★★★
Aiden heard the floor squeak, which forced him to jump out of bed. He looked around, confused about his whereabouts. In the next instant, the door was kicked open, and Ronnie barged in.
"Breakfast, my prince!" he said as he kicked a dented tray into the room. "Rise and shine!"
Aiden blinked at him, groggy. Ronnie looked the same: ragged clothes, greasy brown hair, and the grin of a man who thought the world owed him a favor.
Aiden sat up, pulling the scratchy blanket off. "Yeah. Or… maybe just the parts I wish I could forget."
"Well, time to make new memories." Ronnie pointed at the cold eggs and bread. "Eat up. We've got a job tonight."
Aiden stared at the food. "What job?"
Ronnie laughed. "You really don't remember? The heist. The auction's in full swing. City's flooding with treasures, and one in particular has my attention."
Aiden frowned. "It's happening today?"
"Well, any day, but we start today," Ronnie said with a grin as he jumped on a chair, going back and forth with it. "After all, the strange man awaits no one!"
"You are either still asleep, or I am," Aiden said with a sigh. "Tell me the details as I eat."
And Ronnie did just that.
Hundreds of shipments.
Thousands of eyes.
But they had one chance to steal what's most important.
"A strange man is sneaking into the auction house?" Aiden asked after finishing his breakfast. "How did you learn of him?"
"A drunk man once told me, and I checked for myself. It seems that he's doing an excellent job avoiding the police and checkpoints, but no secret is safe from enough booze."
"This sounds shady and uncertain," Aiden said.
"Are you backing out?" Ronnie asked.
Aiden paused, remembering the shattered home he left behind. "No, just saying we need to be careful. We can't commit any mistakes. One perfect score with no traces left behind."
"That's the goal, am I right?" Ronnie said as he slapped Aiden's shoulder. "It's good to have you back in the game, Denny. Let's go and scout the place and talk to a few beggars. Who knows? We might change our lives today."
Aiden was silent. Ronnie turned.
"What's wrong, Denny?" Ronnie asked.
"Nothing, just don't call me that," Aiden said as he rose from the ground. "You're right. All we need right now is a little hope."
"A little hope," Ronnie repeated. "That can't hurt anyone."
★★★
Later, they perched on the edge of a crumbling rooftop on the outskirts of the Slums District. Below, the city's arteries clogged with freight and guards, the main roads gleaming under the glow of auction spotlights.
Aiden's stomach tightened. "You're sure about this guy?"
"Seen him three nights now. Same time. Same route. Avoids every checkpoint like he's got the map memorized. Doesn't belong here — too clean, too precise."
"And the suitcase?"
"He guards it like a secret. Like it's more important than his life."
Aiden glanced sideways. "What's in it?"
Ronnie smirked. "That's what we're stealing to find out."
They waited.
At 11:43, the man emerged — dressed in a dark, outdated suit. His face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, and he carried the suitcase in his right hand like it was part of him. The air around him shifted — Aiden felt it, a low hum under the skin.
Ronnie signaled and took off across the rooftops.
Aiden followed the man's movements through narrow alleys. He walked like he belonged to a different time — silent steps, steady pace. Never looking back. Ronnie gave the signal again, then vanished around a corner.
Now.
The plan was simple: Ronnie would fake injury, draw the man's attention, and Aiden would grab the suitcase.
It worked. Too easily.
The stranger stopped when he saw Ronnie slumped in the alley, blood trailing from his shirt — a convincing smear of red ink and pig's blood.
As he approached, the suitcase lowered.
Aiden sprang from the shadows, snatched the handle, and ran.
No shouting. No chase.
The suitcase felt lighter than expected — but not empty. Something inside shifted with a sound like paper — or breath.
He didn't stop until he reached the hideout — the old library Ronnie had fortified over the years. He collapsed into the secret room, breath ragged, suitcase clutched tight.
And still… no one came after him.
He waited.
And waited.
Ronnie never showed.
Something was wrong.
By midnight the next day, Aiden couldn't wait any longer.
He pulled the shelves back, flashlight in hand, and stepped into the dark library hall.
That's when the voice came.
"There you are."
The light snapped toward the speaker. Aiden froze.
It wasn't Ronnie.
It was the man.
Hat still on, suit untouched, no blood. No anger. Just calm — like he'd been waiting.
"I see you've opened the gate," the man said.
Aiden looked down. The suitcase was in his hand.
"I didn't open anything."
"Not yet."
The man stepped forward. "What you carry isn't gold. It isn't jewels. It's a question. And a promise."
Aiden backed away. "Where's Ronnie?"
The man tilted his head. "Your friend? Gone. He took his price, without even a struggle. Almost like that was his plan. You took yours too, only in ignorance. But you have something now."
Aiden's throat tightened. "Lies."
"Could be," the man pointed toward the suitcase. "I see you have yet to open it."
The suitcase clicked open by itself.
Aiden felt the weight shift, as something leapt from the suitcase. It was ethereal, like a mist cloud taking form. And the form it took?
A demon from hell.
The demon stood behind the man.
Aiden could no longer speak, breathe, or run.
He stared — wide-eyed.
"People call me the wish-master," the man tilted his head. "I give people what they desire the most for a price. I've seen you long before you've seen me, boy."
"Are…" Aiden crooked, "you going to kill me?"
"What benefit would that bring me?" the man asked. "My job is to grant peoples wishes."
"Wishes?" Aiden said after gulping down, but his mouth was dry. His eyes glanced at the demon behind the man. "That fella doesn't look like he's about to give me a wish, more like a tour of hell."
"Oh, him? That's just my bodyguard," the man laughed. "Although I don't need one, I find it easier to have him intimidate humans instead of me destroying them with a snap."
Aiden recomposed himself once he saw that the man was chattier than he expected. "What happened to Ronnie?"
"I told you," the man said. "Your friend is no friend. He offered your location in return for a meager sum of money. I don't think he even believed you two could steal this suitcase and flee."
Ronnie betrayed him.
The realization didn't come as shock, but a pebble sinking into a pond. It felt almost natural, like that's what how it should've been. However, it elicited something from within Aiden — a surge of darkness that he has accumulated during his entire life.
It came out as a hollow laugh, ringing throughout the abandoned library. Aiden collapsed on the ground, laughing, but tears streaming down his face. He hugged his arms, almost tearing them off his shoulders.
A few moments later, the room was silent.
"You have nothing left here, do you?" the man asked.
Aiden stared at the ground.
"But you have one thing now," the man continued. "I'll grant you one wish."
This time, Aiden raised his head. His expression was detached, almost like his soul has long since escaped him. Then, he uttered the words that has threatened to slice his throat open.
"I wish that I never existed."
The man stared at him in silence. Then, he raised a hand as he stepped forward. Lights shone from his fingers, while Aiden stared blankly ahead. The man then directed his hand toward Aiden.
"I shall grant your deepest desires, Aiden Valero," the man said in a voice that spoke directly inside Aiden's mind. Aiden looked at the man's eyes. Each of them had color, and each of them had an array of constellations within them. "However, I must warn you — this wish cannot be reversed."
"I know," Aiden said with a smile. "Thank you."
For the first time, the man's expression broke into pain. Before Aiden could see it, the lights exploded and blinded his vision. The world disappeared, and so did every sense that Aiden had. He dissolved into nothing as his mind went blank.
…
…
…
[…]
[Initializing Wishbound Interface...]
[Loading Quantum Desire Matrices...]
[Establishing Reality Anchor Points...]
[Calibrating Ethical Constraint Algorithms...]
[Synchronizing With Universal Wish Network…]
[System Ready - Wishbound Access Granted]