where should I begin?

zero sat in the shadows of an alley, eyes cold as he gazed ahead, deep in thought. "setting everything aside, where should i begin?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "let's start with easy to insane challenges. this world... it's filled with fools who sell their bodies, kill, even kidnap, just for money." he smirked bitterly. "money is everything. it buys power, hope, and even happiness. but loyalty? love? no, not even money can touch those. everything has its weaknesses, even money."

his fingers clenched into a fist. "i'll become something so flawless, no one will be able to pinpoint my weaknesses. no one will live long enough to."

dream,

zero found himself standing in a strange, grey room. his friends surrounded him, but something felt off, their faces were blurry, distorted. they were playing, laughing, but it didn't feel real. there was a veil of unease hanging over the scene.

"hey, zero!" a voice called out.

he turned to see hydra, stepping from the shadows. his face was obscured by thick dark smoke, making his expression unreadable.

"what?" zero asked, frowning.

"hand over the leadership," hydra said in a sharp, menacing tone, "or i'll expose your secrets."zero blinked, confused. "{is he kidding? why is he doing this?}"

"no," he said flatly.

without another word, hydra vanished, and the grey room shattered around zero like fragile glass.

time: 12:30 pm,

zero's eyes snapped open. he could hear dogs barking in the distance. he was still in the alley where he had fallen asleep. "wait... i fell asleep in this place?" he muttered, rubbing his head. "ah, who was hydra, again?" he paused, recalling the dream, and shrugged. "anyways... let's set some goals to make things interesting."

his lips curled into a dark smile. "my aim will be to get revenge. i'll bring this world to ruins if i have to. but first, i need to know who i really am." zero's eyes gleamed with twisted excitement. "let's see how long i can last before i'm sentenced or imprisoned. either way, it'll be fun.""hmm, maybe i should head to the nearby casino. if i remember correctly, i overheard some middle-aged guys talking about it."

he smirked, feeling his blood stir at the thought. "gamblers are supposed to be good at lying and setting traps. but can they beat me? heh!"

a few minutes passed, and his confident stride slowed.

"wait... where is the casino?" he muttered, glancing around. the streets looked unfamiliar. "ugh, i think i'm lost."

elsewhere in a dark place,

a woman's voice trembled as she pleaded for her life."let me live! i'll give you everything! no, no, i'll do anything. if you feel lust, y-you can use me, just please, let me live!" her voice cracked, desperation heavy in her tone.

a masked figure stood before her, their face concealed by a mask shaped into a smiling face. they knelt down, grabbing the woman's jaw, forcing her to look up into their cold, lifeless eyes.

"in this world, everything is fake," the masked figure said, voice calm and emotionless, "trust, love, friendship, even the ones you call brothers. they can betray you. no, they will betray you."the woman trembled, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"if i let you live," the masked figure continued, tightening their grip on her jaw, "you could just kill me later. but i want you to understand, i'm not denying you life just for lust. in fact, i will let you leave, with your life."

the woman's eyes widened in disbelief. "w-what? you'll let me live?"

"my lust," the masked figure said, voice chillingly calm, "is only for killing lowlifes like you."

the woman's hope flickered, then quickly died as the figure stepped back, letting go of her jaw."so what now?" she asked, voice shaking. "you're going to kill me? you'll be caught! sentenced to death!"

the masked figure tilted their head, smiling beneath the mask. "oh mortal, i am the end of smiles."

meanwhile,

zero wandered aimlessly through the streets, looking more and more annoyed. "seriously... i'm still lost.."