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“I have to find Master.”
Loir turned to her.
“I-I need to find Master,” Eden said, a bit louder this time.
“Kitty, calm down...”
“Loir, you don’t understand! How did he get his hands on this? Master can’t have something like this!”
“I know, but...”
“Can you imagine how deep he had to Dive to get this? Not even the Core builders could do something like that!”
Eden was in sheer panic, and not even Loir could calm her down.
This thing was an incredible tool, but it was way too much. She couldn’t even understand how her master had managed to steal something like this, then hide and store it away for her to grab. Wherever he had stolen it from, it was impossible for the Core to have simply let him get away with this. Even if this thing was just a copy, it was still some of the Core’s most precious information. Loir’s reaction spoke volumes too. As someone who traded daily in the Black Market, he knew how valuable this Apple was.
Still, he grabbed Eden’s wrist, and let out a long sigh.
“Kitty, cool down; you’re going to overheat like a pizza oven... Do you want some pizza?”
“I don’t give a fuck about pizza, Loir! I want to find my master, now! I need to ask him!”
Eden’s shout resonated within the walls. The pups whined, stepping back. They were scared by their mistress’ sudden expression of anger and pain. They weren’t the only ones. Loir was frozen like a deer caught in headlights on his seat, his eyes wide open. After a couple of seconds, though, he was still holding Eden’s wrist, and he sighed.
“Kitty... The Master doesn’t want you to find him.”
The truth hit Eden hard.
She glared at Loir, but didn’t retort. She knew he was right... Eden had searched every corner of the System for days and days with Loir to find Pan. It was like the most thrilling treasure hunt at first, but after a while of finding absolutely nothing, it had become tiring. Loir was acting as crazy as usual, but even he knew Eden’s quest was never going to be rewarded. He had only agreed to keep searching because of how obsessed she was, and because he was curious too. When Eden had lost patience, he hadn’t asked her to look again, and when she wanted to give it another shot, he was fine with it. However, even the craziest hacker knew what was going on.
Pan didn’t want to be found. The best proof was, as he had just proven, he could find Eden anytime. He could give her the Core’s biggest secret, but he couldn’t reveal himself to her. It was as if nothing mattered as much as hiding his identity to her. It made her sad just to think about it. Someone who had played such a huge role in her life was... a complete stranger. Sometimes, Eden even wondered if Pan existed at all. Just like her father, he was nothing but a name and a vague silhouette. Still, she was bitter about it. Bitter, frustrated, and angry. Right now, she was glaring at Loir, but he wasn’t the one Eden was truly mad at. She freed her wrist without any difficulty, and turned around to leave the room angrily.
As soon as Eden had stepped out, Loir sighed, and the Map suddenly disappeared. He frowned.
“Oh... It reacts to Kitty’s SIN. It really won’t work without her? Master, you’re really picking favorites...” he muttered, staring at his screens.
Dante was still staring at the door, a complex expression on.
“She likes to go to high and open spaces when she’s angry,” Loir said suddenly.
They didn’t look at each other, but Dante left the room without a word.
He stepped inside the elevator, touched the screen, and put his hands in his pockets while it was going up. A vivid pain in his head made him frown... again. He should have followed Eden right away, but she would probably have hated it. He let out a long sigh, and massaged his forehead. That spot got so painful at completely random times... He hated it. Moreover, he couldn’t understand why it never happened when she was near.
It was a mystery that made him truly wonder. The pain was always unpredictable, sharp, and violent. The epicenter was the worst, but it spread throughout his whole skull nevertheless. A bit annoyed, he cracked his neck, left and right, then exhaled. It was really something he couldn’t explain. It never happened when Eden was around. Was it a coincidence? Their night together had been the first one where the pain never woke him up. He couldn’t explain it, but he liked the idea. A smile appeared on his lips. Eden... His Eden.
The doors finally opened on the highest floor.
It wasn’t a garden like the terrace Eden had visited; it was a former helipad, now just a large, open space. Still, this was the highest point of the building. This building was one of the tallest ones in the Suburbs itself. They were high enough to see the Core from afar and get a glimpse of almost all of the Suburbs.
Dante glanced over and immediately found Eden. She was sitting, facing east toward the Core and beyond Lake Michigan. She was visibly upset, her eyes red and lips in a pout. With her arms wrapped around her knees, she looked as if she was mad at the whole world, the Core being the first in her line of vision. Dante approached her carefully. For someone keeping so many secrets, Eden was surprisingly easy to read at times...
He came close, and stood a few steps away, just staring at her. Was she going to tell him to go away?
“...I hate this,” she suddenly said. “I hate it.”
Dante stayed silent. Eden took a breath in, but the anger was visible, boiling beneath the surface.
