The ceiling was calming - so was thinking of absolutely nothing.

  The emptiness of Zain’s mind served as a sort of defense mechanism, preventing him from thinking of the mess that was his life.

  The two weeks he had spent undercover had amounted to nothing but endless police reports and interviews. Not only that, there was probably a lunatic who remembered his face and would most likely kick his ass if they ever met again - so there was also that to look forward to.

  That wasn’t even the worst part.

  No, the worst part was his inevitable recruitment to Devante’s company. This unavoidable fate was why Zain was laying in his bed, just staring at the empty ceiling.

  At least Devante’s wife would not find fault in his work, because he had done what was expected of him. But (even though he had done what she asked of him) that didn’t mean he wasn’t still scared of her.

  Now that all of the interviews with the police had concluded, he was expected to meet with Cherry, so she could take him back to the organization headquarters in order to discuss his contract and the voyage happening in two weeks. There were a lot of preparations before they left, so there was little time to waste.

  There was little time…but here he was, laying down with less than an hour to get to the meeting spot.

  The will just wasn’t in him.

  How could he help it? He really didn’t want to go.

  This whole situation really sucked, and the fact that he was stuck in this mess didn’t help matters.

  Come on…you have to get up…

  Still, his body didn’t want to leave his bed.

  He was really skirting the line with each passing minute, but finding the motivation was difficult.

  In his time of need, his mind wandered back to somewhere he could feel comfortable. Of course, he thought back to the times when he was still with his mom. Rummaging through his mind, he recalled something his mother had told him whenever he didn’t want to do something.

  ‘Even if your heart isn’t in something, sometimes you have to move your body in order to get to a place where it will be.’

  Maybe this job could lead to something better in the future? Maybe this was his dream job and he just didn’t know it? What was the harm of dreaming? Hoping?

  Zain threw his hands up, wrenching the worries and anxieties outside of his mind. Those things weren’t getting him anywhere, so he would just ball them up and throw them in the trash.

  He could turn this misfortune around! This could be the start of something great!

  All he had to do was get out of bed.

  Finally, he pulled himself from his sheets and changed in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t long before he was out the door, and descending the steps.

  There was no point thinking too deeply now, that would only hinder his steps forward! Thinking negatively would only slow him down!

  Delusions! Delusions were the way forward!

  So, Zain decided he would only think of positive scenarios! Where was the harm in that?

  I’ll go on a voyage and meet new people - maybe find a cute girl…Or finally unlock my cool anime powers!

  He was still deep in his daydreaming when he was prodded rudely at his sides.

  “Hey, kid! Are you listening?” Cherry scowled as she shook him to attention. She had likely been talking to him for a good minute, but he had not noticed.

  “Oh, sorr-” Before he could finish his apology, he was hurriedly pushed into her car.

  The door slammed as his face hit the leather seat, with Cherry not giving him any time to buckle up before she pulled out of the driveway.

  Zain hurriedly sat up, then placed his seatbelt on; Cherry had not changed since they had last met, so in all honesty, he did not expect any conversation. However, an itching sense of anxiety pricked the back of his mind, the only way he thought he could alleviate it was converse with someone, anyone. Even if that person was Cherry.

  “Sooo…What should I expect from this meeting? Are we going to the Nu Age layer? What should I expect for the starting wage or how my schooling is going to work?”

  Silence.

  Of course this was expected, she wasn’t much of a conversationalist nor did she care for cordiality. Still, pretending not to get the hint, Zain continued.

  “What preparations will I be expected to have completed within two weeks? Is it like documentation or…?”

  “...”

  “Also…should I be worried about the whole police investigation stuff…They didn’t catch the guy but-”

  Finally, Cherry let out a frustrated groan, breaking her silence after Zain’s incessant chatter. “I need a fucking smoke I swear…” She grabbed a cigarette from her glove compartment, then lit the end. After cracking the window a touch in order to expel the smoke from her car, she let out a more relaxed sigh. A few more moments of silence resumed before she felt calmed enough to chat. “You’re gonna sign a contract and get paid once the job is done. However, most job expenses will be paid by the company, which includes housing, food, and medical. We are going to the office dedicated to the Bouee layer. You can receive credits for your work or go back to school, but that comes later. And as for the preparations and the police investigation…”

  She stopped, her eyes glancing in the rear view before she continued. “That will be discussed at the meeting. Now shut up. “ And before Zain could continue with any follow ups, she pressed the button on the radio to loudly fill the silence.

  Though rude, she had at least answered quite a bit of his questions. For now, he would just have to be content with that and wait until the meeting.

  Looking out the window, trying not to dwell on concerning thoughts, he watched as the sketchy buildings were replaced by more high tech and modern buildings. It was in an area he was only slightly familiar with, but he at least felt a little less anxious if he was in a normal area.

  Cherry parked on the street, then gestured for him to leave the vehicle. They both exited, with Cherry leading the way to a large building. It looked like a normal office building that could be found in the city, rather plain architecture without too many discerning features, besides the decor on the outside along with the small moat like fountain.

  They entered the lobby, where the lobby receptionist smiled at them. There were several elevators, with different listings on the walls determining where each leased office was located.

  Cherry nodded to the receptionist, then walked up to the desk. There was an exchange of ID which was likely just formalities associated with the post. After confirming the ID and asking a few questions, the girl at the front nodded, then walked from her desk. Instead of walking to any of the elevators, however, they walked to a room which was allotted off to the side.

  Special keys were used to unlock the room, which appeared to be a custodian closet upon first glance. However, taking a closer look would likely make one question as to why an intricate lock would be needed to secure it.

  The receptionist typed in a pin for the door after using the key, resulting in the door finally unlocking.

  What this led to was a small jade staircase, leading downward. The sight made a chill go down Zain’s spine, and his breath hitched and quickened.

  Cherry had continued forward a few steps before she realized he had lingered behind. Whether his distress had revealed itself on his face or not, he wasn’t sure, but Cherry didn’t quip or prick like she usually did.

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  Simply letting out a small sigh, she spoke in a slightly lower tone, “I don’t know what you're worried about, but Devante and Javi are down there waiting for you to join them. They’re probably playing their stupid games and eating junk food, so I don’t blame you for not wanting to go down. I wouldn’t either.”

  Right…Devante is probably doing something dumb like that..

  He had almost forgotten who he was dealing with; the dude was basically a kid at heart, so him being capable of anything nefarious was simply inconceivable.

  Relaxing his shoulders, Zain nodded in agreement. “Guess I gotta get this over with then.”

  With that, they both walked down the steps, which led to a small, circular glass elevator. Both Cherry and Zain stepped inside, the doors shutting behind them.

  Instead of any buttons which had normal numbers, they looked to be listed backwards and with negatives. After swiping a card she had on hand, Cherry selected the floor listed as negative 4.

  No movement happened immediately, but after a few seconds of mechanical churning and processing, the elevator moved downward.

  There was darkness for the first two floors they passed, however, as they descended further down, the view around the glass changed.

  On one side of the glass, was open water illuminated by neon lights. A sight one could akin to seeing Atlantis, an inverted skyline lay underneath; Life brimmed underneath in secret waters, with mystic creatures traversing the oceanic depths.

  Before more could be seen, the elevator came to a halt at the fourth floor.

  His wonderment was interrupted by Cherry nudging him again.

  Returning his attention to the room in front of him, he saw a few familiar faces.

  On the couch, playing some video games, were Javi and Devante; Devante was badly losing whatever combat game they were playing, with him being down to one stock and Javi not even having died once.

  “Hey, dumbass! I brought the other dumbass!” The intense clash was interrupted by Cherry bringing his arrival to attention.

  Devante turned to the two with a big smile on his face, “Aye! You’re finally here! Let’s -”

  The TV display interrupted his greeting as it declared his defeat. Devante whipped back around, astonished at the audacity of Javier.

  “Bastard! That’s cheating!”

  “It was inevitable. You suck at this game.” Javier answered plainly. The man cooly rose from his seat, then walked up to Zain, holding out his hand in greeting. “Nice to see you again, kid. I hear you did good on your end.”

  Some of the doubts, that had buried themselves deep in his mind, dissipated; Even Zain had to admit that someone assuring him that he had done well alleviated some of his grievances. There was still guilt, and maybe some anger, but he felt a little less burdened by his emotions.

  Taking Javier’s hand and shaking it firm, he gave a nod, “Good to see you again, too. Thank you.”

  “Is it good to see me again?” Devante interrupted, batting his eyelashes and giving a juvenile, toothy grin.

  “No. Not really. You’re a bit of a pain.” Zain didn’t even hesitate; It was most likely poor form to insult your future boss, but he couldn’t lie, this manchild was annoying him slightly.

  “Kid is right, you’re a little annoying.” Javier agreed immediately.

  “And a dumbass.” An additional insult added to the dogpile by Cherry, of all people.

  The onslaught of insults soured Devante’s mood, as he donned an exaggerated frown with cartoonish creases in his brow. All he could say in response was a huff, as he stomped away.

  “Ignore him. We’re about to get down to business. You brought your ID and filled out the documents you were sent?” Javier continued with businesslike formalities.

  “Ah- yes..” There still wasn’t much to his name, so bringing his only form ID along with filling out minimal personal information details was pretty easy. He handed them to Javier, who gave a quick skim, before walking over to the table at the center of the room. Immediately, he sat down, pulling out his computer in order to enter the needed information for his admission into the organization.

  Devante, who had finished huffing like a scorned child, resumed his prior friendly demeanor. With an outstretched hand, he congratulated Zain, "Congratulations on your work! I, Devante Morgens, am glad to introduce you to the Morgens company!”

  “Right…thanks I guess…” Zain shook the hand given to him out of obligation, but his weak noodle, half-hearted handshake seemed to dissatisfy Devante.

  “Come on! Why did you give Javier a better handshake? You’ve known me for longer!”

  “Didn’t feel like it…”

  Though he tried to hide it, Zain could tell that his childish jabs were bothering Devante. This guy was pretty easy to mess with, almost making Zain forget that he was the head of a company. Well, being completely honest, it was probably his wife who acted as the head.

  Devante gave a small huff again, but quickly refocused. “Anyway, now that you’ve completed your task, we can begin preparations for your acceptance to the company. We are also leaving Merverre in two weeks, so before then, you’ll have to learn a few things.”

  “And…what does that entail?”

  “Glad you asked.” Stretching a bit and popping his knuckles, Devante directed Zain to the table Javier was working at. A panel was illuminated, displaying a small presentation screen; For some strange reason, like some sort of middle schooler, Devante had prepared a whole powerpoint for Zain’s orientation. The screen projected above the table as he began.

  The first slide consisted of an animated stick figure gif, congratulating him on his acceptance to The Morgen’s company. With a childish grin, he went through the unimportant slides, until he made it to the one he wanted to discuss.

  Finally, the image of a boat labeled ‘The Great Rescue Plan’, with the words highlighted with an ungodly font. Everyone collectively rolled their eyes, being unable to take the subject matter seriously due to the way it was being presented. Devante paid this no mind as he narrated his plan with the help of his slides.

  “So as you know, we are going to rescue my friend, Koa, under the guise of escorting some cargo to a nearby island. The plan is basically in three phases. Phase one: The Cargo and voyage ship will go together, stopping at one uninhabited island of interest to explore briefly. This first phase should take one week. Phase two: Voyage ship and Cargo ship go to the island where hospitality operations take place. This should take about 5 days. Once this happens, our group can split up and make our way to the islands with a smaller boat stationed at the island. Phase three: The most dangerous part, where we infiltrate this island through water walking.”

  The graphics on the final slide really did not give any insight as to what water walking was, so Zain felt it necessary to question what it was. “I’m still not sure what water walking is? And why is it so dangerous?”

  “Yeah, you haven’t been here for long, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know. I guess, the best way to explain it would be basically walking on water. But because of how unpredictable the sea can be and how much mana it takes, some people end up drowning…”

  Hmm…so I imagine something like Jesus walking or Naruto water walking..

  Though the danger had been mentioned, Zain chose to ignore them for his childish delusions. Who doesn’t dream about walking on water at some point in their life?

  “So, you’re saying I have to learn to walk on water?” Pursing his lips and intertwinning his fingers in a slight contemplative pose, Zain tried his best to make it seem as if he was being serious.

  “Uhhh…Yeah…I’m aware that you don’t know how to use your mana, so this will be your main task. I would also like you to study the materials we give you and raise your stamina a bit because the trip will be long.”

  That prompted Cherry to bring in some documents and booklets; numerous booklets were spread across the table, more reading materials that Zain would probably never read. The initial informational handouts were still collecting dust in the corner of his room, so these would likely have the same fate.

  Not quite fond about being given homework, Zain tried to change the subject, remembering something he had initially asked Cherry earlier.

  “Oh yeah…about the whole police investigation and stuff…”

  All three of them quickly fell silent, displaying a wide array of reactions to his questioning.

  Cherry appeared indifferent, but a slight huff of air through her nostrils made it feel as if the subject slightly irritated her.

  Javier scratched the back of his neck, with his face contorting to portray the awkwardness of the situation.

  Finally, Devante tried to avert his eyes, painfully whistling as if he wanted to change the subject. However, as the silence continued, he let out a defeated sigh. Then he finally divulged the information they had. “As far as we know, Chatelain was able to flee the area. It is suspected that he is no longer in Merverre, so there is no worry about running into him here. Buuuut…you should avoid the area near Coralway. A few of his affiliates may catch wind of your involvement with the investigation, so it would be best to lay low.”

  “What about Brayden? I mean I was mainly interacting with Abel, but if they find out that we were investigating together…”

  “The police are going to talk more with him later. But, since the both of y’all are voyaging with us, there shouldn’t be any problems with laying low for a bit.”

  “What?!”

  Who's coming with us? What?!

  What?! He didn’t agree to this!

  The wide eyed look Zain was giving Devante made the man tilt his head with confusion. “You didn’t know? He’s not part of the company like you, but my wife extended an offer of teacher sponsorship opportunities to him. He’ll be mainly with the cargo ship, so he’s only going to be with us till phase two of the plan.” Devante scratched his chin for a little, thinking a bit to himself. “I thought it was weird too, but my wife said something about motivation. Not really sure what she meant by that.”

  Damn her!!

  Somehow, that witch had tricked Brayden into accompanying them. Zain didn’t know how, but he knew that this ‘Motivation’ was 100 percent directed at him. She was still trying to keep him under her thumb, making sure he actually tries and doesn’t fuck up on his end.

  Quitely, he grinded his teeth and cursed the woman from the darkest depths of his heart.

  Unaware of this internal loathing, Devante continued as if nothing had happened. “Once we have your paperwork done, I’ll send you the address where you’ll be learning water walking. For now, we celebrate!”

  The last sentence took a second for him to catch, but when he did, Zain raised a brow in a mix of surprise and suspicion. Javier closed his laptop, then pulled up the game they had been playing before.

  From behind, Cherry wheeled in some snacks and cake; Crude letters in icing spelled ‘Congrats’ and ‘Bravo’, with hardly enough room to fit the letters evenly.

  “We usually like to have bigger parties at restaurants when we welcome new members, but since you have to lay low, this was the compromise. We’re just gonna order in and play games for as long as we can!” Devante puffed out his chest, like a proud kid who had planned his first birthday party or something.

  “It’s not ideal, but we still wanted to celebrate your induction to the organization. We can throw a proper party when things settle down and you get more acquainted with our members.” Javier added, pulling out another remote control for Zain to play with them.

  There was a mix of emotions that Zain felt, some that he couldn’t really place. It was true that he didn’t really want this job, and had tried like hell to avoid getting involved. But fate was fate, and he might as well make his bed in it. There were worse places to be in right now, and being accepted so readily was actually a little heart warming.

  Cracking a genuine smile, the first in a long time, Zain plopped down and grabbed the remote offered to him. “Thank y’all. I appreciate it.”