It Begins (2)

Staring at the decrepit old doorknob on his shabby apartment, Sebastian couldn't help but sigh regretfully.

'How do I tell her I messed up?'

Chewing his lip, Sebastian recalled the events before meeting with Vulcan. He remembered the callous decision to spin the wheel, as well as his incompetence in regards to regaining control of the Specter.

Sighing heavily, he debated one final topic before entering the apartment.

'What do I do about Vulcan?'

The Tarot Game. The strange 'gamble' she'd mentioned. And the possibility of the lives he could save. All of it was a lot to say the least, and he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't experienced it firsthand.

Nevertheless, the hardest decision was objectively in regards to him accepting Vulcan's offer.

Sebastian cared for people, at least he thought he did. Their lives had significantly more value than his own from his perspective, whether that correlated to compassion or something else entirely wasn't his concern.

But this wasn't a decision between his life and those of others, it was between those he cared for and a bunch of strangers.

If he risked it and participated in the game, what would happen if he died? 

He'd essentially be leaving Baba, her granddaughter, and Elizabeth to fend for themselves. Would that not render all his efforts since his father disappeared inane?

'I'll think about it later. Need to cook dinner.'

Solidifying his resolve, Sebastian twisted the rusted door knob and threw open the door.

"I'm home—"

Immediately, his words caught in his throat. Drowned out by the instinctive release of saliva, prompted by the wonderful scent that entered his nose.

Was that…beef?

No, it wasn't just beef. Gravy, cheese, rice. Flavors he hadn't smelled since his mother passed away all began to smack him in the face at once, filling him with an indescribable sense of euphoria and longing.

Forcing himself to come back to reality, Sebastian spat into the trash bin and blinked a few times.

"Liz? You here?"

Hearing his voice, Elizabeth ran out of the small kitchen with a ladle in her hand. Her short frame made her look like a child welcoming their parents home, but Sebastian didn't mind. In fact, seeing her like that was a somber image for him.

It reminded him that he failed to provide for her.

Before he could be allowed to wallow in his regrets, Elizabeth's arms wrapped themselves tightly around him. Embracing him as she excitedly jumped up and down.

"Seb! Seb! I gotta show you something! After dinner though, it's a surprise!"

Quickly releasing him, Elizabeth retrieved her ladle and swiftly ran back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"Where did you get all this? You didn't…steal, did you?"

The accusation had to be forced out of him, he especially didn't want to accuse his only family of something. Most notably because people in the Lower District were given no leniency when it came to crimes.

Elizabeth snorted.

"What? No! I got all of this because I've been saving up just for this moment. Have a little faith in me!"

Sebastian let out a relieved sigh as he removed his thick coat. The aluminum seemed especially cold today, likely because it'd received a few tears — harming its environmental resilience.

Entering the kitchen, he got some tap water from the sink.

"Really? What moment, exactly?"

Lightly tapping her ladle on the side of a pot which seemed to contain some sort of strange mixture, Elizabeth turned back and smiled.

"That's the surprise, goof! I'll tell you after we eat."

Shrugging, Sebastian took his water and sat down at the small table in the far end of the kitchen. As far as it could be, at least.

It only took a few minutes to finish her preparations and bring two plates over to the table, putting the remaining food up for a later date.

Immediately, Sebastian once again was filled with that same overwhelming sense of euphoria. Now, even more potent than ever before.

On his plate was a comparatively massive steak, cooked so perfectly its juices practically could've been considered a sauce in and of themselves.

Next to the steak were green beans, seasoned with herbs and spices Sebastian hadn't even seen before, and mashed potatoes with similar composition. Not to mention the two pieces of soft, fluffy cornbread that was placed on a separate, smaller plate.

After a quick prayer, the two immediately dug into their meal, feasting on beef in what felt like the first time in years.

'Or well, I guess it has been years, hasn't it?'

The somber thoughts were swiftly pushed aside, replaced by the delectable and overwhelming flavor of beef and potato. Not to mention the greens and bread!

After half an hour of silent eating, the two simultaneously let out satisfied sighs. Leaning back in their respective chairs with content smiles. 

"Alright! Onto business!"

Liz suddenly slammed her palms against the table, causing it to creak slightly as she stood to her feet. A wide smile formed across her face as she took a deep breath.

"Guess what, Seb!"

Sebastian chuckled, taking a sip from his glass.

"What?"

Almost as if she'd been freed from heavy chains, Elizabeth shouted as loud as she could:

"I awakened!"

Sebastian immediately spat out his water, facing her with wide eyes…with an apparent concern behind them.

"What? What do you mean? When? How?"

Elizabeth put her finger over her lips and swiftly shushed her brother.

"Those details don't matter! All that matters is I can finally get us out of here! I hear a lot of heroes contract with big-time companies as sponsors, I'm sure I can easily sign with one!"

Making his way over to her side of the table, Sebastian's surprise turned into a strange ferocity as he grasped her shoulders. Yet, somehow Elizabeth felt as if this anger wasn't directed toward her.

"Liz. Please. I need you to take this seriously."

Elizabeth rose a brow before brushing off Sebastian's hold.

"Why are you acting so serious? Did something happen at the test site?"

Sebastian shook his head and slammed his fist down onto the table, causing his sister to flinch.

"This isn't about the test, Elizabeth! I need to make sure you're safe! In order to do that, I need you to stop being so dismissive for once and just listen to me!"

In the midst of his anger, it'd taken Sebastian far longer than usual to notice his sister shaking.

Immediately, his expression softened.

"Liz, I'm sorry, it's just I—"

Elizabeth didn't respond, sniffling as she turned and ran back to her room. Sebastian didn't even try to stop her, dejectedly sitting on a table chair as he stared aimlessly at the floor.

This scene seemed strangely familiar. He was behaving exactly like his father, wasn't he?

'How ironic…'

Truth be told, Sebastian was trying. He really, really was. Trying to keep himself sane so he could take care of Liz along with Baba and her granddaughter.

But how could someone without value maintain that conviction?

How could he desire to keep going?

How could he live?

Placing a hand over his eyes, Sebastian leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. Thinking over Vulcan's words, he tried his best to consider the facets of the Tarot Game.

Now that his sister was involved, whether or not she knew about it was irrelevant. He had to figure out some way to guarantee her safety…and maybe the others' too.

'Considering I didn't get some sort of penalty for actively denying to participate, I don't think the end condition of this all is necessarily killing anyone or everyone. But, if that's the case, what exactly qualifies as 'winning'? And why hasn't anyone thought beyond killing each other?'

Still somber about his behavior, Sebastian decided to push the thought aside for tomorrow. Chewing his lip as he contemplated apologizing to his sister, Sebastian didn't even notice he'd left the sink running.

Sighing, he reluctantly turned to face the running water with a scowl.

'Damn! That's gonna run the bill up!'

Jumping to his feet, he ran over and shut off the faucet.

But for some reason, he paused.

"That doesn't make sense…"

Elizabeth got a glass after him, hadn't she? And he knew she shut it off, he saw it.

A dark thought pervaded his mind, prompting him to immediately rush out of the kitchen. A cold sweat drenched his clothing as he slid through the living room, hoping to make it into Elizabeth's room before it was too late.

"Liz! Get out now!"

Unfortunately, his time was up.

[ The Fool has challenged The Wheel of Fortune to a Card Duel! ]

[ The Duel will now commence! ]

Instantly, an immense pressure tore through Sebastian's clothing. Throwing him out of the apartment.

***

From the moment he was born, Joshua Saint had always been 'lucky'.

As a child, he'd find wallets filled to the brim with cash on the street. Or be there at the perfect moment once a shop closes to get the remaining goods for the night.

Even as he grew, one undeniable belief cemented itself in his persona.

The world was his. And it did as he desired.

Or at least that was what he believed, until he came face-to-face with the barrel of a gun in his early twenties.

The assailant's smoking pistol had just been used to slaughter his 'patron'. Leaving him backed up against the wall. The old fool was probably just another gambling addict he'd beaten, what a sore loser!

Of course, his false confidence was instantly shattered when confronted with death. Luck wouldn't bail him out of a bullet to the brain.

[ Are you satisfied? ]

Or would it?

'Satisfied? Hell no! I'm absolutely, positively, undeniably perfect in every way! Are you proposing I'd be 'satisfied' dying to some dysfunctional junkie in the middle of the Lower District? At the very least I'd rather be killed in my penthouse, fool!'

[ You're an…interesting one, aren't you? ]

[ So be it. ]

Instantly, an overwhelming force seemed to strengthen his body. Or rather…it reinvigorated it.

As if the hands of lady luck herself had embraced him, confirming his existence as a truly flawless individual!

[ Welcome, Heaven-Sent, to your Second Life! ]

[ Assigned Tarot: The Fool ]

[ Arcana: Lady Luck's Groom ]

'Ah…'

Joshua lowered his gaze, not even reading the rest. Much to the disdain of his attacker.

"Lift your head up! I want you to see your killer, boy!"

It was subtle at first, but the man could've sworn he heard…chuckling?

That chuckle soon turned into laughter, and that laughter into an awful cackle.

"So I am one in a million—no—in a trillion, after all! Luck looks upon me with favor, how wondrous!"

Joshua's arms thrusted outward, as if thanking some impossible presence. Or rather, it was like he was reveling in his own achievement.

It took a moment for Joshua's cackle to die down, but it quieted nonetheless.

He graced the tip of the man's gun with a smile and warm gaze as he spoke.

"My friend, I heavily suggest you don't pull that trigger."

The attacker froze, as if questioning his victim's sanity. But quickly recovered with a swift shaking of his head as he brushed Joshua's hand away and pressed the firearm against his temple.

"I'll show you! Walking around like you own us! I'll show all you Uppies you're human too!"

With that, he pulled the trigger.

Click.

Suddenly, he broke into a cold sweat. Panic began to take over, the gun was new, wasn't it? Why wasn't it working? He loaded it didn't he? What did this bastard do to it?

An unrelenting onslaught of thoughts tormented his already fragile mental state, prompting him to hurriedly pull the trigger again. And again. And again.

Click. Click. Click.

The attacker looked at his gun, then at Joshua's haughty grin. It was as if he were staring at the incarnation of evil, or more precisely, a beautiful representation of it.

"Seems your gun is jammed, my friend. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Except me, of course."

Joshua simply took the gun out of the attacker's defeated grasp and pulled it on him. The attacker's gaze was empty, yet confident. After all, he'd pulled the trigger four times, the gun was without a doubt broken!

Bam!

Before the attacker could even regret his decisions, his body fell lifelessly to the ground. Leaving Joshua surrounded with the bloody aftermath of the poor fool's death. Somehow, he was completely untouched.

"How wonderful. Does this make me a Hero, then? Hm, I oughta see the benefits of that."

With that Joshua walked off, his continual smirk widening as he left the macabre scene.