GRID LIONS HQ
"You did a good job, kid. I'm proud of you."
The captain hailed Alexander, slamming a firm hand onto his shoulder while smiling brightly. It was the first genuine smile Alexander had ever seen on his uncle's face, and he felt a strange swell of pride at having drawn it out—a warm feeling rising in his stomach, foreign and almost uncomfortable in its unfamiliarity.
"I wouldn't have lived with myself knowing that our bloodline had just been erased from the face of the earth. My time was over. My body must've rotted months ago… but you—you have all the time in the world."
"I just did what the goddess told me. Besides, the job isn't over. She said I'll start my training tomorrow."
He said it aloud to steady himself, to keep from believing he had accomplished something great enough to justify rest.
