IF... [BOOK I]

IF... within the wave of waver

An old man wearing a suit and tie walked into a four times three meters office room. The sign at the door was written as "CEO".

The man whose age was around eighties went straight to a sofa at the corner of the room. He loosened up his tie and took a deep breath, like he had not breathe for a while.

A couple of minutes later, a St. Bernard breed suddenly showed up and sat close to his feet.

It probably waited patiently for its owner inside the room all this time.

The old man stroked the head of the large dog, as if praising it for being a good boy.

"Found anyone new, Zef?"

Woof! The dog barked as the respond of the old man's question.

The old man smiled as if he understood the dog's answer.

"I see. It's not that easy to find candidate who's strong and wilful enough, huh"

Woof! Woooof! Woof! The dog barked again, but this time followed by a whining. 

"Hm, you think so? Well, instead, I think that what makes us human interesting though" commented the old man now while standing up and walking toward his desk "We are weak, fragile and easily broken, even so, we look for ways to dominate and manipulate all things around us"

The dog did not interrupt the old man self lecture, instead followed after him obediently.

"We are probably the greediest, dirtiest creature in this earth, even god -- if he existed -- would be fed up with the way we carry out our life"

The old man opened the second drawer of his desk and took out a piece of frame made out of wood. He stared at the picture engraved inside it.

His eyes gave off the vibe of a death fish. Shallow, hollow, the kind that was not from this living world.

"Hey, Zef, I've been pondering about this for some time now" asked him toward the St. Bernard, while lifting the frame close to his front for it to see "Shall we give up everything and pursue it for real?"

The dog did not answer directly. Its quietness really made it like it properly thought over what the old man before it asked about.

The old man snickered toward the sudden silence "You seem hesitant, Zef. Are you still that attached to this?"

It's not just me, wuf! It's us to be precise, wuf!

The old man's eyes widen as a voice he had not heard for a while rang inside his head. He then closed his eyes while smiling.

He put the frame back where it was saved before and pushed the drawer back in.

"Yeah, you are right"

***

"Heh? 's tat so? Tat explains things then" mumbled Jack after hearing it himself from Diandra. That confirmed his suspicion, but it did not make him happy either.

"Yea-- wait! My office will be around that corner, I'm good if you drop me here"

"Naah, I'm droppin' ya right at yer front door" murmured him while looking at the sky, it was probably raining soon "Where to?"

"Ah-- hm. Please turn left at the next corner and you can just go straight ahead. Five minutes or so we'll arrive at my office" answered Diandra while feeling a little bit giddy, he might be a version, but he surely was Matthew's version "Sorry to trouble you"

"Thanks"

"Huh?"

" 's not [sorry to trouble ya], 's gotta be thanks"