Chapter 45

Jericho was more ashamed of weeping in front of others than of losing his hand.

Though he is a trained assassin who trumps most of humanity's best fighters, he allowed his deepest desires to be exploited.

Aristeous. Jericho swore he would never forget this name. That name belonged to the man who caused his first defeat.

The defeat was frustrating yet liberating. It made him feel more human, a trait he never thought he would gain back.

Brainwashed assassins like him bottled all emotions, using them to fuel their bloodlust.

But when he woke up on that particular flight, his perspective of the world had altered. The joy and peaceful life he had always yearned for became his memories— a part of his life.

His broadened horizon shattered the isolated world he had been dwelling in.

He saw the good in society and people worth protecting.

This very sense of belonging and justice led to his first loss, but he was proud of himself for his heart was no longer stone-cold.

Jericho stayed awake for the duration of the tending of his gnarly wound. He didn't want to fall asleep and wake up as if nothing had happened.

He wanted to watch his injury. He wanted to remember the scorching pain.

Jericho was snuggly nestled in a luxurious king-sized bed, his whole body perceiving the softness and comfortability of the mattress.

He heard a knock before the cabin door creaked open.

"Feeling any better?"

Pushing open the cabin door, Esther walked inside with a silver tray in her hands. Jericho heard the faint sound of medical pills rolling and mineral water swishing against the walls of the plastic bottle.

"Much better. I can barely feel the pain." Jericho smiled, rubbing the wrapped nub of his severed hand. He could obviously still feel the pain, but it was insignificant as compared to what he had gone through during his hellish training.

Esther set down the silver tray on the bedside nightstand. She placed the plastic bottle on a coaster before twisting open the cap to contain the rolling pills.

"Pain killers and some other relievers with similar effects," Esther explained the function of the pills as she tucked the tray under her arms. "But I think you should know that already."

Jericho confirmed with a nod. After years and years of training, he could clarify the purpose of any medicine at the top of his head.

Esther snorted a chuckle. She sat down on the corner of the king-sized bed, letting out a long sigh.

"I wish my kids were as capable as you," she said. "Smart. Powerful. Independent." Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the tray, demonstrating hints of concern and anxiety.

Her subtle compliments heartened Jericho.

"But you trust them? Don't you?" Jericho positioned himself upright and comforted her. He didn't enjoy the words he had uttered. It was cheesy, but he knew it would make her happy.

Just as he predicted, Esther calmed herself as her anxious tapping faded. "I do. I trust them. It's just a mother's concern for her children." Shielding her face, she continued. "Our family has been separated. My children are far away in two different countries full of monsters! Are they safe? Did they turn? Are they alive? I have no idea! How could anyone not worry?"

Jericho answered with silence, patting her shoulders to display his sympathy. He doesn't know how this sympathy of his developed. Had he begun to act more human?

Grimacing with worry, she rubbed her reddened eyes. "I'm sorry, Jericho. My venting got a little too emotional…"

"There's no problem at all," Jericho replied softly. He wanted to say more to comfort her, but no words came out.

For the first time, he realized why being attached was prohibited during his training.

It was because you shoulder the emotions for the ones you care about.

He hated seeing her sad.

Her tears made his heart ache.

To be frank, he still couldn't understand why he felt this way for either of the husband and wife. Perhaps it was because they deeply connected through Earth, or maybe it was because they were the first people who were genuine to him.

"I'll leave you here to recover, Jericho." Esther stood up, composing herself.

The corner of Jericho's mouth quivered, as if he was trying to mention something, but failed at the very last second.

As Esther left the cabin after pouring her heart out, Jericho stared blankly at the painkillers on the bedside nightstand, contemplating.

****

Getting out of bed to inspect the cruise ship he had taken over, Jericho finally received news regarding Aristeous.

There was both good news and bad news.

The bad news was that he escaped. The other yacht of survivors from Kujil Island that docked Utopia, later on, was hijacked by Aristeous.

Jericho knows that Aristeous is most likely heading towards the mainland too. He wasn't certain whether Aristeous would be intercepted by the octopus creature or not, but he would rather kill Aristeous himself the next time they crossed paths.

The good news was that the cruise ship was minutes away from Palican City where they can finally access the obelisks.

Also, no one else was killed or injured during Aristeous's escape. But the safety of others was the least of his concern.

"The centrepieces are most likely brimming with survivors already. But you have confidence in yourself, right?"

Glancing into the horizon where the land began to emerge within the control rooms, Jay questioned Jericho.

White haze billowed from the smokestacks atop Utopia, indicating the operation of the ship's engine. The clouds in the blue sky accompanied the generated haze, racing against one another as they drifted towards the city.

"Do you think I'm the real deal?" Raising his brows, Jericho answered rhetorically.

Jay laughed. "I'm impressed by your confidence! And I will stand by it! With your current performances, you'll be the one claiming the top spot for sure!"

"Hopefully I can receive enough points to fix my hand," Jericho mumbled, waving his handless wrist. Losing sense of his fingers had started to irk him.

Points were the reward system for the centerpieces. Only the top 3 candidates in every Rank would attain points, which would greatly benefit the individual.

1 point is given to the third place, 2 points are given to the second place, and the first place would receive 3 points.

Even if you were flushed down from the top 3 positions on the leaderboard, the points you earned previously will still retain.

It was the only reason why Jay, Esther, and Jericho were just eager to reach the city faster— to obtain a better ranking while competition is scarce.

Applied universally across every obelisk on the planet, these important points can be exchanged for wishes. The wishes can vary, and after evaluation by the centrepieces, their difficulty of attainability will determine the number of points required to accomplish the desired wish.

Jericho was already aware of the obelisk's magical capabilities, but he wasn't sure how many resources it would require to fully heal his hand.

In fact, no one really knew the exact points needed for certain objectives. The price of every wish depended on the centrepieces' evaluations.

As the cruise ship slashed through the ebbing waves of the ocean, Jericho snapped out of his thoughts.

Beneath the control room, Jericho could witness the waterfall of colorful slides, cascading down the majestic layers of decks.

Funny enough, he has never experienced a playground slide in his entire life, not to mention extravagant water slides.

'What would it feel like?' He wondered.

Noticing Jericho's look of envy and curiosity, Jay smiled as he approached slowly. "Hey kiddo, since our journey on Utopia is about to come to an end, why not try out their facilities?"

"Me?" Pointing to himself, Jericho attempted to maintain a serious expression. However, Jay's welcoming presence always forced him to crack open a grin.

"Who else could I be talking to?" Jay said cheerfully and wrapped his arms closely around Jericho's shoulders. "This whole entertainment cruise ship is yours, so why not make good use of it? What do you say? Wanna let loose and have some fun?"

"I… I suppose…" Jericho replied timidly, but his peeking eyes revealed his excitement to explore the cruise ship.

It was the first time he had been offered to have fun, and he was instantly persuaded.