Chapter 159

  On top of a watchtower, twelve-year-old William’s duties included general surveillance. A lot of looking, making sense of clouds and all. It was a boring way to make kids work, and it didn’t matter if he had an Emblem or a nuke in his hand.

  At that time, the camp wasn't doing very well. Caring for children was the same. Food was scarce; survival was as heavy as lifting dead bodies, yet fighting wasn’t young. The past humanity changed and nowadays, everyone was fighting.

  But the young ones were always around, and some of those were Walkers. The heroes, they kept on saying to the kid bearing one of these things himself.

  Well, some would disagree with the notion of heroes. Monsters were more up to their tastes.

  Immature Walkers weren’t as important if they remained Outside and died. Far away, in places and forced paths of no return, they weren’t always good to meet. For most, it was better to stick to the great, Outside, or whatever else was called living in this hellhole.

  Nothing mattered when that Horde came over, sweeping the mountains and camp alike. Centar crashed everything in sight, exploding into lines of Arcana and changing the hill forever. It was like a flashy spiral, and then the mountain was gone. Few Walkers stationed there couldn’t help at all, and some error in judgment caused yet another disaster because no one stopped that Primeval.

  Fleeting was optimal, or a continuous waiting game without a good end in sight. Bunkers might be popular, yet it was like a cocoon that could drown them in no time. At least for the regular folks, it was better than dying. For Walkers, it was a disgrace.

  When the vast disparity between Darks showed its reality, some Walkers were no different from regular people, and hiding or fleeing wasn’t unusual. Sacrifices were still a rough consiration. No one should blame inexperienced or weak Walkers for fleeing when death conquered their hearts.

  Anticipating that the Horde would not include a powerful Dark incapable of breaching the bunkers was a stupid gamble. If it was within expectations or places connected to the Federation, it wasn’t as stupid. Some help was bound to arrive before it was too late, so struggling and keep living sounded decent.

  That was the truth William learned at that age, yet the reality was harsh, and no one had come. Losses were grave when Darks were prime hunters.

  Whining about that time was hardly something William wanted to do again. Unfortunately for him, he was a Walker, and such sights happened a lot and wouldn’t stop overnight. He had yet to comprehend the drastic and ferocious System changing every Walker to a different level, but like Kaufman said, Willima had seen Outside and many faces of Darks and Walkers. His people, or so the startling lines of tutorial books commented.

  There was a surprising emphasis on teamwork and how Walkers always team up for the sake of better odds. With the Outside being pretty darn offensive, having a safe back was like another life.

  Then, Kaufman added his talks and scratched a reality and weirdness of Rank 8s to William. His generation was lurking around, waiting, fighting their own battles. William might not be alone, as he also fought his own battles, and many others were no different. He wasn’t as afraid as most youths his age. He had perks. Not shortcomings. Even more, his heart was nothing like theirs.

  Both literally and mindfully, he was clueless about some stuff Kaufman had described. By hope or fear, that card better hold onto him and open those damn doors to a new life.

  It should be better.

  ***

  Outside the room, Kaufman walked away, didn't bother with the door behind him, and pondered and ignored one issue.

  He put this on William, hadn’t he? Without thinking. Without considering the current Federation and grabbing potential of newly exaggerated generations. Grasping and adjusting his hat, he met someone he had neglected for a long time right before him.

  Heidi Kaufman was standing right before him, impatiently waiting for her distant father, who caused yet another mess she had to clean up.

  “Hello, dad.” Heidi said coldly, leaning her ass on the railing and facing the wall.

  No one obvious was around them, which Kaufman took for a good thing since this was a family matter. Then, a matter that he didn't want to take part in.

  He glanced around and knew he had left that room alone. Heidi was glad; she didn’t want to involve those kids in this family affair or do something very stupid.

  There was a reason no one had visited that room for the past nine hours. Heidi didn’t want anyone involved and shut down any visitors.

  All to finally meet the one cause for suffering that messed with this floor and cracked the walls. Frankly, there was a reason she waited here. She was unable to enter that room and face her father there. Maybe it was clever planning, as that would quickly escalate to unknown heights.

  Growing restless, she took a deep breath and reminded herself who she was and what she was doing. Then, she had to recall who this old man before her was and how long it had been since their last meeting.

  How many years? How many steps? Where was he, and how to approach him?

  Kaufman was slightly surprised to see her and was as shameless as ever. “Oh, what an awkward meeting, my dear daughter. Have you been well? You’ve grown a lot, haven't you?”

  “Better than ever, Dad. I can't say the same.”

  “Glad to hear that. Anyway...” Turning to his left, he wanted to leave straight away like a normal person and didn’t want to consider or do this awkward shit at all.

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  “Dad, I get it, but what is it about that boy that falters your steps? Is something wrong?” she asked while seizing her fists. “Is he worth it so much that you ignore your daughter?!”

  Turning his head around, he noticed her clear and annoyingly hopeful tone. Kaufman saw no naive face of a girl anymore. He saw pain. And the passage of years. She unexpectedly grew up into a fierce lady and well into a decent Rank where she could survive in a lot of places. Not every place, that is.

  In many ways, he should be proud. In lesser weights, he should be worried or better than this.

  “What can I say? Do you fear I ate him inside? I don't eat that way,” Kaufman joked around like usual, which Heidi didn’t appreciate. She asked a question. She better get her answers.

  Heidi took a step forward and stretched her fingers together before her. Not knowing what to say to him, some act might get through him instead. “You came, and who do you visit first?”

  “Are you jealous? Like father, like daughter, eh?”

  Heidi smiled right as Kaufman did.

  Then she took a step and approached him in a breath, holding his vest close to his neck with both hands, and got closer. She was almost a head taller, yet it wasn't too much of a problem for either of them.

  He didn’t even budge, not as if she expected something else. “Why are you here? How? What is it that you are scheming and visiting at this time? Are you the reason for those Rifts outside? What of Australia? What of that boy!?”

  “I don’t recall it is my problem or your place to barge in. Sorry for keeping this side for myself. It isn’t a big deal. Consider it a private lesson of this old man and art of this place. It is still mine.”

  The hall was empty. Perhaps this man’s heart was this place while what remained in him was like this hall. Vast, but way too empty or hiding depths one better not guess.

  “You think I give a shit about that? I could close this whole library for a week and Assembly or even Academy would come begging me to open it right away.”

  “Oh, that much? Some things clearly changed... Interesting. Most welcoming. I am glad for you,” Kaufman said sarcastically.

  “Should I repeat myself?”

  “Oh, that won’t end well. I was checking it out. The boy, I mean. And that little girl grew up well too. Ellie, I recall. What are you trying to do with her?”

  “Likewise. What are YOU trying?! coming back after years, and now this? Where have you been? How could you be like this?”

  Kaufman sighed and adjusted his hat as her grip intensified until his back faced the wall. “I visited south again. Stuff takes ages, I mean. This time, I heard some noise and came with well-timed timing. My interest no longer connects with the Federation, but it doesn’t conflict with it. Assembly, or Academy, let alone this library. It is older, and I am an old man, dear. I don’t think of order. It doesn’t sustain me anymore, so I look for a path to my own bliss. That's all I have left, isn't it?”

  “S-south?! Are you insane?” Heidi shouted in agony, and her arms showed cracks as they started to grow and glow. It looked harmful, albeit it was far from being anything bad.

  “Most definitively. Who is not, dear? You are faring quite well, my dear. Oh, dear, what a time. I should leave by now.”

  Grunting, she pushed her hands down and glanced at him face to face. Judging him and watching whether he would do something bad again, she knew stopping him wouldn't end up fixing anything. “Heard the news about new Sea? Are you related to that?”

  “Sea? Nah. That doesn‘t excite me anymore.”

  “This one is hundreds of cubic inches big. Maybe more. Hadn’t checked it myself.”

  A flash of surprise spread across his face, but only for a moment. “As I’ve said. The truth remains, and I found something more interesting and you don’t need to be concerned. I won’t be troubling you, but I will be seeing you.”

  “What! Are you seizing that kid?! Is he... yours?! You sick fuck!” She seriously wanted to know more.

  “Nah. Rest it. You’ve got quite typical potential with this place, yet what I do isn’t yours like this. We could even come together if you want to, but I wonder if that’s fine in itself. With myself, everything falls apart. I'll see to it.” Kaufman chuckled and walked away.

  “Dad!” Heidi shouted, but it was too late. Without even blinking, he was already gone, dissolving into space like a mist of strange colors. Embarrassed, she let out a note of frustration, and tears spread across her face.

  She confirmed what she wanted, yet the truth was something else. She also failed to hug him back, which was probably the most infuriating thing in this entire situation, even if she didn’t look like it.

  “Uh... You fucker!” She shouted, her voice trembling the entire hall with her voice alone, and she made one last improper message. If anything, seeing her wasn't any promise. They had a bond. A familial bond, or was it a bloodline? Well, it certainly worked out for everyone, didn't it?

  Coincidently, the door beside her opened, revealing Ellie’s face. She couldn’t unhear what was happening even if she wanted to focus. Wasn’t this the library?

  Heidi noticed her and pretended to be fine, like lightning in the spotless sky. Unlike her, Ellie wasn’t an excellent player.

  “Explain,” Heidi demanded with a wave of her hand.

  Ellie left William inside and greeted this... angry Kaufman. The ground, wall, and who knows what else cried in terror, and her steps were unsteady as they aimed for Ellie. Still, Ellie approached her with respect fit to her position and didn't question what was here because of prior Kaufman or this one.

  “Sir Kaufman came over on his own. He said he was here for two days and... It is about William, I assume. I heard from him they met in the west and he was the one working on his arrival from Outside. Something like that; he is interested in him, by the way.”

  Heidi didn’t like to hear the truth again. “Hmph! Whatever. Take care of that brat. See you later.” Heidi tossed her hair around and literally jumped from the hall down, leaving Ellie alone. She was not surprised when she heard a loud thud back in the entrance a second later.

  Ellie was glad nothing worse happened, but she was visibly stressed two Kaufmans were in the same building and spoke to her back to back. Taking an even deeper breath than before, she checked her hair and was almost embarrassed to say that she felt regretful.

  Turning around, she went back to the room, hoping nobody insane would arrive and ruin her study one more time.