[Sanguine-System has been activated, Lance! Congratulations on your new ability opening up to you]
[Level:0]
[100/100 HP]
[50/50 MP]
He could hear vibrate in is ears as he silently came to opening his eyes to his mother sitting beside him , her hands shaking slightly, and a frown stretched across her face.
"I… I did it?!" Lance asked with excitement and disbelief, slowly sitting up from the ground and smiling back at her. She nodded happily, tears forming in her eyes as she let out a happy giggle and enveloped Lance into a tight embrace.
"But now your life is going to get harder..." She spouted. "If I had known we were going to be having a son this early, then maybe… I don't know…" Tears began falling down her face, and she squeezed her grip around him tighter. He felt his smile falter at that comment.
How much longer was he supposed to have before this happened again?
"Hey mom, don't cry okay? Everything will work out in the end," Lance assured her through her sobs. His mom's grip loosened for a moment, but it soon returned with full force.
"How can you say that Lance? Your'e only 10!" She cried, tightening the grip of her arms around him again. Lance tried to reassure her that he was fine, just a little tired. His mom didn't seem to listen though.
"Mom!"
"How can you keep saying things like that?" She said through her sniffles and hiccups. Lance tried not to sigh.
There goes that chance of being a kid again…
Lance watched as his mother stood up after pulling away from the hug and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"I'm sorry sweetie... I shouldn't burden you with this. Go rest okay? Tomorrow is going to be an important day..."
"Important day?!" Lance shouted. His mother flinched before looking back down guiltily. She took a small breath before continuing.
"Your father wants to bring you to his work place..." She explained. Lance's brows furrowed.
"You're taking me to dad?" He repeated dumbly. His mom shook her head no.
"No... he wanted to take you today."
A loud gasp slipped past Lance's lips as his mind went blank at the thought of seeing his father again. His stomach dropped and his eyes grew wider than usual.
How could he possibly deal with this situation? Why couldn't he have gone on a different mission, but instead he was reborn to take down the scariest man who ever met? It's not like anything bad could happen with them both gone, and now that he was here with her, it made everything worse.
"Is he awake?" Lance asked quietly. Her gaze shifted towards him, giving a slight nod.
"Good now get dressed, Lance okay?" His father smiled.
A smile that Lance knew wouldn't last long, and he looked away in fear. he got up as his mother left and he got dressed walking downstairs to find his Dad dressed normally in a light blue blazer and slacks with some brown shoes.
His father noticed Lance standing there awkwardly, and gave him a warm hug. Lance tensed up at first but eventually relaxed against his father and wrapped his arm around him.
*********
Getting out of the car Lance instantly recognized the place he was walking to. The one place where he was killed and he lost everything. It brought back memories of the fight when all he saw was black and nothing else at the end.
He could feel his throat tighten not wanting to move forward, but his father pushed him along with a chuckle and motioned towards the door. Lance took a deep breath and walked inside with shaky legs, trying to steady himself despite the nerves running through him.
It felt more empty without the family he left behind. He wondered how old his little sister was, but he was too nervous to think. Lance turned the corner to see an older man in his late 30's working at the front desk. Lance walked to stand next to his father as he greeted them, and gave a quick glance over to Lance.
"This is my son," His dad told the man. "His name is Lance."
"Will you be teaching him the grind? What are his powers?" He asked excitedly with a huge grin. Lance stiffened slightly. What does he want from him now?
"Oh yes, uh... I would love to do that," His dad replied nervously, glancing at Lance. This caused the man to stare at him expectantly.
A bunch of women clamored in the room in provocative clothing causing Lance to blush at their apearance , and he prayed he wasn't about to faint. They all seemed to be around his mother's age.
Some of the girls seemed interested in Lance's appearance while others glanced at his father curiously. A few even started whispering and giggling among themselves.
"Welcome to the business of being bad!" The man shouted.
Slapping him on the back while licking his lips. Lance froze. The woman he had seen earlier grabbed his hand and placed it in her bosom. His father quickly pulled him back, and he happily accepted as her hand brushed up against his crotch.
She winked at him, and Lance felt himself growing warm again. He didn't know what she was doing to him,but her touch made him feel uneasy.
Suddenly there was a bang against the counter followed by someone shouting, "What do you mean I've been stuck with this shitty job for the past 2 years?"
"Yes that was a lie," The man chuckled, "I mean you've been put on this horrible job by Mr. Keith Kogane because he doesn't trust you! So I've taken the role of boss for 2 whole years, and you haven't done anything but complain! Now, come on up with me and make yourself useful. This boy isn't worth the time I've spent." The man grabbed Lance's wrist harshly and lead him away.
"Sorry about that kid. But you'll be good for us now right?"
Lance's eyes widened as he processed those words, and he nodded numbly. As they walked to an elevator the man turned to him with a smirk.
"The top floor. You'll be staying in our penthouse until I'm satisfied with how much money you bring to this organization," He stated. Lance gulped and nodded.
As they arrived at the top floor Lance gasped at the sight. The entire office was decorated in shades of red and gold, and many other decorations decorated the apartment complex. Lance noticed a small table in front of a large window in the living room, and he felt a tinge of dread wash over him at the sight of a bottle of red wine.
"Well what's the matter? Don't like it? Here try this one," The man chuckled as he pushed the bottle closer. Lance reluctantly reached forward and picked it up, immediately choking on it. The man cackled loudly and laughed loudly at the reaction.
There was other boys and girls there his same age all playing around. Some were dressed fancy while others were wearing simple outfits.
"A newbie to learn their abilities too!" A girl smiled.
One of the girls was wearing a green dress with red accents, another had a red jacket, and the other guy, a tall black haired man, wore a white shirt with black slacks underneath a dark blue jacket.
He didn' know who they were. All that mattered right now was he had company his own age. Lance sighed softly as he continued watching everyone around him play around. Suddenly a voice from beside him startled him.
"Do you like it Lance?" The girl asked. He turned his attention to her.
"Wait how did you know my name?!" He shouted. She pouted before grabbing his chin and turning his head around.
"Letty is a mind reader and can read moves!" A boy yelled.
"So cool." He whispered.
"I know!" Letty replied happily. Lance smiled back at her.
"So, Lance. Do you think we should play a game?" Letty asked him. Lance blinked a few times to try and process what he just heard.
"Since we got the last member I am proud to announce to that this is now your home and where you will learn till you are of age." The man announced. Lance's eyes widen in shock. Did he hear that right? Home?
His parents weren't going to be coming to pick him up? That's not what happened in the movies! His heart dropped as his stomach began churning.
"We've prepared all your rooms and they are ready, and you're free to decorate any way you please. So if you want to hang out, go ahead. You're all dismissed." He added waving his hands. Lance let his body follow the motions before turning around and staring at the people still present around him.
Another woman came into the room giving each kid a key to their room. Lance's noticed his father came up to greet his son. He looked around for a moment before smiling and patting his shoulder proudly.
"Alright Lance, let's get home so you can go home to pack." His father grinned. Lance swallowed hard before nodding slightly and following his father outside. The ride home was silent. No one said anything to anyone.
Lance couldn't bring himself to talk anyway. His head hurt and his stomach was filled with anxious thoughts and questions.
He didn't know what to say or how to act. All he knew was he hated this feeling. When the car stopped Lance stepped outside cautiously. His heart clenched at the cold wind that blew his short hair around. His fingers curled up into loose fists in hopes of containing them. Lance didn't know why but something about this building always bothered him, and he couldn't figure out why.