square-shaped windows that were loosely open, with the curtains gently swaying backward. There was a boarded stairway that led to the two bedrooms upstairs, as the door downstairs led to the storage room.
However, right at this time, Nero's eyes were currently fixed onto the windows.
'Mother left the windows open again, this isn't good, she can't keep doing this not after what happened last time...' Nero said inwardly as his eyes recalled a dark scene, a time when they were almost robbed of everything including their lives.
Not being bothered to dive into those memories, Nero hurriedly walked up the window and bolted it tightly. As he looked outside, he couldn't help but notice a few rough-looking silhouettes who were walking by the lawn, one of them even boldly looked towards Nero for a moment before walking away.
Nero didn't tremble or show fear like most teenagers; he stared at the back of the man in a cold way, far different from the ordinary youth as he knew how to deal with such type of folks. If anything, he only lacked the strength and combat effectiveness that comes with growth.
Cough! While Nero was staring at the direction the man went, a series of coughing sounds resounded, waking him from his mood.
"Mother! Don't worry; I'm here now," Nero said in alarm as he hurriedly grabbed the backpack and ran towards one of the doors; he promptly opened it without a second thought and entered.
Here was a simple room with white walls, a small bed with blue sheets, and sky-blue curtains that had rose patterns. Pictures were mounted on the wall, with roses in a vase resting on the dresser and a mirror.
On the bed near the windows, a beautiful woman with thin almond-shaped eyes and goldish-brown pupils was resting. She had an elegant nose and delicate lips, and long silver hair that loosely hang down her chest. She wore a white dress of elegant making, and if one looked at the slender frame, it would be more than enough enamor one's vision.
Yet, from a simple glance, one would also notice that she wasn't only gorgeous, but gravely ill. Her skin was pale white, and underneath, her eyes were a shade darker as if she couldn't sleep properly.
This woman was Hersa Valstine, Nero's most important person ever since the disappearance of his father, the man who he now hates more than anyone else in the world. No one in the world could take her place, as no one else was worth it in Nero's mind.
Currently, she leaned her back against the bed frame with her palm covering her mouth as she stared out the window with a lost look on her face.
However, as Hersa heard the door open, her eyes regained a bit color when she turned and faced Nero. Usually, she hid her flare-ups, especially when blood came out of her mouth, but things weren't so easy this time around.
"My sweet little Nero, you're back early, h-how was your day?" Hersa said as she removed the bloodstained cloth from her mouth and made a warm smile.
Nero seeing this felt like crying, he hurried over to her side and grasped her arms as he spoke with misty eyes, "Mother, my day was fine, I did my best to study no matter the distractions."
Hersa smiled and rubbed his head like he was still a kid as she spoke, "That's my Nero, you are always smart and hardworking, just like your father..."
Nero frowned as he heard this, he clenched his fists and spoke with a serious look on his face, "Mother, forget about him, to someone who can abandon his family I will never acknowledge him as my father. Don't worry, one day I'll make you better again and get us out of this place, one day we'll be able to live a life more suited to us, I promise you!"
When Hersa heard those words, she looked at Nero deeply with a wide smile on her face, as she grew even gentler and laughed.
"Haha... I always can't get over, just how similar the two of you are, you truly are your father's son..." Hersa said while pinching Nero's cheek, ignoring the pouting expression on his face.
She smiled and wanted to speak once more, but suddenly. Her face changed, forcing her to hurry and put the cloth at her mouth again as she coughed even more.
Nero seeing this grew panicked, he now remembered that he still hadn't given her the medicine, it happened every time his mother spoke about his father, the one person who can distract his mind.
Not wasting any time, Nero took out a vial from his backpack, with a serial number on its surface. He hurriedly held his mother carefully, waiting for her to finish coughing before he spoke, "Mother, drink, I got the medicine again..."
Hersa seeing Nero's expression sighed as she took the flask, she knew that this medicine was only a temporary relieving agent and could in no way treat her illness. Nothing in this world can heal her, and her path was already fated, but as she knew his mind wasn't ready for such news despite his current early maturity, she kept it to herself.
Gulp! With a single sip, she down the contents, soon after feeling better as a wave of drowsiness came over her. Nero nodded and fixed her properly, placing her head atop the pillow, before covering her with the sheets.
Hersa struggled to open her eyes but couldn't as she was now weakened, she could only open her cherry red lips to speak, "My son, you should stop blaming your father... h-he has his reasons, as for me, you must... you must learn... that I.. will someday..."
Hersa wanted to say more, but the medicine was far too potent. Before she could even finish her words, she fell into a deep slumber, making light noises.
Nero wasn't foolish, he knew what she wanted to say, and knew full well what her illness was, and where its state would eventually lead. However, he didn't want that; he didn't want anything to take away his mother.
"Mother, I won't give up, never! As for that man, I will never call him father. If I ever see him again, the first thing I'll do is hit him in the face," Nero said before turning around and leaving the room.
After closing the door, Nero looked at the clock and saw that it was roughly 6:50 pm, approaching the dark hours, which started at 7:00 pm. He thought to himself, 'It's still a bit early, and if I hurry now, I can get mother's favorite snack before that store closes, after all, it's only a few blocks after the checkpoint.'
Having made up his mind, Nero made an innocent smile as he wanted to see her expression later when he gets her that cake, even if it will affect his savings, it doesn't matter to him as he knew what was most important.
After a bit of preparation, Nero, once more locked up and headed outside. By the time he arrived at the Dividing Wall's checkpoint, it was already 7 pm, and the sky was dark. The soldiers pointed their guns towards him as one person walked forward.
"Halt! All unauthorized personnel will not be allowed entry into the Prominent Sector! Return to your domain!" The soldier said as it seemed that the others who were here had already changed shifts.
Nero didn't want to waste time arguing, he tossed his identification card, which had a special symbol of RA on it. The soldier seeing this, nodded as he spoke, "He's authorized."
Not wasting time, Nero promptly left the Gutter Zone and walked a few blocks down the now bustling night-time scene of Rambruck. There were lights everywhere, as cars drove by the street, illuminated by the lampposts, and people still moved about in bulk, enjoying the nightlife.
Some of them couldn't help but notice Nero's attire, they whispered to themselves with looks of mockery and disdain. Still, Nero didn't care about these busybodies; he had more important goals and a mission to achieve, which was to feed his mother her favorite treat.
After arriving at the cake shop, Nero entered and purchased a slice of Strawberry Cherry Cake that was listed for 5 EU Dollars. EU standard for Earth Union, which is the standardized currency for all humans in the modern age.
Nero felt pleased that he didn't encounter any hassles like his previous times, he was about to head back home, but right at this moment, he felt a strange feeling. The feeling one would get if they felt that someone was watching them, Nero turned around and looked at the people passing by curiously, but he still didn't see anyone.
While Nero was well matured and had experienced all kinds of things such as bulling, mugging, attempted rape, assault, and other various hazards of mankind; he was but a youth. He would naturally grow anxious for things he didn't understand or have under his control.
Nero's heart rate increased as he hurriedly picked up his pace, at regular times he would continue walking out in the open, but he felt that every one of them was a potential enemy, especially when they stared at him with mock and contempt. It was as if the world had suddenly turned against him, causing his head to spin due to his current state of panic.
He quickly turned off the streets and entered an alleyway, where he began to, ran as fast as he could with the cake held in his arms, he ran as fast as the wind, causing his heart to beat faster and faster.
Every now and then, Nero would turn his head to look behind him, but no one was there; it was like a shadow trailing him, a shadow that beckoned his death.
"Who is it? Who's chasing me?" Nero thought as his mind was in a state of panic, but no matter how he racked his brains, he couldn't find any clues.
Soon though, Nero had arrived at an empty street, which was on the opposing side of the alleyway. It was an unusually quiet area with no individual around, giving one an odd feeling as this was typically impossible in Rambruck.
Nero wanted to question it as he had only now stopped to take a breather. Still, right before he could even catch his breath, a truck had appeared within his field of vision, no one knew where it came from, it was as if it spawned out of the air, with its two taillights shining as it illuminated his vision, eclipsing his entire world.
In moments, his eyes which reflected the speeding truck that raced towards him sunk in horror, but the resonant sound of a roaring engine followed by a harsh breaking noise sounded far and wide before a loud boom. Soon, the smoke had begun to rise from a nearby corner shop, as the truck was seen tumbled over within it, with a cluster of flames around it.
If one looked at where Nero once stood, they would see a pool of blood, and an arm that now laid lifelessly on the cold ground of this silent street. A chilly wind blew the flames from the building, following a trail of oil that moved from the truck to Nero's body, blazing everything in sight.
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