Road to Hell

Cruel fate and reminder of death

Chapter song: Kohta Yamamoto - No Reality

The sound of your name made your steps falter.

"Forgive me for calling out to you so suddenly," Doctor Ilbert breathlessly said the moment he finally caught up to you.

Hands perched on his knees; the old man was struggling to get his breathing under control. Leveling him a flat look, you stifled the instinct to get close to him and rub his back in a pathetic attempt to soothe his pain.

You were still not in the clear. You couldn't afford to let your guard down unless you wanted those wretched merchants to catch you.

You pulled the hood of your cloak further down, trying to conceal as much of your face as possible.

"What do you want?" The ice behind your voice was enough to freeze the man to the spot.

But after so many years, the doctor that had treated your weak body countless times knew better than to get intimidated.

"I thought I saw you pass by. I was just trying to buy some things for my surgery. I'm almost out of remedies and I wanted to avoid going above just for this. But then I heard all that commotion, and some people shouted thie-"

You didn't let him finish, quickly dragging him into the nearest empty alley before he could expose you. Scanning your surroundings, ears wide open for any sound that may betray the approach of today's victims, you angrily yanked your hood off the moment you concluded it was as safe as it could get.

"And you are such an idiot you called out to me the moment you heard about a theft?! Were you trying to get me exposed?!"

"What?! No! I swear on the Walls, no!" Doctor Ilbert vigorously shook his head in denial, yet your murderous gaze didn't soften.

"Then what do you want?" You seethed through your teeth, patience rapidly reaching its limit.

Watching the man that saved you so many times before look so terrified, eyes round and mouth open, almost made you chuckle.

Oh, how the roles had reversed.

You could almost feel bad for him, given your history. However, it's not like he did anything for free.

Nothing came free in the Underground. Including your life.

"I just wanted to check on you. I was worried." Palms facing you in defense, he tried to sound as peaceful as possible. His fear still shone through the cracks in his wrinkled mask.

That was how humans looked in front of a wounded, furious animal. An animal who had nothing left to lose anymore. You never knew when they could attack and take you down with them.

He tried again. "You haven't been coming to your usual check-ups for the past three months, ever since-"

"I'm not a child anymore," you cut him off sharply.

"I know you're not, I just..." He deeply sighed, eyes casting downwards at the unpleasant memory of your last meeting. "If I could do anything, if I could help in any way, you know I would. I've known you since you were but a child. I can almost say you're like my own daughter. I worry about you."

Your eyes never strayed from him.

One of the reasons you chose to work with as much stealth as possible, unlike regular outlaws looking for trouble, besides your weak body, was your ability to accurately assess the person in front of you.

And the person in front of you right now made you sick to your stomach. His pretended compassion. His pleading words and fake benevolence.

All of it made your guts churn in rage.