"What are you waiting for? It's not like you have anything else to do; it's all so boring anyway."
"Jump."
"Go on and jump, it's time to end it, kill yourself."
The voice continued its assault on a lone figure who stood gazing out over the city of Heinlein. His hazel eyes were lifeless, like those of a dead fish, while his dark brown hair fluttered in the wind.
"Sebastian, there's nothing for you here. Let go… jump."
The voice kept calling to the man, Sebastian, but he ignored it for a while, instead looking up at the setting sun as the morning chill began to retreat.
He took a deep breath and looked down at the city of Heinlein before turning back—only to find no one in front of him.
But then the voice sounded again, this time from his left. "Now what? Do you have something better to do? Obviously not! Continuing on is just delaying your well-deserved rest."
Sebastian scratched the back of his neck, turned to his left, and saw a dark, shadowy figure with the faint outline of a face floating beside him.
"I hate Mondays as much as the next guy, but I'm not about to kill myself over one, not yet," he replied to the shade, conjuring a small flame in his palm and burning the shade to a crisp.
'I wasn't about to listen to any more of that… not on a Monday.'
With that, Sebastian turned and descended to the main street of the city, passing scattered soldiers who looked down at him. As he walked, those who met his deadened eyes instantly saluted him—not only out of respect but also fear.
Without acknowledging them, he returned their salutes, weakly and absently, and continued his path through the city.
He barely noticed, but he overheard a mutter from one of the heavily armored guards far back, speaking to a companion.
"…What is the Demon of Inferno doing here?"
"No idea. Did they call him back from the frontlines?"
Sebastian ignored their whispers, moving on in what felt like an almost aimless walk. His eyes drifted to a red flag displaying a black wolf baring its fangs—the flag of Reindenburg.
His gaze didn't linger on the flag for long before it moved to a large poster on the wall, depicting two soldiers standing side by side, their figures expertly drawn by an artist. Sebastian's expression was anything but amused as he looked at the poster.
His eyes locked onto the figure on the left: it was him. Beside him stood a red-haired woman of the same age, her arms crossed, electricity sparking around her in the illustration.
They looked straight at the viewer with the caption below, reading, 'We need you! Join the war against Edoran and fight for your country right by our side.'
Muttering something barely audible, he raised his hand, gathering mana from the air until it swirled around his fingers. He touched a part of the poster briefly before turning away, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his coat.
As he continued his walk, numerous soldiers saluted him. He returned their salutes absentmindedly, paying them little attention, his footsteps echoing softly off the cobblestone walls of the nearly deserted streets.
Soldiers marched in tight formations, their eyes sharp and watchful, ensuring that no one dared step out of line.
The streets were silent, except for the echo of armored boots and the distant murmur of whispers of the soldiers who locked eyes with Sebastian.
In the distance, the massive wall surrounding Heinlein loomed high, obscuring much of the sky.
Beyond it, a large building towered even higher than the wall itself, surrounded by looming towers. It was the place Sebastian was heading: the Prison of Heinlein.
But his ears perked up as he heard rapid footsteps approaching. Mana surged through his body, sharpening his senses, while the heat radiating from him made his skin burn, fire threatening to erupt from within.
His body twisted swiftly, his eyes clearing as they seemed to burn in sync with the intensity building inside him.
Before he could erupt in flames to defend himself, a sudden slap hit his back.
The pain barely registered, but when he saw the face of the one who struck him, he immediately quelled the fire within him.
"Were you trying to get yourself killed?" Sebastian asked, his tone devoid of amusement as he glanced at the woman in front of him.
She had flowing red hair and sapphire-blue eyes, which glimmered playfully as she slapped his back a couple of times, a wide smile stretching across her face.
"Oh please, not like you could kill me with your water-boiler attack… but anyways, you goddamn bastard…" Her laughter faded, and her smile vanished as her eyes turned steely. Electricity surged through her body as her own element began to manifest.
Pointing at the poster showcasing both of them, she jabbed a finger toward her own face. "You really had to draw a mustache on my face?! What are you, twelve?!"
Her anger was short-lived, as her stern expression crumbled in an instant, leaving Sebastian puzzled. He glanced back at the poster, only to see that his own face had a mustache drawn on it as well.
"It's decent to see you as well, Kate."
"God damn bastard, would it kill you to say 'good' instead?"
"It quite literally would." Answered Sebastian with a deadpan expression.
"Damn bastard!"
The two of them continued to bicker in the middle of the street while some of the soldiers gazed at them with unreadable expressions.
This time, it was the two of them walking through the streets of Heineil, the capital of Reindenburg, their goal was the Prison, both of them were called by the upper management to this place.
While walking towards the main gate of the prison, Sebastian couldn't help but ask, "do you even know why they called us here?"
"They want us to take up some management positions and interrogate some high-profile targets… wait, where are you going?"
The moment Kate mentioned 'management positions' Sebastian stopped in his tracks, losing interest instantly, he was just going to leave the city when something blue fleshed up in front of him.
[Turn back and take up a management position in the Heinlein Prison and gain access to the system]
Said a strange monotone voice in his ears, it was akin to someone talking to him by telepathy.
'What the—'
[First mission: Take the management position in the prison.]
'Still no, too much of a bother.'
[Reward: a guaranteed chance to ease your boredom forever.]
[Failure: You will remain empty and miserable for the rest of your life.]
'A chance…?' while he almost regained the vigor in his eyes, he was still on guard, 'what could I receive, what even is there just to make this emptiness go away?'
As if directly hearing his thoughts, the mechanical voice spoke up again together with the blue shifting screen in front of him.
[Femboys]
Sebastian's eyes widened.
'Why didn't you start with that?'