When the Giants are sleeping

Present.

Joaquin had stopped drinking before. but now even in secret he finds the way to drink liquor every day. some times it is just a gulp. but then there are times in which he drinks till he passes out on the floor. he has been drinking until he almost drowns on melancholy.

for a while Joaquin has been fighting his inner demons. but that won't be the only thing he will have to face. as the past has come to expose the part of him that he regrets the most. a ghost has come to reveal his true colors.

Joaquin is right now walking on the streets. he turns at every corner. a shadow follows his ever step silently. Joaquin knew that someone was following him. he turns around to see a beautiful middle age woman. Joaquin falls on his knees. he trembles. he is in denial.

"hello darling. did you miss me?"

"you are alive? I am so sorry."

"are you? you seem to be fine."

Joaquin is speechless. there is nothing that he can say. all that he can do is to look at the woman standing in front of him. she is someone he betrayed in the past. someone he saw died by his cowardice. a person that should be dead. a past lover.

Joaquin may never receive the opportunity to rewrite his past mistakes. there are things that will stay the way he left them. and then there are things he fucked up, things that are better to leave buried in the past.

the person standing in front of him is nothing less than an old ally, and a new enemy. the person he betrayed in the most cruel way. the person he regrets betraying the most. and the person he had wished to never ever see again.

like it was confirmed before. Joaquin was in a dark place when he first woke up inside of a Son of Sun game. he died in that first round. but before dying there are many, so many things he did wrong while trying to survive.

it is now that Joaquin has been trying to do things different. he is trying to do the correct thing every time a struggle presents itself in front of him. Joaquin has tried so hard to stay away from the person he used to be.

has Joaquin changed at all? we may never know, but the thing that is for sure is that he is trying his best to be the best version of himself.

a pitiful fool fighting his own self. that is how he used to be described in the past. now he is trusted by his comrades. and he is even seen by others as a great leader.

the woman in front of Joaquin gives a few steps forward. she whispers some words. then she leaves silently. it is clear what she wants. she only wants to take her revenge. she wishes to break Joaquin slowly as she plays with him.

that woman is no other than Antonella. Joaquin knows so well why her hatred towards him is so personal. as he was the caused of her death on a previous game. he betrayed her. she was more than a lover then.

that was when Joaquin first arrived on this world. a time in which he had forgotten about his morals and humanity. after Antonella's death he tried to undo his past mistakes. it has been so long since Joaquin was that man. he has changed. he changed. or did he?

every human believe to be born good. or to have a balanced perspective of what is morality correct or incorrect. but does it even matter on a situation like that? there is nothing nor no one to truly judge them based on their actions.

back to the main point of the story. Joaquin is struggling between his desire to do morally correct things and his instincts. the instincts he has developed on this place.

Joaquin takes some minutes to realized that it has become dark outside. he has lose too much time thinking about the past. about the woman he cared for once. the woman who gave him her heart and he betrayed.

Joaquin trying to find his way back home, accidentally stop in front of a street full of merchants selling all kinds of things. Joaquin goes around looking at all the things in there. there is something that he felt to be charming.

the middle age man scratches his head as he rethinks about his past actions. there is more than regret written all over his life. there are things he would never change. every wrinkle in his face is evidence of his life experience.

there are a few gray hairs on his head. some scars all over his body. there are many things left untold jet. soon, someday we will be told the story of how Joaquin fell down into despair and was a shadow of what he is today. but not now, not jet.

Joaquin asks himself if it will be better to come clean with the boys. then comes the realization that its too late. he didn't talked about it before, there is no reason to do it now. then the only other solution is to clean the shit show by himself.

she is going to keep coming after him. she will never stop. she will never leave until he either breaks down or she finds a better way to torment him.

there are some old ladies selling exotic fruits. there are some old people selling exotic plants with different purposes. there are some selling nice clothing. there are many more things on the market. then Joaquin looks at a medallion that reminds him of his past.

there are NPC kids playing around. one of the kids crashes into Joaquin. the kid asks to be forgiven as he looks down on the floor. most common NPCs have respect and fear for the players because that is how they were programmed to behave.

Joaquin looks up at the dark sky ignoring the children. a sigh comes out. its about time to return to the base. his people may be missing him right now. there is emptiness and sorrow inside of Joaquin's deep brown eyes. too much for a man alone to handle.

Joaquin keeps looking around trying to keep his head empty. trying to forget all his issues for at least one day. there are some nice people offering interesting things. Joaquin buys with a fake smile. he force himself to pretend to be alright.

once he is done Joaquin leaves. it didn't took long for Joaquin to arrive at the base. the first face he saw was Doctor Middle Finger, who welcomed him awkwardly.

"sir, with all due respect. you had been out of it for some time now. we'll are worry about your safety. so if there is anything that we should know, we are here for you sir."

"even if it rains a tree stays still. only a weak tree falls in the presence of a loud storm. I try not to imitate a tree, but I am like a strong oak. there is nothing to worry about."

"sir what is worth a tree that stands and falls down alone? is there any pride in such solitude? I prefer to be a human that stands and falls with others."

"most days you don't stand out among other's shadows. jet here you're bring me some wisdom. I may turn to you in the future to vent my secrets."

"that sounds fine to me, but only if I get a turn into confessing my own dark secrets."

they had the rest of the night to have a simple conversation. somehow that was enough for Joaquin to feel better.

there are thunder and lighting whipping the perfectly bright blue sky. there is rain without any clouds out there. and after all that scandal, the peace will come back with a rainbow on the sky as a symbol of safety. real or false, the safety will be felt and seen.

there aren't many things to say, about the theories of the human soul. it is surreal to believe that there is a spirit in every body. no science can probe it, jet it can be felt. it can hurt and it can be heal in moments of need. it is like a baby living inside of our hearts.

we all become afraid of losing our soul. because to 'lose' something that isn't physical can come with multiples implications, so many horrifying things. and jet some of us don't care. they cross the line leaving behind their soul. their humanity. themselves.

now it depends of Joaquin if he will become vile and cruel as Federico's desperation. or if he will choose the right and proper way. there is no one else to guide him. he can only depend of himself and his trust to his soul. is he going to lose it? or is he not?

there is a vicious bomb about to explode inside of Joaquin's heart. is it going to bring brighter tomorrows? or is it going to invoke even more storms? there is no one to answer either of those questions. only a distorted time can bring those answers.

time keeps moving without permission from others. it advances as a plague of decay. dread will be all that we can have as an absolute answer.

Joaquin sits in front of a dark table. everyone else is also here. the others are on a brighter side of the table. there are some old known faces. two new faces. and then there are the phantoms of the past that follow every foot print.

Joaquin didn't had many options left when he took the leadership. he can't blame others nor accuse them of betrayal. it was all Joaquin's choice. he has to accept everything that comes with been the leader and boss. even the nights of darkness.

Joaquin is too afraid of opening up to others. the moment he says anything. everyone else will judge his leadership. they will look down on him. so all that he has left is to stay silent. to overlook everything around of him.

in the past Joaquin knew that he wasn't good enough to be the leader. he tried to accept his weakness and to give up. but now he holds the given title like if his life depends of it. there is nothing more important to Joaquin now, than to stay as the captain of the Guild.

someone asks something. Joaquin gives a cold fake smile. then he looks around hoping that someone will notice that he isn't feeling well, but no one said a single word. there is only an immense silence. then he keeps thinking.

Joaquin haven't been sleeping much. is probable that it will stay like that for as long as he breathes and is conscious. his nightmares have a name and a face. soon those nightmares may become a reality.

there are many things that were left unsolved in the previous game. there are many enemies that may come after Joaquin at any moment just like Antonella, they will be after his life and reputation.

there are many names that he has to keep erased. if any of them reappears, then he will have no other option than to erase it once more.

at some point in his life he loved Antonella. she was especial to Joaquin for some time. and is out of obligation that his only option is to eliminate her. to erase her from this world. to make sure she never talks.

that is not a proper way to speak about an ex lover, but in this world there is nothing that is left untouched nor clean. you have to get dirty, to make it right. or that is just Joaquin's perspective about life in this world.

Joaquin has hopes of returning home.

"sir do you have something to share with all of us?"

"no, everything will be soon as it should be. I will make sure of it."