Chapter 1
Tick...
Tock...
Tick...
Tock...
The sound of a clock rang out emptily in the hospital room, the occupant laid undisturbed.
What is that sound?
Roman Torchwick laid on a hospital bed as he rested, not being able to move a muscle nor open his eyes as he heard the faint sounds of a clock.
Am I... dead? Roman mused.
No, he couldn't be dead. Even if he couldn't move a muscle, he felt the familiar yet faint feeling of aura flowing through him. A welcoming sensation right after nearly dying.
Roman flared his aura up, forcing his aura to spread through his body, flowing like a river all across his body as it gave him some of his strength back.
Roman's fingers twitched as his aura spread through them, finally giving some movement back. Roman then finally opened his eyes, only to immediately close them as he was blinded by the completely white room.
"Erk!" Roman clenched his teeth tightly as he closed his eyes. The white light nearly blinding him as he started to see spots in the back of his eyelids.
Forcing his eyes back open, he stared at ceiling, trying not to close them again as the light nearly blinded him again. There, he finally saw the room he was in.
Though he could barely see it from his peripheral, he was able to tell it was a hospital room. A little dainty and using some odd machines in the room, but nonetheless a hospital room.
So someone found me then, huh? Roman thought to himself, a smile growing onto his face, happy to see he wasn't dead in the middle of nowhere at least.
Roman slowly moved his arms behind him, struggling to lift himself up as he slowly sat upright.
The earlier tearing pain from earlier was gone now. He felt almost free that he was able to move again.
Roman was able to see the whole room now. It was a standard hospital room filled with medical equipment with a large window right beside his bed. Other than that though, it was bare bones.
Roman then checked his arms, noting in surprise, that he was not chained to the bed at all.
"Well, this is a surprise, huh?" Roman stared awkwardly at his free appendages.
Usually when he got picked up by someone who was not Neo, he'd be locked up in someway.
A surprise indeed, but a welcome one.
Roman than noticed the next thing that caught his eye.
"Ugh..." Roman groaned as he stared at the gown.
It was ugly. Compared to his normal clothes, it was plain and just a solid colour, but he wasn't one to complain right now.
Roman lifted his gown as checked his chest, there, there were several stitches that covered the left side of his chest, the flesh beside them already healing as his aura did its work. What should have been a few weeks of healing was being done in a few hours and would probably be finished in a few days. Though the stitches were gonna be a pain to take off...
But that wasn't what only caught his attention. What really caught his attention was the size of his chest and overall body.
"What the...!?" Roman nearly shouted in shock as he stared at his chest and arms.
His body was smaller; about the size of when he was a teenager.
Roman instantly jumped out of the bed, only to stumble and almost fall down onto the floor.
Roman growled, even with aura, it seemed not all his strength had come back to his feet.
Grabbing onto a bedside table and taking a moment to spread his aura, he steadied himself as he looked around for a mirror. Spotting one by the corner, he made a dash for it, quickly picking it up as he stared into his reflection.
The face of a younger Roman Torchwick stared back. The same bright orange hair and dark-green eyes; the only difference being his face; the face he had when he was teenager, around 16-17 it seemed.
"The hell..." Roman mumbled, wide eyed as he stared at his younger self. He slapped his face as well, both to make sure it wasn't a dream, and to make sure it was even him.
What the hell happened to me!? Why the fuck am I younger? Did the doctors do something...?
Hundreds of questions popped up inside of Roman's head as he stared at his reflection, struggling to keep hold of it as he was losing his nerve.
Ka-chak.
Roman quickly turned behind him as he heard a door open, his guard instantly up.
"Ah! you're already awake!"
There, stood a young female nurse, watching him questionably and in mild shock she stared at him.
"Ah-hem, sir, while it is good that you're already awake, I would have to advise you to sit back down. There is still anaesthesia in your system, so it would be best for you to not move around so much. Your body needs some time to heal," The nurse said politely with some awkwardness in her voice, smiling as she directed a hand towards the bed whilst moving towards him.
"Anaes... thesia... so that's why my body felt numb..." Roman mumbled; his mind still drowsy as he shook his head. That also explained why he struggled to move his body somewhat.
"Yes, sir. You had suffered a broken rib that had punctured your left lung, and you needed immediate treatment before it was fatal." The nurse said, still smiling though a bit strained, not that anyone would really notice unless someone really paid attention.
Roman stood there for a second as he took in the information, before shaking his head again, dismissing the information. The information was nothing compared to him becoming younger, not to mention the fact he didn't want to stay here for long. As soon as the hospital found out who he was, the police would be going straight after him soon after.
How the hospital didn't recognize him already was a miracle enough.
He can deal with this de-aging crap later.
"If I may ask, do you know where my belongings are located, ma'am?" Roman asked politely, giving her a smile as he ignored her instructions.
The nurse didn't lose her smile, but her smile did became more strained at the fact he ignored her.
"Your belongings are located in the security office downstairs by the lobby; you can collect them once you've been discharged, sir. Now, can you please sit down; the doctor will be coming in here soon after I call them," The nurse then pointed back towards the bed.
"And where is this security office?" Roman asked as he slowly walked over to her, trying to look as exhausted as possible.
"It's on the bottom floor, sir. To the right of the admittance office. Here, let me help you get back to bed," The nurse replied.
Sorry about this.
Roman smiled at the nurse as she slowly walked over to him. Once Roman was only a foot away from the woman, he punched her in the stomach swiftly, faster than she could possibly react, crumpling up her body as she fell down, struggling to breath.
Hrk, damn... my wrist hurts just from punching her... Roman mused to himself as he shook his wrist, shaking off the sudden pain. It looks like his de-aging has affected more than just his appearance, making him weaker, and possibly even making him a few inches shorter.
"Sorry darling, but it looks like I'll be discharging early," Roman whispered sweetly to the nurse, as she laid in a fetal position, staring at him, mortified at what he did as she struggled to breath.
"W-w-wha...?!"
He didn't like the terrified looks civilians would give him sometimes, but he ignored it. He wasn't a good person like Red and he knew it.
Roman walked out of the door the nurse came in from, ignoring the nurse who kept her eyes on him as she tried to back away. She wasn't going to bother him anytime soon, much less get help.
Looking down the hall left and right, he tried looking for a way down leading to the lobby. Spotting a staircase near the end of the hall, he swiftly ran to it, running down the stairs as quickly as he can. He needed to get out of here quickly; while the nurse wasn't going to be up anytime soon, that didn't mean he planned to stay by the time someone was notified.
He just hoped to gods there weren't any Hunters that recognized him here.
Finally reaching the bottom, he found other medical staff and people in the lobby, few of them turning to look at him as he slid to a stop, making sure to look as inconspicuous as possible. But what caught his attention the most was the scraggly man dressed in all black wearing bandages around his neck. The man was watching him carefully as well.
He didn't look like a Huntsman, but he certainly carried a certain air with him.
Considering they haven't recognized me yet, I hope I'm wrong.
Ignoring the man, he made his way back to his original mission. He needed to reach his goal and he couldn't stay her for so long; someone would eventually recognize him.
Roman walked up to one of nurses, giving out a welcoming smile as he came closer; the nurse returning the smile.
"Excuse me ma'am, but do you happen to know where the security office is? I asked a nurse upstairs and they said I can receive my belongings from there," Roman politely spoke to the nurse,
"Hm? Oh! I can direct you there. Please follow me, sir," The nurse replied, glancing at his gown before guiding the way.
They both started walking into another hall connected to the lobby.
"So, what are you doing here alone? There should have been someone to help you with your discharge and getting your belongings," the nurse asked.
Roman smiled as he cursed in his mind, trying to think of an excuse, "Ah... really? The nurse upstairs just told me to go find the security office by the lobby..."
"Oh... that won't do. Can you please tell me who you were getting nursed by?"
"Is it really that bad though?"
"Yes! A nurse shouldn't just leave a patient alone in the halls here. Especially since you're still in your gown much less... Ah, here we are." The nurse said, frowning at the thought he was left alone.
I'd wonder what she'd think once she found out what I did. Roman internally chuckled.
They stopped as they reached a door that was marked with a plate reading, the engraving being a complete mystery as he couldn't read it. Definitely a good idea I asked...The nurse opened the door for him and let him pass through first, before entering herself and closing the door.
Inside the office was a police officer who stood by a corner and another nurse behind a desk.
One officer and a nurse behind the desk... should be easy enough to incapacitate them. Roman mused to himself as he thought of a plan, keeping a close eye on the officer just in case he recognized him.
"Just go up by her, and you'll be able to get your belongings. I'll help you with discharging after," the nurse beside him said politely.
"Thank you madam," Roman smiled back and nodded. Nothing of his inner thoughts at all leaking out.
The nurse by the desk went to pick up a clipboard,
"Sir, can I have your name please? I need to look for your name so we can find your belongings." She said politely.
Now.
Roman didn't answer, instead punching the nurse beside him first in the stomach, knocking her down like the previous nurse in his room. The police officer was too shocked by the sudden attack, not reacting quickly enough as Roman closed the distance, grabbing the officer's left arm swiftly before shoving his elbow into his sternum, then kneeing him in the stomach with his right knee.
The officer didn't crumple as easily as the nurse, but that didn't help the man at all as Roman kicked the officer in the chest, making him fall onto the ground before planting his foot on the man's arm nearest to his gun, keeping the man down.
Got to remember to limit my strength with these civilians. Roman sighed as he eyed the nurse nearby on the ground struggling to breath.
He might have gone a little too far.
But, if it got him out. He'd do it again.
"Ahhh!"
The nurse behind the desk screamed in fright as she witnessed two people just go down.
Roman ignored the woman as he knelt down, looting the police officer's revolver from the struggling man's body.
Twirling the gun his hand with finesse, he flourished it at the woman.
"Now, now, deary. Would you mind keeping your voice down; wouldn't want anyone to hear us now, would you?" Roman asked as he stood back up again, smirking at the nurse.
The nurse stopped screaming as she shakily stood with her hands up in surrender, almost sobbing.
As Roman walked over to the woman, he felt a little pity towards her. While he wasn't going to shoot her either way – as it was not necessary – it was still horrifying to civilians whenever he held them hostage.
"Now, would you mind telling me where the patient belongings are located?" Roman smirked.
o – o – o – o – o
Aizawa Shota watched the orange-haired teen, now dressed in torn up clothes that were a size larger than him, walk out of the hospital lobby, twirling a cane in his hand.
Aizawa didn't know what to think of the kid when he first walked down into the lobby. Nothing was off about the kid. Well, nothing Aizawa couldn't prove. The way the kid had first examined the lobby while he was on guard, to his... odd outfit. Even Aizawa can say he had better dressed than the young man, and that was saying a lot.
Call it his instincts, but right now his instincts were yelling at him to catch the young man as he went to the front doors.
Aizawa shook his head.
Maybe he was being too paranoid about the kid. Long nights of hunting down villains certainly did not help either.
Aizawa took his eyes off the kid as he went to the counter as he got called; he needed to collect his prescription of eye-drops as he was running out.
"Here are your eye-drops, Eraserhead. But please do try going to the pharmacy next time rather than here," The male nurse behind the desk spoke out to him.
"Thanks," Aizawa replied simply.
Picking up his eye-drops, Aizawa went to exit the lobby.
"Ahhh!"
Aizawa stopped and turned quickly, and so did the majority of the staff and civilians in the lobby.
Aizawa broke into a sprint as he ran to where the scream came from. Running down the hallway, and eventually coming to a stop just outside the security office, where a small crowd of medical staff had been drawn in.
"Everyone move! I'm a hero, let me pass through!" Aizawa shouted as he pushed his way past the group, moving in to see what the commotion was.
Inside the office were three occupants, all tied up in a circle with their backs together with tape and their mouths gagged with medical bandages. A revolver on the ground right beside them.
Aizawa quickly got to their side as he pulled out his knife; the same knife he used whenever he got caught in his own bandages.
Cutting off the tape that held them, the police officer of the three instantly pulled out the bandages inside of his mouth, coughing up hard as he tried to speak to him.
"Are you alright?" Aizawa asked,
The man's hand clamped down onto his shoulder as he tried to get his breath in order.
"Cough, cough... orange hair... man... cough... and cane... quickly," the man panted.
"Orange hair?" Aizawa questioned.
"A young man... cough... he did this," the man pointed towards the door.
A young man with orange hair and a cane? Aizawa thought to himself, sorting out the information he just learned.
"!?"
Aizawa stood up instantly as he remembered the teen that had just left the lobby,
Orange hair, young, and a cane. Everything about the teen fit with the description.
Dammit, I should have trusted my instincts. Aizawa cursed as he remembered about the kid.
"Someone call the police! I'm going after the kid!" Aizawa shouted instructions to to a nurse nearby before running out of the office.
Running out the front doors of the small hospital, he looked everywhere, searching for the kid, only to find no sign of him.
"Dammit..." Aizawa muttered to himself as he stared down the street,
There was no sign of the kid anywhere at all. The kid was probably long gone by now.
Aizawa turned around to go back into the hospital; even if he couldn't catch the kid, he still needed to check the hospital for any more victims and get information on what happened. After that... He'll do what he's always done best.
Catching criminals and villains.
o – o – o – o – o
"Just where the hell am I?"
Roman questioned himself as he lit a cigar, preparing to take a smoke. It was one of the last few remaining items he had in his pockets. That, and a few hundred Lien.
He stood on the roof of a tall building, looking down at the city as he pondered where in Remnant he was.
The sun was almost setting as he looked over the city. He had been running around the city, looking for any landmarks he could recognize for the whole day. Only to find that the city he was in was called Musutafu, a city somewhere in 'Japan.' And wherever Japan was, they certainly had a large group of weird looking faunus.
He had found out many other things while he was here though. Like how the currency wasn't Lien, but rather a currency called Yen. What that also meant though, was that he was dirt poor here.
Even beggars probably had more cash on them that he did.
The citizens here also had a weird idolization of heroes that would normally only be seen in comic books, even dressing up as them or putting it on live TV.
Not to mention the most important difference of all, the citizens didn't even recognize him, Vale's infamous criminal mastermind, Roman Torchwick.
A large city filled with large groups of faunus and oblivious to anything happening outside the city... was he in Menagerie?
Roman thought the idea was bullshit, but it did make sense with the different currency and architecture, no matter how odd, but it still didn't make sense.
Those animals in Menagerie simply weren't economically rich enough to build a city like this.
Then again, he'd never actually been there...
Roman sighed as he took a puff out of his cigar.
"Cough! Hack..."
Roman pulled the cigar out of his mouth as he started coughing.
"Cough... cough... dammit... can I not even smoke anymore?!" Roman angrily yelled out into the sky.
He hated how he was shorter and weaker; he barely managed to even scale this building he was on. He hated how his clothes didn't fit him. He hated that he couldn't even smoke!
And he especially hated how he was alone now.
Roman dropped the cigar onto the ground as he angrily grinded it beneath his heel.
"Dammit, if I could only contact Neo- gugh!"
As Roman turned away from the edge of the building he had found his upper torso suddenly entangled with bandages.
"It took me a while to find you, you know,"
A voice called out in front him.
Roman eyes widened as he saw the familiar scraggly and darkly-dressed man, standing on a nearby roof, staring him down beneath his yellow goggles as he held the bandages that constricted him. The only difference in looks was how the man's hair stood up by itself, almost floating in the air.
Roman struggled to break the binds only to fail as the man tightened the bond.
"Erk!"
"You're under arrest for assaulting civilians and assaulting a police officer. I would recommend that you come in quietly, kid," the man spoke to him sternly.
Dammit! If it's another Huntsman... Roman angrily thought to himself as he stopped fighting the bandages, staring back at the man who now had him in his control. He has had some pretty bad luck with Hunters for the past few days now and he really did not want to encounter another one so soon.
"You're the guy back at the hospital weren't you?" Roman asked, frowning as he stared at the bandages constricting him. "Hoh hoh, could have at least asked me on date before going straight to bondage y'know? Huntsmen these day's just don't have class," he chuckled, lifting his head to stare at the man before glaring at him.
The man only seemed confused when he heard him.
"No, I am the pro hero Eraserhead. And as I have said, you are under arrest," the now named man, or should he say, "hero," corrected.
Hero? Roman pondered. What the hell was the man talking about? Was he one of those impersonators he saw on the streets and on TV?
The man jumped down from the roof, landing onto the roof Roman was on, keeping the bandages on him as tight as ever.
"So, you're a hero, eh? What's with my bad luck with heroes lately? They just keep on popping up everywhere I go. Like a bunch of rabbits, you find one or two, leave them alone for a while, and next thing you know your up against fifty of them," Roman sighed as he shook his head, remembering how Red and her friends kept messing up his plans.
"Running away from the law for the while now then, have you?" Eraserhead scoffed at his reply as he walked closer, figuring that he must have been running from the law for a while now, which was true. You didn't become a criminal mastermind without successfully running away from the law.
"Yep, and I don't think I'll be letting myself be imprisoned again so soon," Roman grew a smug smile as he angled his cane towards Eraserhead's feet, firing a round directly where the hero stood.
Boom!
Rubble was thrown everywhere as the rooftop exploded, blasting pieces of concrete away as it lit the rooftop in red.
Eraserhead was taken by surprise as he was launched back, not expecting the attack at all.
The bandages that constricted Roman weakened enough that he was able to pull them off, just in time to dodge a whirl of cloth that flew right past where Roman used to be, barely missing him as he dove away. Roman quickly got back onto his feet, aiming Melodic Cudgel at the man and firing another flare, lighting the rooftop again in red.
Swish~
This time his shot missed Eraserhead; the man had reacted quickly this time and dodged the attack, rushing past the flare as it flew by.
Eraserhead then used his bandages to grab the surrounding rubble around him, spinning around as he used the momentum to throw the pieces of rubble at Roman.
Roman reacted quickly as well though, not being outdone by the hero. Roman brought Melodic Cudgel up, shooting the rubble as it flew towards him, destroying the rubble mid-air.
Boom!
Dust was picked up everywhere as the pieces of rubble were destroyed, and from within the dust cloud came out Eraserhead, running straight towards him, preparing to take him on in hand to hand combat.
Roman scoffed at the man rapidly closing the distance; the man wasn't a big threat, just a civilian that dressed up in a costume, acting like a hero. And at worst, a dropout Huntsman-in-training.
Quickly flipping Melodic Cudgel in his hand, Roman redirected a punch Eraserhead launched towards his face, directing it to the side as he quickly replied with a punch of his own, right back at the man's head.
The man quickly bent down to dodge the attack, spinning onto the ground as he swept at Roman's feet with a kick.
Roman backpedalled easily, dodging the man's sweep. Roman then went into the man's guard, swiping his cane at the man's head, only to miss as the man rolled away, leaving his reach, right before Roman thrust his cane into at the man, forcing the 'Hero' to block.
Eraserhead charged in again, jumping high as he went in for an a kick at Roman's head. Roman bent his torso as he ducked under Eraserhead's kick, quickly moving forward and taking the man's previous position as he held his cane in a defensive position.
But this didn't deter Eraserhead at all, quickly turning around as he landed, and sending out his bandages straight at Roman again, only for it to be struck down by Melodic Cudgel.
Smack! Smack!
"Ah! Damn! What the hell are with those things?" Roman cursed as his he felt like he struck an actual weapon and not bandages.
Just what were they made out of?
Eraserhead quickly charged in, sending out a kick that Roman struggled to block with Melodic Cudgel. Roman sidestepped to the left as Eraserhead went in at his head, barely missing him but instead had taken an elbow to the face as was pushed back.
Dammit! He's just a man acting like a hero! Roman angrily thought to himself.
The fact that he struggled to defend against the man really showed just how much weaker he was; in his prime, he was able to easily block bullets from guns, but now? He struggled fighting and keeping up with a hobo who didn't even seem to have aura from what he could tell.
Screw this younger body... Roman frowned,
"I'd recommend that you surrender now; you are not making this easier for yourself," the man warned.
Roman didn't listen to the man's warning, only putting on a vicious scowl instead. He was Roman Torchwick, the infamous criminal of Vale; no one tells him what to do.
Well, unless you were a certain fiery bitch, but he didn't like to count or reveal that.
"Sorry, but it looks like I'll have to refuse your advice," Roman spoke to the man nonchalantly, giving a smug smile to taunt the man to do something stupid and mess up. He wasn't going to play fair in this fight.
"..." Eraserhead didn't respond, only charging in again, this time using a different tactic and trying to disarm him of his weapon.
Eraserhead went for his hands and wrists, trying to knock the cane out of his hand, only to fail as Roman parried and redirected all of his attempts. The man then tried to hook his leg with their foot and try to trip him, only for Roman to move back, flipping his cane as he counter-attacked with a sweep with Melodic Cudgel, sweeping up some rubble on the ground and throwing it the man's face, forcing the man to cover his face.
Roman took this chance to attack the man, quickly striking at the man's knee and staggering them. Roman then went in for another strike at the man's head using the hook of the weapon, only for his attack to be blocked by the man's arm right before Roman pulled his guard open.
Eraserhead then tried to grab his weapon, only to draw back or risk being shot with one of Melodic Cudgel's flares as Roman flipped the cane and aimed at his chest.
The man hurriedly kicked Melodic Cudgel up as Roman fired a round; missing the hero completely and shooting up into the sky. Eraserhead then used his momentum from the kick to spin on his heel and send another kick.
Roman quickly leaned away from the kick, leaving a three yard distance in between them.
Boom!
The flare in the sky exploded, giving the area around them a red hue as it slowly fell down.
"Not going so well for you now, is it, ya hobo?" Roman taunted, turning the tables on the man as he started his own counter-attack; swiftly bringing his cane downwards and from the side, trying to hit the man's weak spots such as his joints or collarbone.
Eraserhead jumped back into air, throwing his bandages at Roman's weapon, hoping to catch it and disarm him.
Not this time.
Roman swiftly drew his weapon back, sidestepping to the left at the attempted capture of his beloved weapon as he aimed his cane from behind his head, shooting another round at the man from behind his head, only for the so-called hero to somehow twist in the air and dodge.
"That's quite impressive you know, almost reminds me of a certain kitty I've met before," Roman snarked as he let Melodic Cudgel rest on his shoulder,
"Compared to the other's I've fought, you are definitely not the strongest, but you do stand out in one aspect compared with the rest of them," Roman politely smiled as he aimed Melodic Cudgel again.
"Unlike them, you're the worst dressed," Roman's smile turned vicious as he shot a round behind Eraserhead.
Boom!
Eraserhead was forced to jump towards the side just as Roman planned. Roman flipped Melodic Cudgel around, un-attaching the hook of his cane as he threw it forward, hooking it onto Eraserhead's foot.
Roman pulled the hook back, taking Eraserhead with it, but the hero wasn't going to go down so easily. Eraserhead quickly pulled out a knife from his back, cutting the line as he was pulled forward, letting his momentum turn into a roll as he uppercutted Roman's chin with a kick, staggering him.
Damn!
Eraserhead then twisted his body, quickly getting back into a stable position.
"Argh, you really are annoying you know?" Roman sourly commented as he rubbed his chin, dodging to the side as Eraserhead tried to catch him again with his bandages.
The man then quickly advanced in on him, bandages ready in his hands as he prepared to catch Roman.
Roman knew he couldn't keep up this fight; the fight wasn't going to go his way if he kept fighting any longer. They were already gathering a lot of attention from below at the streets if those faint screams were to note by.
Roman took a risk by shooting the ground beneath him as Eraserhead was only yards away, blasting the hero back while he took the brunt of it himself.
"Gugh!" Roman bit his tongue as he let his aura take the damage from the explosion, rushing past the dust as Eraserhead was still in the air,
Roman quickly jabbed the man in chest with his now, stick of a cane, weapon, knocking the air out of Eraserhead's lungs, but he wasn't finished there. Roman grabbed Melodic Cudgel with both hands as he swung up, uppercutting the hero in the chin, making the hero spin in the air.
As the hero fell down onto the ground, Roman kicked their body, sending them rolling away.
"You heroes really are annoying, y'know? Always getting in the way of progress," Roman spoke out to the man, taking deep breaths,
He really was getting sick of all these heroes now. First Red, now this, a hobo? What's next? A purple midget?
"But, I guess I'm in the wrong this time. I probably shouldn't have attacked those poor people at the hospital," Roman mocked as he picked up the hook of Melodic Cudgel, attaching it back on.
That's gonna be a pain to fix...
"Wait... kid..." the man groaned, trying to get his attention, but he ignored it.
"Shh, now, now. It'll be over very soon," Roman said as he walked over to Eraserhead's body, right before he kicked the man's head once more, knocking the hero out cold.
"Whew, that was surprisingly hard," Roman said to himself, thinking over the fight. It was the first real fight he had gotten into after his transformation and it really showed him how much weaker he was.
Roman turned around to leave the damaged rooftops; their fight had not at all been discrete, especially with how bright and loud his flares were. The cops, and maybe even a Huntsman, were probably going to be here soon.
As Roman prepared to jump down from the roof to a nearby building, he noticed something different about the moon.
"What the..." Roman muttered; his jaw falling down.
This can't be right... what... happened to the moon?
The moon shone brightly as it lit up the night sky. It looked almost the same as the broken moon he was so used to seeing. Only this time, the moon wasn't broken.
Roman stood there in dumbfounded shock as he stared at the moon, not knowing what to think of it.
Was he hallucinating?
"I'm not in... Remnant anymore... am I...?" Roman whispered to himself, almost hysterically.
It was farfetched, but it was the first conclusion Roman came up with. And the worse part about it was that it felt like it was true.
It all made sense now.
Why he didn't recognize the land, to why the people looked different, why he couldn't read the language, to even why his scroll didn't work even when he was in the city.
Then a sudden wave of sadness hit him as he realized something important.
"Neo..." Roman muttered, his eyes going wide.
That's right; he was in another world, meaning Neo wouldn't be here even if she did make it off the ship safely and escape Cinder.
Roman gripped Melodic Cudgel in his hand tightly as he stared at the moon.
Neo wasn't here. He wouldn't be able to see her again.
The last time they ever saw each other was on the airship; she was sent flying off, and he was left to complete the bitch's plan.
Another world without Neo...
Roman thought sourly,
He didn't want to live in a shitty world like this.