The office that once looked perfect was fucked.
Books all over the floor... Papers ripped, stepped on, scattered like trash.
Shelves broken and leaning, barely holding on.
The windows were cracked, cold air slipping in like it didn't give a shit.
Only one chair was still standing.
Shun sat on it.
"…Wow," he muttered.
He reached out and touched his father's desk. The surface was rough now. Scratched up...
Ruined.
He pulled his hand back.
"Yeah. I'm done here."
Shun stood up and walked out.
The hallway was dead quiet.
Too quiet.
His footsteps echoed as he walked toward his old room. Each step felt heavier than the last. He stopped near the door and just stood there.
"…Damn," he breathed.
Memories hit him.
Random ones… Stupid ones...
Getting yelled at… Laughing like an idiot...
For a few seconds, his chest didn't feel so tight.
His breathing slowed.
Then another thought popped up.
"Oh."
His secret base.
The one he built way back.
The place he used to sneak out of the estate. The place where he stored his early creations—failed stuff, dangerous stuff, stuff he'd definitely get his ass beaten for.
Shun smirked.
"…Still there, right?"
He turned.
"Yeah. I'm going there."
He slowly did the thing.
Twist. Push. Tap twice.
"…Please work."
A soft click answered him.
"Oh. Holy shit."
The wall shifted. A hidden door slid open just enough to make him crouch. It was smaller than he remembered—or maybe he just got bigger.
"Tch… figures."
Shun bent down and squeezed inside.
The moment he stepped in, his eyes widened.
"…No fucking way."
Everything was still here.
Tools lined up where he left them. Old parts stacked in messy piles. Broken stuff. Half-finished junk. Things that never worked but he kept anyway.
He ran his fingers over one of his old crafts. Crooked, barely holding together.
"…Pff… This one almost blew my hand off."
A small laugh slipped out.
Then he stopped.
Something was on the table.
Shun frowned and stepped closer.
"…Huh?"
Two letters.
Placed neatly.
And behind them—a large locked heavy-looking box.
His chest tightened.
"Since when did I leave letters here…?"
He picked one up, unfolded it slowly.
And started to read.
It was from his brother.
The moment Shun read the first line, his jaw clenched.
I'm still laughing my ass off whenever I remember your face when we were dropping you off at the academy… Pff.
"…This bitch."
His grip tightened. The paper crumpled a little in his hand.
Still readable. Unfortunately.
Either way, by the time you read this… you're probably done with that academy crap.
"Tch. Like hell I enjoyed that place."
He kept reading.
I'll toss this note out if I feel there's no need for it. But if you do somehow read this… that means our family—
Shun stopped breathing.
—the Drosswyn Barony—is already in ruins.
His eyes moved faster now.
Father and I would probably be gone by then.
His chest tightened hard, like something punched straight through it.
"…Gone…?"
He swallowed and forced himself to continue.
So live your life the way you want. That's our wish. Mine and Father's.
Shun's hand shook.
Then the next line pissed him off.
And don't even think about revenge, you stupid fuck. You hear me?
He took a breath. Shaky.
Be thankful. It was my idea to shove you into that academy. Saved your ass.
He stared at the words for a long moment.
That's all I'm writing. You're smart enough to figure the rest out yourself.
Shun let out a dry laugh.
"…Always acting like you know everything."
He folded the letter slowly.
A grin tugged at his lips.
But his eyes were wet.
"…Damn it."
Next, he reached for the second letter.
His hands hesitated for a second… then he opened it.
The moment he saw his father's handwriting, his vision blurred.
"…Ah."
Tears slipped out before he could stop them.
I'm sorry.
His breath hitched.
Take care.
That was it.
Just two lines.
Shun stared at the paper, unmoving.
"…That's all?" he whispered.
His chest hurt more than before.
The letter was short.
But it weighed more than everything else combined.
Then all of a sudden—
dum.
Dumdum's head popped up from the secret entrance.
Just his head.
Nothing else.
He was stuck.
His neck was stretched forward, legs nowhere to be seen, body refusing to move.
"…Pfft—"
Shun looked at him.
Then laughed.
"Pff… kekek—"
Dumdum laughed too.
Not a normal laugh.
A wild, broken, horse-ass laugh.
"HAAAAAA—HAAAAAA—"
Shun lost it.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Dumdum screeched loudly.
It didn't even sound like laughter anymore. It sounded like he was dying.
Shun wiped his eyes. "Oh fuck—are you stuck? I thought we were just laughing."
Dumdum struggled harder. His head bobbed. Nothing happened.
"…Yeah. You're stuck."
Shun grabbed him and yanked.
Hard.
After a few ugly pulls, Dumdum finally popped out, crashing face-first onto the floor.
Shun stared down at him.
"…You motherfucking dumb horse."
After helping Dumdum, Shun's eyes locked onto the storage box.
"…"
Shun stared at it for a long second.
Then he looked at Dumdum.
"…Wanna open the thing?"
Dumdum's tail wagged hard.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Of course you do."
Shun walked over and crouched in front of the box. Thick metal. Old lock. Scratched edges. Something heavy sat inside—he could feel it just by looking.
"This thing survived everything, huh."
Dumdum sniffed it, then snorted
"Yeah, yeah. Calm down."
Shun grabbed the lock, fingers tightening.
"…Let's see what kind of bullshit this is."