Chapter 1848 Overture

A child about seven to eight years old had led Arianne away to a place where no other person was in sight. Noticing the kid’s full black getup, she asked, “So, you’re a relative of the Rodriguez family?” “Yeah,” the child nodded. “Um, you know, they told me Mat’s dead, but I’m not very sure about it? Do you think they are being serious? ‘Cause if he’s dead... doesn’t that mean Mat’s never coming back?” Arianne found herself too hard-pressed to answer him. She could not bear to cut into a child’s hope with a blade as cruel and blunt as reality. The duo continued forward until the funeral almost faded out of sight. Arianne stopped in midtrack in confusion and took off her mask. “Where are we going, honey? You told me someone’s looking for me, yeah? Where’s that person now?” The child looked around them, his head swinging wildly. “Hey... wait a minute! This is the place, though! OK, is that guy ditching us?” Arianne was just about to say something when a pair of hands suddenly reache