The serenity of the empty streets of Ilusia at nighttime was a strange sight to any resident. The days and years would pass and no one would enjoy such calmness or feel accustomed and safe towards it. This silence was always an omen for something, and for that time, it was the veil blocking the unknown, sheltering the scared from what terrified them, but it was imminent..it was close.

And as the dust danced with wind in each corner, and as the night sky watched curiously, Ilusians slept with an eye open waiting for the day they've been avoiding for years, Ilusia's machinery was the only holy thing in it, Ilusians were tools, they were the brush painting this sad portrait of a absolute darkness, and as that was just a fact engraved in each worker bee racing for the sky, they knew that the highers had no mercy or respect towards these little ants, it was the distrust between the government and the people that created this world. The world were you knew you couldn't trust a single breathing person including those who you should obey.

And at last, there it was. The marching sound of hundreds of boots, and nothing but the stuttering sound of the street radios echoing in each alley and each home.

"Citizens of Ilusia, as you all know, today is the cleansing day, a day were we proudly purify our lands from the unholy, the sickening acts performed by those who betrayed the system will not be tolerated, The light men will make sure every house has nothing but our own good citizens building our great future, please, obey the rules of the curfew and don't leave your house. Glory to our empire."

The buzzing of the radio was overcame by the marching of the light men, kids glued their eyes to the windows carefully watching the approaching danger innocently not knowing what these monsters represented, and as parents rushed to embrace their kids, families closed their windows and billboards stuttered announcing their arrival, Ilusia turned into a different world.

They were almost kids, boys aged between eighteen to twenty with their grey hair and wrinkled faces, they wore priests clothes and carried a cross, although Ilusia was racing time to build a technologically advanced empire, it's core with rotten with strong and utterly unbelievable religious none sense, the government used this as an opportunity to line up people for inspection, forcing them to believe that light men were god's hands and their judgment was undeniably right, light men were a tool just like the rest of them, but these young boys were tragically manipulated to fit a terrifying nighttime story for children, possessing a strong superhuman eyesight that supposedly inspects holes in the system and cleans the empire from those who have sinned.

These white eyes burst with godly light that brought dismay for the innocent but comfort for the fool, the silent beings roamed the streets in masses with their eyes emitting string waves of light that turned left and right inspecting each corner in the city.

They looked young yet old, holy yet sinful, dark yet innocent. The Were the male orphans discarded by the society to be used by the religious Council of the empire as an example for retribution. Their young bodies couldn't handle such immense amount of power that they wrinkled and wilted away like a flower blown into the wind, they smelled of inability, their unwillingness made their sanctity more holy to the people, the empire craved those who gave up something for it, and it glorified the concept of sacrifice for the great, it glorified it to the point people wouldn't have any choice but to sacrifice it was a forceful sacrifice.

The coldness of the winter night blessed by the white winter moon guided them to each house, picking each victim by only deviating their light towards them, and as they do so, the victims struggle with painful headache and loses their ability to have free will, the light men dragged a handful of people, different ages, boys and ladies, elders and children, all looking as dead as the empire's morals, they put shackles on their hands and shamefully dragged them across the streets till their reached their base, priests of light they were called, but they brought nothing but darkness.

Those fearful pale creatures dressed in holy robes and crosses emitted their agonizing white light on the way back as they observed the young children in each house crying in terror,they were children of their age, quite familiar feelings they both shared, and a common thought pushed them all together, it's the familiarity of fear, and the aching pain of lonesomeness.

Ilusia is home for the genius, the oppressed genius. Home for the poor, the naive poor, home for the ambitious, the worker bee type that hardly lasts to their fifties, it was a sad story repeated over ages with no lesson learned.

As the children felt the stinging tears of fear forcing their eyes shut, and as the mothers breathed heavily waiting eagerly for the danger to leave, the white light faded from the streets and the billboards were back up, no signs of their arrival was there, everyone breathed sighs of relief letting go of those who were captured under their own belief of their impurities, how naive and stupid can humans be.

The mob were the fuel for the great machine starving for greatness, they were supplies. Children labour was the norm, every living soul no matter it's age was invested in an industry, kids in factories, men in mines, and even prisoners were forced into strict working areas. No one escaped the unending lust for technological revolution, the struggle to fulfil a goal that is to be never fulfilled, and in the process, those with empty pockets and small minds were crushed beneath the wheels, is it their pockets that got them there or..their weakness?

A fair argument. Poor doesn't mean weak and weak doesn't mean poor yet both blend perfectly creating the base of any empire, any city, even a home. The poor can ravage a bloody war to end the entirety of this empire, yet, they choose to fall behind every leader that orders them to stay thoughtless. They prefer to buy their brains, their opinions are shaped and bought.

Forbidden was the mere thought of being different, of thinking by yourself, the empire needed those mental shackles to keep the people in line, and in that age and time, it was too late for someone to spark a little light for a change, even the rebels in Izora were themselves not aiming for a revolution before aiming at advanced technology, to them, they saw sailing to the farthest lands was the solution, they understood that it was too late to call out the injustice, which was true.

Back in a small room where the light boys gathered sitting silently all together without moving an inch, strapped with collars and restraints as if they were in an asylum. Something familiar about a boy resounded, it was essence of his former self, those little freckles, his eyes couldn't be seen as they all had their eyes blindfolded, but..his presence was indeed a familiar one.

George's office, leader of the hideout.

Izora.

"This isn't my business, whatever happens in Ilusia, it's never our business here, you can't expect me to deal with everything!" George got off his chair with deeply stirred emotions, in front of him was a very old friend, it was Ross, unrecognizable.

He was on a wheelchair, his hair all grey and eyes all black, his face was pale indicating that Ross was no more, his face hardly carried any sense of joy, it was just emitting gloom, what could have these five years done to old Ross bounding the man to a wheelchair and erasing his old self like that?

"I understand, Ross. I know how it feels..You've been through a lot, you've lost someone. We've all been there, but it's making you weaker, it's making you much useless and it's a terrible thing. You know how much energy you give to the people, and without it, there are no airships. There's nothing! Nothing but all of executed in the morning!"

Ross took George's words as a knife cutting a corpse, no single words came out of him until he decided it's time to stop George's rattling.

"You know nothing, George." He said, breathing heavily indicating how weak he was.

"The past five years were your glory days, weren't them?" He continued, making George's offensive gesture turn into more defensive and weak.

"What are you saying..?"

"You know what I'm saying."

"I don't..And I don't want to know."

"Where were you when they attacked us?"

"Here we go again with this..I thought we figured this out and solved it!"

"We solved nothing. If there's anything I pretended to forgive it was all for the sake of what Forger worked for, but you and I..we've unsolved business, George."

Silence took over the air choking George who felt threatened in his own office, words formed a lump in his throat refusing to come out, he trembled and sweated and went back and forth across the room waiting for Ross to talk again.

"I want to see the girl."

"You mean, Meredith?"

"Yes, I want to see her."

"I don't think it's necessary."

"Why? Is it because she's hurt as well? Or is it because it's much better to keep the young lady ignorant of what she's involved in?"

"No..I didn't mean that. Its better not to scare her." George trembled even more, Ross knew what that meant, Ross felt that George was scared, but why?

"I know what I'm doing. She's got to be prepared, the black hats are at it again, she could be dead any second."

"She's not that valuable."

"You're not respecting Forger, and you don't understand what she is, yet."

"I'll arrange a meeting with her, give me a day."

"A day? No, it's here and now."

"I can't.."

"I don't care, get her now."

George kept stumbling across the office and went off to his secretary mumbling words and cursing, Ross knew something was wrong. George came back few moments later with the most unpleasant expression he could have.

"She's...being punished." He said, gluing his eyes the floor shamefully, Ross was unaware of the system in Izora, he knew nothing but how kids are overworked and the solitary cells and torture they go through, he raised an eyebrow in suspicion and anger, "Punished?" He said.

"Yes, I see you're unaware of our system here. Kids can't do anything without discipline." George sat down on his chair, blowing off a cigar to calm down.

"I see it's time for the council to take a look, bring her, I have no time to waste."

"It's against the-"

"I couldn't care less about your damned rules, and I have no patience, bring her here now or else I'll go myself."

"Fine..I'll bring her."

George was cornered, Ross had him tightly apprehended and it was the time for him to pay, he called out the guards to clean Merit and bring her quickly.

Merit was carried by the guards, wearing thick cloth although it was a sunny day, her eyes just as dark as Ross', she was being dragged without knowing where she was being taken.

"Listen here, Merit. I don't want troubles, keep your words little and you'll have your reward, I promise. And else, I'm sure you wouldn't like to stay in that cell any longer." George whispered to her ears as she gave him a nod and she entered the office alongside George facing Ross who finally smiled wholeheartedly showing his truly genuine emotions for her.

His smile provoked hers and they both greeted each other, Ross could see the exhaustion on her face, but Merit felt joyful to see her savior. She walked slowly towards him as she inspected him but knowing what happened to him, she can tell they're both in the same boat, and as she felt the urge to cry out and pour her thoughts and torment to him, she remembered George's words to her and his obvious threatening to her.

"Come here, give your old man a hug." Ross said, Merit hurried to do so and as she hugged him, he pressed his hands deeply tightening his arms around her, a moan escaped her lips as she felt the pain rise once more but she managed to suppress it in order not to disobey George, Ross let down his hands in concern and ushered her to sit down.

"Five long years, have you forgotten your old man Ross?" Ross said, tapping on her shoulder, she smiled back.

"It's just-" She shrugged. "Uh-I've been..busy"

"Rebuilding the empire is quite a hard job, right?" He laughed, George kept listening in the corner as if he was waiting for Merit to spill out anything, wrapping her in clothes and forcing her to act like nothing is wrong showed her how weak George is in front of Ross, and how Ilusia's rebels knew nothing about Izora.

He kept cleaning his monocular until Ross asked him to leave, he nodded and eyed Merit threatning her, she found herself forced to stay silent.

Ross waited few minutes till he felt George's presence is gone, it was only Merit, Ross and his guard in the office.

"I'll cut straight to the point, Merit." Ross said, changing his tone into a serious one, Merit felt the seriousness of the matter and her heart beats raced her thoughts as she listened.

"Those five years have been tough. We had our fights in Ilusia..And our loses. It was something particular that they chased us for, something you valued."

"It's the camera, isn't it?"

"Yes it is.." Ross said, surprised of Merit's knowledge of the entire situation, he managed to continue talking.

"Black hats, does it ring a bell?"

"I can't forget these bastards.."

"Well, they're at it again..We've-" Ross said as he swallowed his words for a second. "We've lost it."

Merit remained calm, having lost the eagerness of unfolding the mystery of the camera once she lost it, she felt as if it was a predictable move.

"And..?"

"For some reason, black hats are chasing you..again. Although I'm sure they know you don't have it, this sparks countless thoughts, Merit."

"So, you're saying they weren't just chasing me for the camera? It's all about myself now..isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

"What can I do about it? I can't leave the hideout..."

"You can't stay either, I'm sure George is messing around with this place."

"No! He-he's q-quite the kind

...leader" Merit trembled once she remembered George's threat, she remembered his eyes piercing through his monocular and reaching her heart, he knew when the slightest misbehaviour happens.

"What? Who are you fooling, Merit?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Merit said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she understood she had no choice but to lie not knowing that George's threat is far much smaller than the black hats'.

"Then, it's time to make a choice" Ross said, "It's either you come back with me to Ilusia where I can protect you, or you stay here with George, it all depends on who do you feel more safe with." Ross said, his voice sounded a bit fragile, it was his doubt in her choice and his inability to understand why she is siding with George, he predicted her answer.

"Do I have to do this..?" She said as teared up and almost begged not to do this.

"Yes."

Few minutes passed with Merit nervously thinking and eating her lips as she tapped the ground with her leg till she finally found an answer.

"So..Black hats are after me, these people which we don't even know anything about, and the reason they're chasing me for is unknown, and Ilusia's rebel base was being attacked by them till you lost the camera..Then..I'll have to make a choice..."

"Go ahead."

"I'll stay here..I'm sorry Ross, I'm safer here.." Merit said forcing the words out of her mouth painfully, she was hurting Ross and overall, she didn't have a choice, she feared George, she knew that if she took Ross' offer Ross would understand that she hates this place, and as for the black hats, she felt her exhaustion drown her even deeper into the chair with the weight of her fear bringing her even further down.

"Fine. As you wish." Ross said with a broken tone, he was unaware of the reason she refused his offer, he didn't suspect that she would have been under George's control, and so, he decided it was time to leave.

"Seth, let's go." He said as he said goodbye to Merit one last time, Seth moved the wheelchair as Ross ordered him to stop before they approached the door.

"I'll stay here two more days, this is enough time for you to make sure you've made the right decision." He said as Seth took him out, and finally, there was nothing but Merit's pain, George's terrifying portrait and her own racing heart.

"Something is wrong with me." She said, holding her head in agony.

"I get it..They're after me for a reason, there's something in my head, I don't know what it is..But I'm sure deep inside me, I know it.." She said, "George is going to kill me if I disobey him, and Ross doesn't know that.." She continued.

"I can't decide, these bastards are going to kill me, I know they can and they will, right Mechi?" Merit cried and shivered as she remembered that Mechi isn't even here.

"I'm all alone." she said, wiping tears off her eyes, she was alone, truly alone.