Doctor Richard smiled while staring at the men, and women hung upside-down on the meat hooks. Blood dribbled from the wounds on their foreheads and into the steel buckets below them. They were as pale as chalk, unable to keep their eyes open.

"I have this tick in my head. It goes tick, tick, tick, like a clock. I call it a tick because of the sound, but it's actually thirst. For me to act kind in public, I need to spill blood now and then, or I will lose my mind. And we don't desire that." He wiggled his forefinger. Then, he grabbed the chin of the nearest man and observed his neck. "Why was it termed Adam's Apple? Is it because it's believed the forbidden apple he ate got stuck in his throat?" He let go of the man's chin. "Whatever. I don't care."

He grabbed the knife on the chair beside him and observed it. "It's time to quench the thirst." He walked up to each man and woman and slashed their necks. Blood splattered into the buckets. He watched them choke to death with a smile. "My finest work." An immense weight lifted off his chest. He felt whole again after claiming their lives.

He then left the cold storage room and closed the door. He wiped his hands and knife on the apron he wore before taking it off. He placed it and the knife on the metallic table to his left, then went to the living room.

The radio's music occupied the room, playing songs from before he was alive. Doctor Richard didn't remember turning it on. Someone else had done it. And there was only one person he could think of. "Hello, Father."

"You were in the cold storage for hours, son," Michael said, then looked at his son. The facial folds had increased, aging him ten times. He hid them with masks and top hats, trying to pass it off as fashion. But Doctor Richard knew his father had been sensitive about his appearance since the first wrinkle washed upon his face.

"Father, you are home early." Doctor Richard stood beside Michael, staring at the man. "I thought Lady Camilla would keep you busy after what had happened at the auction."

Michael was sitting on his favorite moon chair with a glass of wine in his hand. "You were mistaken." He took a sip. "She asked to be alone."

"I see." Doctor Richard sat on the opposite moon chair. "Did everything go according to plan?" His father had left that morning to get the wings.

"Yes. I have already transported the wings to Mr. Hardy."

Doctor Richard smiled. "Did he reach out?"

"Yes, he assured the machine would be here soon."

"Excellent." Doctor Richard clapped twice. "After years of planning, we're practically at the finish line."

Michael took another sip of the wine. "Indeed."

Doctor Richard grinned like a little boy. They had completed the first part of their plan. There were a couple more to go before he could celebrate.

"Would you mind sharing a drink with me, son?" Michael raised his glass.

"No, Father."

A small round table stood in front of Michael. It had a bottle of wine and an empty glass on top. Michael placed his glass on the table, then grabbed the bottle and poured the wine into the empty glass. "Here you go." He handed it to his son.

"Much appreciated, Father." Doctor Richard took a sip. He leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes. The sweet taste of strawberry caressed his tongue, bringing a look of ecstasy on his face. When the sweetness faded, he sat upright and looked at his father. "One of our plans didn't work, though."

"Ah, yes, The Stella Initiative," Michael said.

Everything had gone smoothly at first. Michael had heard John talk about his desire to leave Sin City for Peace City, and he used it to his advantage. Under the guise of Doctor, he had asked John to kill a relative of a notable mercenary and accuse Stella. John had agreed, saying he had someone in mind. And the mercenary would have succeeded if the guards hadn't found Stella on time.

"I can't believe you misled John into thinking you possessed a key to Peace City. Didn't he know only those with powerful magic could see and use it?" Doctor Richard asked.

"He didn't. I said I would provide the key after the mercenary had killed Stella. He agreed." Michael laughed. "It's easy to fool Sin City scums. They are desperate for a better life. They will do anything for it."

Doctor Richard had attended the auction, pretending to be Jim Richard. He spoke to Stella before Don interrupted them, forcing him to leave. By the time the thief left, it had been too late for Doctor Richard to talk to Stella again. Don caused a commotion outside, and everyone had gone to observe. After that, everything happened too fast. And the next time he heard about Stella, Sky had attacked her.

"It would have been better for us if Stella had died. But still, the attack left her face disfigured. Her life will never be the same," Doctor Richard said. He recalled removing the bandages on Stella's face and almost smiling. But he stopped himself. Lady Camilla had fainted after seeing the scars. Stella didn't speak while looking at her reflection. It was lovely."

"You could have killed her in the operating table if you wanted to," Michael said.

"Stella was dead by the time I saw her."

"How is she alive?"

"From what I can ascertain, magic."

Michael covered his mouth with his hand.

"Lady Camilla didn't inform you?" Doctor Richard's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in an O-shape.

Michael shook his head. "If it involved magic, then it explains why The Founding Families' leaders ordered her to see them."

"Do you think they know she revived Stella with magic?"

"I do."

Doctor Richard noted the disappointment in his father's face. Stella's death would have driven Lady Camilla insane. Her daughter was the last thing keeping her on the brink of sanity. She had almost lost her mind when her husband died.

"Don't fret, Father. Stella's death was Plan B, in case Don didn't gain the wings." Doctor Richard didn't believe that. The death of Stella was more than that. And it went deeper than driving Lady Camilla insane. It was revenge for his mother's death.

Doctor Richard's chest burned, and tears stung his eyes. He remembered the day his mother died. Felicia, that was her name. She was a tender woman, but life had been cruel to her. It forced her to work in brothels to earn a living.

Then one day, she encountered two men: Tomas–Lady Camilla's husband–and Michael. They offered her a lot of money to be their mistress. She agreed. From there, they exploited her until when she got pregnant. She told them about it, and they turned their backs on her. That would be the last time she saw them for some time.

Eight years later, Michael and Tomas ran into Felicia in Modish. They had a meeting with Edge Carlton, and she was his secretary. And according to Michael, she had told them she had an abortion.

Michael wanted nothing to do with her, fearing history might repeat itself. That wasn't the case with Tomas. He was like a child who had found his lost toy. But Tomas had become deranged in the eight years since she last saw him. His desire to find Lilith's Treasure had cost him his mind.

After rekindling their romance, Tomas became aggressive with Felicia. He would choke, slap, spit, headbutt, and kick her. Tomas had tried inflicting as much pain on her as possible. He thought she was still the wench from back then. But Felicia had turned her life around. She had used the money they granted her to attend school in Modish before working for Edge.

Then one night, Felicia had summoned Michael, needing to confide in him. She admitted to keeping the baby, stating he had grown into a handsome boy like his father. And when Michael asked who the father was, her response was "Tomas."

But Tomas' abuse had been overmuch, and she wanted to flee the city. She had been afraid of what he might do to her if she left him. Michael agreed to help her, feeling guilty about everything. He was the one who had introduced them, seeing as he was a frequent visitor of the brothels.

On the night they had agreed to meet, Felicia didn't show up. Then the next day, he found out she had died. Two days later, Tomas got charged with the rape and murder of Felicia. The wenches had witnessed him killing her.

The charge hadn't stuck, though. With Lady Camilla being his wife and the duchess, she had convinced everyone of his innocence. To the aristocrats, wenches weren't a reliable source.

But Felicia's death had left Michael sleepless. He felt he had to do something about it. Hence, he searched for her son and found him in Archaic. The boy mopped floors at Joan's theater. Michael had introduced himself as his father, then told him they would live together.

When Doctor Richard turned eighteen, Michael told him the truth. From there, Doctor Richard formed his revenge plan.

"You never answered my question," Doctor Richard said.

"Remind me of it," Michael said.

"Why did Mr. Hardy request for Don to steal the wings? We could have hired someone more efficient."

"I never bothered asking."

"I see." Doctor Richard scoffed. "What now?"

"We wait for Mr. Hardy's gift to arrive." Michael finished his wine in one sip, then placed the glass on the table. "Then, we burn Virtue City to the ground."