Cold Light - Blurred // Beyond

"Justice!? Righteous!? Keep that shit to yourselves!"
-Goro Akechi (Persona 5)

Start from the Beginning: Sinister Light - Fantasy // Line

"So, I'll see you tonight?"
I smile, taking the invitation from her hands. "Wouldn't miss it."
Serena moves in, cupping my face as her lips touched mine.
For about a good 2 minutes, our kiss stays as our eyes stay shut.
Finally, she pulls away and gives me a coy little smile. "Stick around longer tonight. Maybe I'll donate something to you too."
She winks, slowly and dramatically exiting the restaurant.
I wave goodbye, my face red and swooning from her touch.
All of which dropped to my usual, business like smile the moment she was out of the way.
I meant what it when I said I wasn't in the market for dating. But sometimes business means I have to use any means necessary.
After all, if I'm going to kill someone as high profile as her, I'm going to need to get closer.
It's a shame, really. I would have loved to sleep with her. But a job is a job.
My libido comes last. I'd rather have my money.
For potential clients in the market to have someone disappear, I have a far simpler method of contact compared to people who have complex systems like the Penthesilea Agency or Thanos Venge.
Word of mouth.
I may not make many friends(that I don't kill), but I do build a huge network of professional connections. I make nice with rich folk or other assassins who are morally fine with eliminating those in their way and in turn, they spread the word and hand out my calling cards that I leave around. In that card is a riddle and a phone number. If they solve the riddle and send the answer by text, the phone sends them a question sheet that they need to fill out and I review the request. If I think it's legitimate, I send them details about payment and burner phone numbers to let them contact me.
The riddle isn't all that complex but there's been a surge of clients and I think I should consider changing it.
Because I have no specific method of murder, I've been given many names because of my system of contact or my efficiency. Pandora, Silencer, Puzzle Box. But I think the one that stuck the most popular one is Checkmate. Clients are weird.
On to my current client, Hayner Mulch, President of Black Lily wants me to kill their philanthropist CEO, Serena Black. His best friend. And on a deadline too.
I have to get rid of her before she donates her company's money to the Eden Foundation. You must be thinking, why would anyone, much less her best friend, want to kill a nice lady for donating to a charity that helps fund housing for orphans? Envy? Bad blood?
Not those, but there are quite a few reasons actually. Serena, while kind as she is, is actually not very smart. Hayner knew that the Eden Foundation was part of a shady business that are orphaning children, taking them in, and housing them in these fake homes for show. Not only was a large amount of Black Lily's stock was going to be donated, but he also knew that the Eden Foundation were planning to use that money to cause a catastrophic shooting at a ghetto neighbourhood populated by Mexican immigrants and African Americans with police forces they have in their utility. They'll not only be orphaning children, they get to use this political outcry to promote that their company is part of the black lives matter movement and promote their cause to gain more donations. Of course, Serena didn't believe her best friend who himself has shady connections. Since the cops were in on this, there was no way he was going to turn this into them. Nor did he trust the FBI, considering his connections. When asking assassins to eliminate the Eden Foundation proved impossible because they all refused, me included, he asked me to kill her instead to at least prevent them from using their money for their plans. Ironically orphaning his god son.
Money's money. What happens to her spoiled kid isn't my business.

//
The Eden Foundation pre-partnership party starts at 6 in the evening. I have some time to kill, so I buy a new Tuxedo down at MJ Bale. They love me since I always come in to buy something instead of browsing.
Browsing at the store is a waste of time. I research what I want before I actually buy something so I won't hesitate like most people who come in to take a peak first.
Being firm about what you want will stop you from ever being hesitant. Hesitation is the last thing one needs when killing.
I say that, but at the moment, I hesitate entering Cloudy Day to buy my own pre-party caffeine. I'd rather not have another long conversation with Christine. Else I end up being rattled again.
But like she pointed out, I'd rather not drive to the farther cafes in the city.
So I suck it up and enter.
"Hi, welcome to-" Christine starts, pausing when she's me come in.
Though she stumbles a sec, her smile and cheery voice does not waver. "Oh hey, Patrick."
She turns around to face the coffee put for a sec and turns her head to me. "The usual?"
"Yeah." I say, placing the 5 dollars on the table.
"Thanks." She says. "Go take a seat. I'll bring it to you."
I nod, moving to find an empty booth. Though I really hope that by bring it to me she doesn't mean to have another unsettling conversation with me.
After about 4 minutes, she arrives with coffee in hand. "Here you go. And as always, thanks for the tip."
She turns to get back to work, her body indicating she's a little overworked and tired considering the lunch hour just ended.
For a second, I was glad she didn't stick around for round 2. But I spoke to soon.
"So hey." She suddenly says. "About this morning. Sorry about being weird. I really like you. I do. But I didn't mean to be assertive enough to make you uncomfortable. Sometimes I can be too much, as my mother used to say."
I take a sip and smile. "It's cool. It's a flattering that someone wants to throw themselves at me."
She laughs a little, turning her head towards my suit. "Oh! Someone's got a fancy suit. What's the occasion?"
"I'm going to a party." I tell her, trying to be as vague as possible.
"Okay. Wish you'd come in already wearing it though. I'd have love to see you look like James Bond."
"And risk accidentally spilling my coffee on it?" I say with a fake british accent. "Sorry, luv. I always have to be careful." 
Christine crosses her arms as she chuckles, nodding as she walks back to the counter.
As my eyes follow her, they trail off to find that man with the buzzcut sitting at another booth, talking to someone. Has he been here all day?
I've never seen him before, so it makes me cautious. But I don't feel too alarmed for some reason. Sometimes, tourists or business men do come here, so I put it out of my mind for now. I can investigate him later if he sticks around.
At the very least, I think it won't be awkward around Christine anymore.

//
I arrive 5 minutes early to the Black Manor located at the edge of Northbrick's cliffside.
The way I wormed myself into this party was simple. I "saved" her from a stick up. Like my data says, she's far too trusting for her own good. In a matter of 2 days, she already told me her sob life story of being a single mother who can't stand children in pain and how she was a mess before she turned her life around for her son. She's also got a dating problem.
By day 3, she already asked me to give her a chance to go out on a date. My guess, she's looking for a man responsible enough to take care of her son. Lady, your best friend is willing to adopt your kid after having you killed. Couldn't you just take him?
Thanks to this date, I found out she was deathly allergic to cumin after sending her meal back to have the cumin removed. She apparently nearly died years ago.
Again, too trusting.
This made moving forward with my plan far easier. I didn't have to sneak her out of the very well secured mansion just to shoot her somewhere and cover it up somehow.
I hired people to intercept her caterers and secretly swapped their precious chicken meals with ones stuffed with large servings of cumin disguised as rosemary seasoning.
It wasn't hard to get rid of any anti-allergy medication or epipens if there were never any in the premises. She's too cocky to believe she'd ever need any even when she knows a spoonful of cumin would kill her.
And her most fatal flaw would have to be living way too far from the city just to have a view every morning from her cliffside home. For someone so nice, she's got a pretty expensive taste in things.
Even if an ambulance makes it here, it'd be too late.
Serena, who was seated at a private table near the second floor railings, stood up
to call attention to guests on the first floor. This was her way of appearing very important. After all, if you have the high ground, you must be very important to have people beneath you.
Again, for a lady so nice, she has a pretty superior view of herself.
"Friends! Loved ones! Thank you for coming to my party this evening. Tonight is a special night, for this dinner will be for celebration of my upcoming partnership with the Eden Foundation!"
There are claps and fake smiles all around. I can tell that half of these people knew that this donation was a huge mistake.
"Children deserve to pick up their lives from the pain of losing their family. So a toast to giving orphans homes."
Everyone raises their glasses and take a sip.
"Now." She gives a wide, innocent smile. "Dig in!"
Everyone scatters across the room for their designated seating and she returns to her seat.
"She's doing great things." Someone said to me suddenly next to me.
Jacobi Black. Serena's teenage son. Also a nice kid.
I give him a sincere-ish smile. "Yeah."
"I'm proud of her you know?"
You really shouldn't be in a hurry to act and sound like an adult, kid. But then again, after tonight, you're going to have to be. "You should be."
I watch her, enjoying her chicken and coleslaw. Munching on what's already 3 spoonfuls of food.
It's in that moment that her happy expression begins to transform into horror. Her face begins swelling and turning red. 
I take this time to act suspicious, fabricating concern at the commotion taking place. "Hey, is something wrong with your mom?"
Jacobi walks forward to look. "Mom?"
She stands, her hands around her neck as she struggles to breathe.
"She's choking!" I shout, faking a distressed scream.
"MOM!" Jacobi rushes up the stairs, me following from behind.
Worried murmurs echo across the room.
Within an assumed 5 minutes, Serena Black will be dead. Her son will hold her hand, watching the life in her eyes disappear and a descent of rage will follow.
However, we weren't even halfway through the Black manor's outrageously long staircase when something incredibly convenient happened.
Serena stumbled and fell back, right towards the railing and down straight to the first floor.
There was a sickening crack as her body hit the ground. Her neck was bent ways that shouldn't be possible for anyone to survive. Her once beautiful face was bloated and oozing with blood and her limbs broken and bent out of shape.
Jacobi rushed back down, screaming for his mother again and again.
From the crowd, I spot my client, who watches in horror before closing his eyes.
He turns to me for a brief second, sending a short nod of acknowledgement, before rushing to pull Jacobi back.
I had kept myself looking devastated as police soon arrived to take statements. The catering service "admitted" to have confused rosemary and cumin together and that Serena Black's death was deemed a terrible, terrible accident. I had my own connections with the police so I made sure that there wouldn't be a heavier investigation.
A cop approached me, taking out a pen and a notepad.
"Save it." he says.
"Good evening to you too, Henry." I say quietly, not dropping my facade in the face of other guests.
"How much you make tonight?" he inquired, continuing to fabricate a report on his notepad.
"Probably a quarter of what she was going to give to that evil foundation."
"Mhmm." That's code for a drink soon.
He puts a hand over my shoulder, as if to comfort me. "Maybe somewhere fancier this time?"
"Fine." I wipe tears from my eyes. 
"You're free to go."
I nod, preparing to walk out.
Before I leave, I move towards Jacobi, who was sobbing into the President's chest.
I knelt down and pat his back.
"She was all I had. And I was all she needed." He suddenly said in between sobs. "She lived for me and for those kids that suffer. Mom was everything. What do I have to live for anymore?"
My body cringes and I find myself silent for a few seconds before I can formulate a response.
"She would want you to live on." He didn't even respond, just pushing himself off and running straight for his room.
Black Lily's President turns to me, opening his mouth to say something that I know was about my report. I shake my head in response, only pointing to the phone in my pocket to tell him to just text me. I walk away as the cops put a tarp over Serena's body. I could only keep my hands on my face as I blended with the crowd of horrified guests on their way out. Some of them were even saying that they knew this was coming. To them, I must look like I'm devastated. In reality, I'm smiling and suppressing a laugh at the ridiculous chain of events that transpired tonight. It wasn't until I was halfway back to my car that I finally managed to control myself.
The moment I made it to my car, I stop a few seconds to breathe in and breathe out.

"Taylor?" That wasn't my name. I know it wasn't my name. So why did I turn around?
From behind me, the same man with a buzzcut from the cafe earlier approached me. He wore a brown leather jacket and jeans, making him stand out from everyone who seemed to have gussied up to look fancy tonight. How did I or anyone else not noticed him?
"Taylor." He repeats himself. Before I can respond, something flashes in my head. This static-y image. This black and white image of a boy standing over me. A long, thought to be forgotten image. 
My head begins to hurt and I stumbled back.
"Hey are you-"
"That's not..." I can't even completely say that's not my name and just get in to my car.
The man taps at my window as I start my engine to drive off.
From behind me, I can hear him give chase for a bit and shouting that name again.
I nearly swerve but manage to regain control.
Why did he call me Taylor?

What just happened?

Continue to the next chapter: Hallowed Light - Unravelling // Awakened

-Author Notes:
Hope you all enjoyed Part two of the Light series.
The last two parts of the series is what I haven't totally finished yet and will take time to release so stay tuned.

Sinister Light - Fantasy // Line

"I gave up everything. EVERYTHING!"
-Takuto Maruki (Persona 5 Royal)

There was something calming about killing people at Twilight's light. Not that anyone ever realized that the dead were really dead by the time I had my hands on them.
A fine show of where I've brought myself in my line of work.
In an underground network full of crooks and sketchy men, I like to believe the name Patrick Walsh has power. Just below Gyle Winfreed, a terrifying ex-assassin, and just above the likes of Thanos Venge, a hacker from Eastbrick. Not that I believe he was any more of a threat to the criminal underworld than Gyle these days.
My hands reached for my phone, already anticipating that the client was calling. I can never really comprehend how the clients seem to call just after I finish someone off. Was it intuition? Or was it impatience?
"It's done." I say to my current client.
Quentin Leed. A young intern for one of those sketchy multi-million companies. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and he just couldn't keep his mouth shut.
I try not to get attached to my clients details. It makes it so much easier to snuff a life out.
No hard feelings Quentin. I like to survive.
Killing him wasn't nearly as fun as I anticipated. I heard he had a black belt in Judo. But then again, I'm more of a pragmatist. There are no rules in my type of engagement. I will kill without any hesitation and with any resource I have.
I waited for him to do his daily jog. His route was stupid enough to bring him to the woods. And there, I slit his throat and buried him in a 10 foot hole and filled it with concrete.
At the end of the day, I get to come home with a fat envelope and I can continue paying for Netflix and buying whatever the hell I want.
It makes me wonder why people like Gyle would leave. I hear it was for love, but I don't believe in that bullshit.
Justice and morals are useless. Justice is hard to believe in in this world where corruption lives on even in the lives of the simple men of simple lives.
Look at Thanos Venge. He lives on revenge, his way of justice, but he's just one person. And its not like he's doing it for free.
And years ago, there was this woman I respected. Her ability was like no other. Though I nor anyone can quite remember her name. Just the initials E.R.
I heard she lived as she died, standing by her beliefs that stood within that grey line of morality.
Peers often ask me what I live for.
Honestly, I can kill anyone in a heartbeat and that's the only question that stops me.
Its kept me up at night sometimes.
I took life so easy, but I can't justify mine.
What did I live for?
At this point, nothing really.

//

In my off days away from my usual grind, I liked to take up a thousand hobbies to try and replicate the feeling of accomplishment that I used to feel when I did a job successfully.
Away from the occasional fighters, my job has been boringly easy.
And I've lost any form of excitement.
But honestly, nothing evokes a sensation. Video games are exciting for a few hours before they get predictable. Sports become way too repetitive. And I've dabbled in some degree of literature. Nothing too interesting to keep me going.
Cooking was an essential skill I needed to learn at a young age. Though there has been a blur in my memories regarding my past.
Like a block that took away what I once was.
The only bits and pieces I have of what I was in my youth was some faces I knew, certain skills that could keep me alive, and a dark patch where I remember a teenager blocking me from another man. My family I assume.
That teenager's face was so obscure that I never could quite replicate it in drawing, another skill I had. I used to look for him. But I've long since gave up. There was no point in trying to look for someone who could be gone.
If you ask me what my earliest memories were, I'd outright lie to you.
I'm a freelance killer, not a hired friend. I won't tell you anything about myself because anyone, a friend, a lover, a client, can become a target. And I've been hardened enough to not keep many attachments close. Makes it easier to kill someone when they tell you "You were my friend".
But... if by some rare chance I did value you enough to keep you off my little black book, I will admit to you that the last real memory I can think of is actually starting my training from the first person I could never kill. My instructor, whose name has already been erased from society so he too can live a normal life, watched over me and left me to believe he was the only family I had left.

//

"Oh, Pat. Come for the usual?" This was Christine Mackenzie. A young girl who operates the cafe right across my apartment. She likes me for some strange reason. I won't lie, I like the view. But I'm not nearly as horny as 98 percent of the white male populace nor am I looking to date so I'm just here for the coffee. 
I give her a polite nod and take out the prepared 5 dollars in my pocket. tt's 2.50 for Cloudy Day Cafe's average cup of coffee. But it's common courtesy to leave a tip so I just hand it to her and she doesn't give me the change anymore after I continued to insist on her keeping it.
"You know, I'm just gonna say it straight out." She suddenly says. "You've been coming to this cafe for so long and only during my shift."
It's not like it was my fault I wanted coffee in the morning nor am I god to put you in the same crappy 7 A.M shift you're on.
She gives one of those silly half smiles she likes to give to the customers. "How long is it gonna take you to ask me out on a date yet?"
Spunky. I thought. I usually do something for girls to want me whenever I need something from them.
I don't think buying coffee regularly should mean I'm actually trying.
Was I really that hot?
"You're joking right? Christine, you don't even know me. For all you know, I could be some psychotic killer."
Psychotic's a strong word, but you get the point.
The semi-rude tone doesn't stop her. Her smile now a full on beam. "Then let me get to know you. I want to take a peak into that brain of yours."
No thank you. I doubt you'd be able to handle what's in my grey matter.
Should I start looking for another cafe? Ah, but the average cafes here in Northbrick, Colorado stray too far from each other to give each one located in each sector of the city a fair shot. I'm not about to drive to the Starbucks in Lindholm Street for that.
Or I could say no thank you. Polite rejection should stop anyone.
"Sorry but maybe I'll pass." I say. She doesn't lower her cheeky smile. "It's just, you have to understand that I don't really know you. You can't seriously just make me go out with someone I hardly know."
She laughs. "You sound like a girl. But I understand the logic. If only other men knew how to act like that."
Insult aside, I guess it worked.
She hands the coffee to me but suddenly backs it up. "Or, we can start by being friends."
Why is she suddenly so persistent?
She chuckles and hands me the cup. "My break's in 5 minutes. Talking casually can't hurt, can it?"
I'm too speechless to counter argue and just walk to a table. Maybe if I leave she'll back off.
On the other hand, I might get banned from buying here and I really don't want to buy instant coffee.
Sure enough, 5 minutes later she was sitting in front of me like we've been chums since forever.
"You're so persistent, you know?" I say. Almost impressed but sure to add attitude.
She shrugs it off and crosses her arms. "So I've been told."
Taking a sip of my coffee, I try to read into this to get a grasp on what her deal was. But from my view, all I see is a curious girl showing way too much cleavage and seemingly overworked with those tired looking hands of hers.
"Why do you want to get to know me anyway? I'm just a regular you make idle small talk with. What on earth possessed you to want to go out with me? Are you horny?"
Oops. That last one just slipped out.
Instead of offense, she's completely doubled over. "With that wit? I already love you."
She takes a few seconds to collect herself before continuing. "There's something interesting behind those innocent looking eyes of yours. A story. I like that in a person."
"You like... People who look like they're hiding really dark secrets?"I say, pretending to look offended.
She waves  her hands to try and defend her answer. "AND you look great. You can hide it in that coat but you've got the bod and I've already confirmed you've got the common decency and humor."
I really want to roll my eyes. Presumptuous people are the worst kind of people I deal with daily. 
"That's kinda creepy." I say. "Aren't you at all worried that I just might never come back for you trying to hit on me?"
Christine smirks and leans in closer. "Well, from the way you seem to come here, I take it you don't bother with the other cafes in the area so I'm sure you won't run."
For a second, she's a little too close for comfort, but she eventually backs away. "I guess I'm just saying I'm curious."
"Why can't you be curious about the other regulars?" I ask.
Her face grows bored and she turns to the other tables that had many of the familiar faces.
One by one, she points out each and every regular I see coming in. "Divorcee, smug entrepreneur, twelve stepping drug addict, hopeless romantic, and angry college student."
She turns to me. "They're too easy."
I knew she was right because I made sure to gather data about people around here to make sure no one around Northbrick would be a threat.
 Aside from that assassin from the Penthesilea Agency who got rid of that painter before leaving, I was sure that no one could compromise me.
But this pushy girl is letting it seem like she knows more than what her file says. Or am I just too paranoid?
"And what is it about me that  doesn't seem easy?"
"Like I said. Your eyes." She inclines her head as she keeps her gaze on my eyes. "Something's in there. And like, it makes me want to ask what you live for."
That question again. That damn question again. I don't know if I seem rattled, but this conversation is really not entertaining anymore.
"Sorry, did I hit a nerve?" She asked, sincerely. "It's just... There really is something about you that's intriguing."
We're silent for a few minutes. My coffee is getting cold in my hand but I feel paralyzed to my seat.
"Sorry. I think I'm making you uncomfortable."
She wasn't wrong. I haven't been this uncomfortable since I watched a man willingly eat a vat of acid.
"Nah." I wave it off, trying to reestablish my non-work facade. "Just some deep questions that I have no answers to. Believe it or not, I'm just an ordinary, overworked office worker."
Christine chuckles, taking the cup I hand her as she stands. "Ordinary people don't exist."

She takes over for Cherie at the counter and serves a sharp-looking man with a buzzcut. She gives me a small wave as I walk off, her questions still lingering in my head.

Continue to Part 2: Cold Light - Blurred // Beyond

Author's notes:
I hope you like it. This story was originally something else but I've forgotten the concept I originally adapted and came up with this recently.
I've already finished like 85 percent of this story but it's too long to put in one post. So stay tuned for the next parts of the Light Trilogy.

Pens - Desperation

"I wanna live a life from a new perspective."
- New Perspective (Panic! at the Disco)

Every time I get on a bus and speak over these crowd of busy people, I start to hate myself even more. It feels so humiliating for me to hand these pieces of paper with the prices of the pens I sell. But it's not like I have much of a choice. Desperation makes the toughest men crumble at their feet.
18 years ago, I thought things would be way different. Vincent Reyes was going to start working his way through school and actually do something with his life.
I ended up knocking some chick up and dropping out of college. I was on my own. What little money I had was supposed to be enough for just me and 4 years of college. It was such a waste. My little girl is my life now. With her mom out of the picture, I'm all she has. And for years, I have struggled so desperately to make sure that I didn't spend all the money I had left. I did every job humanely possible without a degree. But even that couldn't stop Annie from getting leukemia. Now she's fighting so desperately to stay alive and I've lost practically all I have just to keep her breathing in that hospital bed.
The thing about passing these notes is that no matter how much of my desperation I put in these, they don't necessarily work. I can't call these people bad, but I know that to them, I'm just another annoying bus vendor. The way they look away whenever I force the paper on their laps. The teenagers who max their music's volume as I speak. The especially annoyed ones that drop the paper. One or two of the people on the bus would take pity on me and buy something. But 20 Pesos cannot pay for my daughter's hospital bills. Once I've reached the end of the bus I'm on, I know that I've only managed to secure one sale today. I sigh and start walking back, collecting my papers from each one. Some return it apologetically and some just let me pick it up. A teenage girl is the one who ends up buying a pen. "God bless you po." She says and hands me an extra 5 Pesos.
God huh? I haven't really prayed in forever. He's abandoned me already. Why bother asking for his help?
As I'm almost back to the entrance, a guy in a suit hands me back my paper but stops me from leaving. "I can't buy your pens. But I can offer you something better."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Take a seat. Let me give you an offer that can save your little girl." A chill runs down my spine as I stand there trying to rationalize what is happening. This stranger is offering some way to help my daughter. Is he a drug addict?
"I need to get off the next stop." I say.
He chuckles, scratching his cheek as his brown eyes stay on mine. "Frankly sir, I can see why you'd be wary of me. But give me the benefit of the doubt."
He hands me a matte black card with silver lettering on it.

YMV Infinity
Changing Lives For The Better
09178447310

"Think about it." He places the card on my hand and turns away.
The bus slowed as the next stop came closer. I quickly gather what cards I had gave out and prepare to leave.

Annie remained asleep with Doctors coming in and out of her room to feed her more medicine. It's not fair for her to have to deal with this.
"Hey man." Josh Alagano, one of the few friends that still stuck around, visited. He had a large teddy bear with him and placed it next to Annie. "How are you holding up?"
"Badly. I've made about 120 Pesos. And that's about it."
Josh reached into his pocket and handed me a crisp 1000 peso bill. "Take it man. I know I can't really give you a lot, but I can at least help you buy some medicine."
Josh was my friend from high school. Out of all the friends I had, he's the only one who's found at least some form of mild success as an engineer. We remained in touch because.. Frankly, I don't know why he or anyone in my life still sticks around.
"Thank you." A month ago when the leukemia was first diagnosed, I would have outright refused any form of help. But these days, I'll take what I can get. "But what I really need is a job..."
"I can't help you there. All of my connections require a degree. And with you having been unable to finish your course, I can't get you into my or any company."
I knew that. But being reminded hurts sometimes.
The door opened and Doctor Garcia enters. "May I speak to you, Mister Reyes?"
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her." Josh smiles and turns his attention to my daughter.
I follow the Doctor outside, waiting for whatever could be wrong.
"It's getting worse." She tells me. "The medicine is not fighting off the leukemia. We're gonna have to start chemotherapy and maybe transfer her to another hospital with better facilities."
I could feel my heart begin to race as I cross my arms.
"How much do I have to pay for all of that?"
"Mister Reyes, that's--"
I honestly wanted to shout. But instead, I turned my head and ended up releasing a choked sob as I spoke. "How much... will it cost... to save my daughter?"
The doctor looked down and clutched her clipboard to her chest. "Way more expensive than everything we currently provide."
She lets out a sigh and looks at me. "Mister Reyes, we don't have to talk about this right now. We need to focus on saving her first. Excuse me."
I'm left standing at the hallway as Doctor Garcia strode away.
What else could I still possibly do? I'm running out of options. Maybe I should just sell my kidney...
I enter the room and take a seat.
"What's wrong?" Josh asks.
"It's getting worse." I say.
"Vince..." He takes out his phone and starts dialing something.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm calling my wife. Maybe Rina can help you too."
I make him drop his phone and we sit in silence. "You don't need to give your wife any more stress. I know she cares too, but I'll think of something."
He remains silent for a moment before standing up. "You might not like my next idea. But maybe you should call your parents."
I didn't need to answer for him to understand that I was never calling my family again. It took me years of planning just to escape my parents. I didn't need their help before. I wasn't going to get on my knees for their help now.
"I need to go." Josh says. "I have to go pick up some groceries. I'll see you again."
"Thanks." And he's gone.
My daughter stirs from the bed and opens her eyes. She lets out a vibrant smile despite the pain she is enduring. "Daddy."
She squeals to find the bear next to her. "Is this from Uncle Josh?"
I nod and watch her carefully snuggle up to the toy.
This was the pure bliss that Annie deserves to have on a daily basis. Not to be pricked by thousands of big needles.
There has to be something I could do. With my desperation, I'm willing to do anything just to make sure she can keep smiling like this until she's old enough to fall in love and live a nice life.
As I take my phone out to search for more jobs, a card falls from my pocket.
The business card from that creepy guy on the bus.
"YMV Infinity... Changing lives for the better..." My hands grip the card tightly. Am I really this desperate to trust this kind of shady company?
...Yes.
"Annie, I'll be right back." I step out and dial the number.
After about 4 rings, someone picks up.
"Hello. Thank you for calling YMV Infinity. How can I help you?"
"Yes. One of your employees gave me this card on a bus. Can you really help me solve my problem?
"That's right, Mister Reyes. Our company strives to change lives and eliminate all of our clients problems."
"How did you know my name?"
"That's the least of your worries, Sir. If I were you, I'd close my eyes for what's about to happen next."
"What do you mean?" I shut my eyes anyway. "What's going to happen?"
The sounds of bustling doctors ceased and the smell of medication vanished.
When I open my eyes, I'm no longer at the hospital. Rather, I've been transported into some sort of forest.
The guy on the phone hung up, but I could still hear his voice from somewhere.
"Welcome to YMV's Life Alter program. As you all know, you've been brought here after looking for a solution to your problems. And we will give you just that."
"And how does this even work?" I whisper to myself. "How am I here, even? Magic."
"We want to test the worth of what you fight for."  the voice says. "To earn our help, all you need to do... is to kill the other contestants."

Authors notes:
This story was inspired by pen vendors that come to the bus to sell pens for various reasons. Stay tuned for part 2.

Wellston's Other Deck: An unOrdinary Fanfiction - The Life of Battle

"Kill for Kill
 Eye for Eye
 Blood for Blood
 It's time to die.
 Retribution tastes so sweet"
-One Thing(Casey Lee Williams)

Note: To understand this story, please read unOrdinary by Uru Chan at Webtoon.
Read the previous chapter here.

"I swear." Cain huffed, staring angrily at his rejected paper on Joker. "Ever since Arlo kicked Cecille out and put Isen in charge, our papers have been getting lamer."
"How so?" Emma asked, fiddling with the tips of her blue hair.
Cain sighed. "Ever since John-- Er, Joker, started his rampage, our writers have been writing articles about him left and write. But all of them have been rejected. If Cecille were still in charge, we'd have at least 3 out on the paper. She's no saint, but she did get the truth out. These days, the press team has been trying to keep each article safe thanks to Isen. What a pussy."
Emma crossed her arms. "It doesn't take Aya reading his mind to know that he knows about John."
"You think Cecille knows about John too? You think that's why she got fired?"
Emma shook her head. "Aya said it's cause she exposed Seraphina being powerless."
She stared out the third floor building, watching as students begin to gather somewhere around the courtyard. "Speaking of Cecille, John is beating the living shit out of her."
The two walked over to a window way closer to the fight. Oliver and Aya were already there watching.
"I guess she doesn't know about John." Cain said.
"On the contrary..." Aya interjected. "...those two are working together."
"It's a show." Oliver added. "A very realistic and brutal show."
Cecille was knocked flat to a wall, watching as John approached her. While it was just a show, being beaten to the floor with her own power embarrassed her.
Aya and Cain looked away as John proceeded to skewer Cecille again and again.
",,,"Cain ruffled his silver hair. "That's just cruel."
"Hey..." Aya looked up. "Do you guys ever miss... Fighting?"
The four looked at each other, tense air building up as the question remained unanswered."
"No." Oliver turned around, the wind blowing through his short, green hair. "I... I don't want that kind of life anymore."
"Same." Emma cracked her knuckles. "I'm... going to head to class. Oli, you mind?"
"Sure." Oli's eyes glowed a tinted grey. His power was active. He pat Emma's shoulder and she vanished. "I'll go on ahead too."
Aya and Cain didn't get a chance to respond as he vanished as well.
"Do you?" Cain asked her.
Aya shook her head. "No... But it's still part of our past. We can't exactly just forget it happened."
She straightened her backpack, waved goodbye to Cain and began to walk away.
"Our past, huh?"

4 years ago...

Cain stood firm, waiting for their opponents to arrive for the turf wars.
Tisca Middle School was a small name among many districts fighting the Turf Wars. But the school was a name to be feared. They were an underground whisper among rookies. Schools they've fought have gone home badly defeated. And none could understand how Tisca's strongest students manage to eliminate them without much effort.
The representatives of Galden Middle arrived with smug grins in their faces.
One of the big mid tier school disctricts
Oliver and Emma had done their research carefully, as always.
A meticulous method in preparing to bring honor to the school.
"So this is the notorious Tisca." Galden's King, Randy, stretched. "Guess we'll be packing this up sooner than I thought."
"He's as arrogant as he is ugly." Aya said under her breathe.
She turned to Tisca's healer, Faust. "You think we'll be coming out of this unscathed?"
"Definitely." She turned to Oliver. "How are we going to do this?"
Oliver stared at Galden's representatives and remembered the data he had gathered.

Kyle
Rank: Ace
Level: 6.0
Power: Mirror Shift

Randy
Rank: King
Level: 5.7
Power: Hail

Eloisa
Rank: Queen
Level: 5.1
Power: Clones

Bernadette
Rank: Jack
Level: 4.4
Power: Pyrokinesis

Ben
Rank: Healer
Level 3.8
Power: Heal

"The only real threat is Kyle. We'll leave our Ace to deal with theirs." Cain nods. "As for the rest... I'd say Emma alone is enough. But I think we all want to have a little fun, don't we?"
They all laughed, surprising Galden's students.
"What's so funny?!" Eloisa shouted. "You think you're better than us?"
"Well..." Aya started.
"Don't worry." Emma interjected. "We were just making chit chat. Let's go with the flush rules."
"You want a rank by rank fight?" Ben asked.
"You got a problem with that?" Cain said.
"Fine! Bring it on!" Kyle shouted. "Jacks! You go first!"
Bernadette and Emma took the stand.
Bernadette's hair was a scorching red and her eyes were burning with the desire to fight. So far from the bored look Emma returned to her and the calm blue hair her aura's color takes after.
"You scared?" She taunted Emma, showing off her flames at her palm.
"Hardly." Emma retorted.
"Begin!" The healers shouted.
As  Oliver had predicted in their briefs, it was Bernadette who made the first move. She swung her hands forward, shooting large flames where Emma stood, and causing a burning pillar to erupt at her.
"I think it's safe to say this is over." Randy whispered to Kyle.
"Not yet." Kyle said.
They looked on, watching as the flames died out, and was surprised to find Emma standing there, unscathed.
"H-How..." Bernadette bit her lip and shot fireballs at her.
Emma did not move and was once again engulfed in a large burst of fire.
But instead of waiting for the fire to fizzle out, a straight, blue beam of hard mana shot straight out from the condensed fire.
The surprised Bernadette took a direct hit, flailing to the ground as the force knocks her back.
She stood up, breathing heavily as she burned every limb on her body and ran at Emma.
She ran at Emma, swinging her arms to toss fire at her. Instead of taking it, Emma flicked her wrist and let blast of mana deflect it to the ground. This exchange went on for a while before Bernadette reached her and attempted to scratch her burning nails at Emma.
Emma coated her arm in mana and took the swing with her right arm and earned nothing more than annoyance. Bernadette could not move as Emma held on to her hard. Emma raised her left hand, A particle of Mana charging up. Was it a laser?
"LET GO OF ME YOU BITCH!" Bernadette shouted.
Ben stepped forward. "Stop! This fight is--"
Suddenly, Emma slapped Bernadette's face with her empowered hand, smashing the beam directly at her, and blowing her atleast 10 meters away.
"...over." Ben finished.
Emma dusted sand off her shoulder and watched as the loud woman she had fought earlier crumble to silence.
"That was pathetic." She said so coldly. Their opponents smug aura had diminished. They knew they couldn't take Tisca lightly anymore.
"Bern, are you okay?" Ben knelt next to her, healing the pained women.
"What else you got?" This time, it was Aya who reflected the smugness back at them.
"You're the queen, right?" Eloisa stepped forward. She wanted to say she was being brave, but if their Jack seemed to be at a level much higher then her, then she was afraid of what Tisca's queen could do.
And of course, Aya knew how Eloisa was feeling. After all... No thought was safe from her.
She stepped forward, her hazel eyes glinting to activate her power.
"El, are you sure about this?" Ben asked.
"She's not." Aya said, a smug grin planted at her face.
"Shut up." Eloisa retorted. Aya rolled her eyes. "I can beat you. You're nothing."
Aya smirked at the empty words. "Prove it."
Eloisa's turquoise eyes glinted. Suddenly, she multiplied and ran at Aya.
Aya feigned surprise as the clones surrounded her.
As they closed in,she let out a loud shriek as she shrank inside clones that engulfed her.
"Just all talk after all." Eloisa said.
She was about to deactivate her powers when she noticed something strange about her clones.
They all backed up and lined up in a uniform straight line.
"Did you really think I'd scream from something like this?" Aya stood up from the spot she had seemingly been crushed.
She clenched her hand and half the clones were crushed by an invisible force and vanished.
Eloisa winced. She does not take much damage when her clones as attacked or destroyed. But the sheer number was enough to inflict some pain.
Aya flicked her hand and the remaining clones flew right at her.
Eloisa quickly deactivated her power, causing the clones to disappear, and reactivate it. around 3 clones appeared at Aya's sides.
But as they attempt to grapple her, they are pushed aside.
Aya began walking towards Eloisa.
Eloisa swung her arms, causing a clone to shoot forward out of nowhere.
Another fruitless attack.
As Aya closed in, Eloisa tried again. But she found her hand unable to move.
Aya grabbed her by the cheeks. "It's over."
Eloisa's eyes widened, wondering what Aya would do to her next.
Was she going to toss her to the air and bang her again and again until all her bones are broken?
Aya leaned in, closing her face into her ear.
The others couldn't quite hear what she said, but Cain knew it was their victory.
After a while, Aya released her and Eloisa calmly lowered her hands.
Her eyes were dull and deprived of any spirit.
"I surrender." She said so monotonously.
Kyle and Randy were wide eyed as the most ambitious person they knew surrendered.
"But... Why?" Ben asked.
"I..." And suddenly, she passed out.
"Flashy wins are nice and all, but this is far more humiliating." Aya announced. She winked and gave a peace sign. "That's 2-0 now!"
Randy looked at Oliver next. Oliver returned the gaze with a calculating glare.
He wanted to say he felt a shiver run down his spine, but his passive prevents any form of temperature or shiver to bother his skin. The past two students were terrifying on their own. What could the king of Tisca do? What was this monster capable of?
For a moment, he felt fear as he stepped forward to fight.
But he looked back at his friends. Bernadette, their most enthusiastic fighter beaten in a one sided battle. Eloisa, conceding from a simple whisper.
He felt burning rage. He was not going to allow this unknown school shame them, a popular mid tier school.
He glared back, his purple eyes glinting to show that he activated his powers.
"Come on then!"
He swung his arms back, ready to shoot ice forward at him.
Olivers eyes glinted green and suddenly vanished.
With a simple shove, Randy fell to the ground. It wasn't even a powerful push.
Was it super speed? No. It was instant.
"Teleportation." He muttered. It was far more simple compared to their Queen and Jack. Their school had teleporters too. They were pushovers.
How did he become king?! He thought.
He couldn't even make his next move when Oliver vanished and appeared 5 feet above him.
He smashed his foot right at Randy's gut.
"You asshole!" Randy swung his hand, a flurry of ice shot forward at Oliver. Or at least, where Oliver was.
Oliver had teleported backward and cartwheeled away.
"I know how you teleporters work." Randy exclaimed proudly. "I'm not letting you move for another second."
Oliver said nothing as Randy pointed straight for Oliver's feet.
Ice suddenly encased them and seemingly immobilized his movements. A limitation that most teleporters in Galden had.
"You're dead!" He raised his arms and a hailstorm shot straight at Oliver. He saw the wind hit Oiver's face and blow right through his hair. But something was wrong.
Where was the ice?
Oliver pointed up, revealing the hail had been teleported right above Randy's head.
As Randy looked up, his own attack fell straight at him and pelted his body.
As the flurry ended, Randy looked forward and prepared to attack with more caution. But Oliver was already gone. The ice that encased Oliver was all that's left.
"You really shouldn't lump me with the losers at your school."
Oliver appeared in front of Randy. "I've gone way past the limitations of your average teleporter."
"How did you--" Randy raised his fist, trying to strike Oliver.
But he vanished, teleporting right behind him.
"But that's okay." Oliver pat him in the back. "Many people make the same mistake."
"Wh--" Randy suddenly found himself 20 feet into the air.
He screamed, terrified as he began to descend to the ground.
"Randy!" Ky;e shouted.
"This is way too much!" Ben shouted. "Stop! He's had enough."
Oliver turned his head to the Galden's healer.  Perhaps he was more reasonable. "Your king's a big boy. If he really is a high tier, then he can scrape himself out of this one." Oliver looked up, a cold smile planted on his face. "Right? King of Galden!"
The terrified king lost all fear and screamed at Oliver. "DON'T MOCK ME!"
Randy shot a giant block of ice at him.
Oliver simply teleported a meter away.
The top ends of the ice is weak and filled with some water. Randy thought. I can cushion myself with this. The ice and water won't hurt me.
Oliver rubbed his chin and touched the ice. "We can't have this now, can we?"
The ice vanished and teleported right above Randy. The block adhered to gravity and quickly rammed Randy from the back. The shock and pain was so intense that Randy lost any form of composure and passed out as he descended straight to the ground.
"HOLY SHIT!" Kyle couldn't keep his composure as he watched his best friend plummet with a giant block of ice slamming him down. "PLEASE! NO! STOP! HE MIGHT NOT SURVIVE!"
Oliver gave him a bored look and looked to Cain.
Cain shrugged.
"I beg you!" Kyle knelt. "Teleport him to the ground."
Oliver looked at him, watching as Galden's ace try to bargain for his King's life.
"Fine." Oliver vanished and teleported Randy to the ground safely.
"Thank you..." Kyle exhaled in relief. "Thank you so mu--"
Suddenly, the ice fell right at Randy.
"I never said I was going to teleport the ice out of the way."
The ace looked dumbfounded. Lost for words as he tried to process the cruelty of Tisca's king had just displayed before he walked back to his team.
"How could you be so evil?" He suddenly said to Oliver. "Why would you do that?"
"I'd hardly call what I did evil compared to your team brutalizing people with burns, bruises,, psychological assault, and frosbite before sending them to the hospital." Oliver retorted.
"It's the way Turf War works." Emma added. "Eat or be eaten. Isn't that what you said to our friends from Hallingway?"
"And now it's my turn." Cain stepped forward and waited as Galden's ace tried to gain composure. He was kneeling by the ice where his friend was buried. While the block's temperature would not affect him, the weight had surely inflicted tremendous damage.
"Fine. I'll teach you a lesson." Kyle almost never stepped in. But this was one fight he could not afford to lose.
But Kyle was much more cautious than his friends. He activated his powers, watching as his opponent did the same.
They both stood their, knowing that whoever made the first move would give himself a disadvantage.
What was his power? He asked himself.
"If you're not going to attack, then I will!" Cain ran forward, his hand clenched to a fist. Was he.... Was he going to punch me?
Kyle sidestepped.
He felt a little dizzy as he focused his power.
A long shard of mirror appeared from his arm and shot straight at Cain.
Cain moved his head back, narrowly evading the attack.
He looked up, surprised to find that the Galden's ace had vanished. So did everyone else. He's been trapped in a circle of mirrors.
So this is Mirror Shift. He thought to himself.
Suddenly, Kyle appeared out of one side and tried slicing at him. He disappeared as he reached atone end.
"I see." Kyle shot half his body forward from a mirror and attempted to slice Cain with his hand that has shifted into a mirror shard.
Cain did not move and raised his hand at the attack.
"You'll be losing an arm today!" He shouted.
But where he should have felt blood splashing from Cain's skin, he only felt Cain's grip on his wrist.
"Huh?" The other half of his body appeared as the mirrors vanished. Everyone reappeared.
"Checkmate."
"But how..." He scowled and raised his other hand and attempted to form another mirror shard. It took quite a while as his eyes glinted intensely.
Cain gripped his wrist harder. The glint in Kyle's eyes vanished as did his mirror shard.
Cain kneed him on the gut and slammed him to the ground.
Kyle was still conscious and had energy. But he couldn't activate his powers anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he only got dizzy.
"Be thankful I'm far merciful than my friends." He kicked Galden's ace. "Well, maybe not that Merciful."
He turned to the Tisca team. "Let's go."
They had left the badly beaten Galden to their healer and went off to report their victory.
At the time, they thought that this fighting wouldn't be much. But...

Present time.

As nice as it is to be respected like that. Cain thought to himself, looking down at his rejected report. It's just not worth what we almost lost.
He watched as John walk away from Cecille.
"Maybe we're a lot more like John than we think..."

Wellston’s Other Deck: An unOrdinary Fanfiction: In Plain Sight

“Is this path right? Or is it made of lies?
We're looking in ourselves
And trusting in the light
A miracle is all we need
But there isn't one in sight”
- Miracle (Jeff and Casey Lee Williams

Note: To understand this story, please read unOrdinary by Uru Chan at Webtoon.

The Other Royals by Cain Devon

"Like any school, Wellston Academy has its own 7 wonders.  The mysterious 16^th student of Class 203. The shifting step numbers of the third wing staircase. The Shadow King.
One of them has been a recurring mystery that students of have tried and failed to solve.
The Second Royalty Deck. To the public and Wellston’s students, their hierarchy consisted of Their Ace, Seraphina. Their King, Arlo. The Queen, Remi. And their Jack, Blyke.
But there have been stories and unconfirmed accounts of another set of royals treading amongst the students. But no one could ever identify them. Some say they’re so strong that they could not be ranked because Seraphina had taken their strongest spot. Some say that those royals eliminated anyone who found out their secret. Some say they hide amongst Mid Tiers and posing as regular students. But to this day, no one knows what they really are."

Emma sighed. “It’s like you’re trying to get us caught.”
Cain scratched his cheek. “I’m just trying to make people think I’m the next one on “their” tail. It’s not like I’m trying to out ourselves.”
The sample paper in Emma’s hand hovered and crumbled into a tiny ball. Emma was not amused.
With a sudden whoosh, Oliver appeared out of thin air.
“Here’s your iced tea.” He handed Emma the drink from his left hand.
Emma’s eyes glinted blue. Her power activated.
She inclined her head slightly. The drink floated towards her and she sipped the drink from a straw. “What’s your take on all this, Aya?”
“It’s a smart idea on paper.” Aya said. “But I dunno if it would work.”
“Look, I just want to secure that our little secret never comes out.” Cain stretched his arms. “It’s already a surprise people somehow know about us.”
“And who’s fault is that?” Oliver retorted. “Maybe show a little restraint the next time you beat someone up at night. If Aya hadn’t erased that bully’s mind, we would have probably been exposed.”
Cain sighed and picked up the ball of paper. “Look, whatever. I’m just making sure we have a solid way of manipulating the press. Isen’s good and all, but he’ll headline any little thing he can sniff out.”
Emma looked out the window, watching as the Joker strode towards Blyke. They all knew that Blyke was going to be no match.
“Considering that John… Or rather, Joker is terrifying the students, I think it’s safe to say that their attention will be off of us for a while.” Aya said.
With Aya’s power, she was able to quickly identify Joker’s identity by reading his mind. So the more they watched, they were amused how the school cripple is taking out Wellston’s elite.
They all nod and looked out the window, watching the one sided battle go on.
“Don’t you want to help him, Void?” Cain shushed Oliver.
“Don’t blow my cover.”
Aya looked away as Joker brutalized Blyke with his own power. After knocking him out, Joker strode away and left onlooking students terrified.
“If we were public royals, we’d be fighting him too.” Oliver said.
Emma shrugged. “It’s not our problem. As long as we’re living our peaceful mid-tier lives, John will leave us alone.”
The bell rang and they began to walk off to their classes.
“Cain, try to not be superhero again tonight, okay?” Emma said. “Just take a break for once.”
“I won’t” Cain smiled.
“He’s lying” Aya replied. “It’s not like we can do anything about it.”
Oliver stopped at his classroom’s door. He sighed and waited for the students in the hallway thinned. “Just try not to be reckless for once.”
He pat Cain, causing him to vanish as he is teleported to his class.
Emma gave Oliver a high five and vanished as well.
And finally, he flicked Aya’s nose and she teleported away.
As he was about to enter his class, John walked up the room. He gave Oliver a slight glance before entering.
Why does he have to be in my class?

Emma:
Rank: Mid-Tier(Jack)
Ability: Mental Push (Manakinesis)
Level: 2.4 (5.7)

Oliver:
Rank: Mid-Tier(King)
Ability: Blink (Teleport)
Level: 2.3 (6.4)

Aya:
Rank: Mid-Tier(Queen)
Ability: Suggestion(Telekinesis)
Level: 2.1 (6.1)

Cain:
Rank: Mid-Tier(Ace)
Ability: Distort (Nullify)
Level: 2.6 (8)

To be Continued...

Always

In the majestic space of time
Strings tied forth in red
Fingers to the sky
The bonds of fate beats within me

The heart beats for that longing
Always for that longing
Erase this hole that broke through
My blood seeping out

The pain you inflict is tremendous
And leave me paralyzed
But I am still a fool
Always reaching out

My dear friend
Armed with silence
My fears your ammo
The gun aimed at me

My pained screams for you to understand
And I still come forward
Through your shots fired
Still, I come forth

Always for your understanding
With what little is left of me
I dive in
My mind never silenced.

And above I wait
I wait for the courage
To jump to the eternity
To silence my mind

In that free fall
It will always be for that understanding
For that forgiveness
For the memories

My bitter murmur
My pained heart
If only you can silence them as well
My friend

The House of Crows and Dreams - Deathwish

"Not every open wound is simply healed by time
 But revenge is always sweet
 And Chaos is the prize"
- Die (Casey Lee Williams)

Do you believe in paradise? A sanctuary where we can feel safe and ourselves?
People call it home. The beds you come to at night and rest your mind.
But what if I told you that your mind is never resting and you have always had this sanctuary within you all along?
Imagination is where you can drown yourselves in delusions of happiness.
But as a physical manifestation of your heart, it does exist.
It is beyond the average human's reach.
But I'm not your average human.
Every day, I can see the world within the people's eyes. The lens that hide the truth from the outside.
I can see everything with a simple glance into your eyes.
And should I will it, I can enter your paradise and see your true self.
But you don't want that. Because this sanctuary that contain our hearts don't really contain this safe paradise where we shelter ourselves.
It cages all the pain in our hearts that hide our true selves. The truth has always been an ugly thing.
If I poke into your heart, I wouldn't know what monsters I would face. I know I wouldn't want anyone to see into my broken heart.
Every day, I see through people's hearts and I ache to find how much people suffer.
From the heartache of breakups to those broken by their minds.
It's bad enough I have to face my own darkness every day. It's a miracle I haven't gone insane yet.
My heart is so empty now that I wouldn't really care if I lived or died. It's just a matter of when something's going to push me.
"Ivan, I'm heading home." I don't look up as Rene says goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye." I say as I focus my eyes on my PC.
I hate to see Rene's heart. A kind hearted person who suffers from the memories of her rape. It haunted me for weeks to peer through her eyes and see the same woman who smiled every day and gave out donuts every now and then chained to the wall with ropes made of photos and blindfolded with a black mask.
I never see the perpetrator's face, but it's always this crawling man with a hat and pitch black tentacles protruding from his body.
There are hardly any people I can look at in the office. Anymore.
It makes it so hard to bond with a person when you see the depths of their heart.
The IT guy from three chairs down cuts himself. His eyes hid a man in a room of blades that continue to cut him and he just smiles.
Our boss suffers from depression and her true self is curled up in a ball held down by balls and chains while the door in front of her is open. She won't leave..
There were only 2 people I could look at in the office.
Eliza, a girl who doesn't suffer from anything major and is one of the few who's sanctuaries are pleasant and safe.
And Ren. Well, Ren's been long gone.
But he was the closest friend I had.
What I saw in his heart was what I saw in front of me. The exact same person. This man who seems to just display his true self no matter where he went and no symbolism ever appeared. Just a man drinking his coffee in a cafe.
I thought I knew the real him. Then he abandoned me. He abandoned me and begun to lessen contact.
He's busy he says. And he began to forget me. I don't know him anymore.
It left a singular pain in my chest that never leaves for more than a few hours before coming back.
I'm sick of it.
When I'm finally done with my work, I clock out and leave. I hate the night shift because the trains would be closed and I'd have to take the bus.
The night air was chilling and fog littered the streets.
It was so damn creepy.
At least there were open convenience stores around here so if I run into trouble, I can just run into a 7-11.
After about 10 minutes of waiting, the bus finally arrived.
I pay the conductor and take a seat next to woman with brunette hair.
"Hello." She says to me.
The friendly type. I'd hate to see what kind of pain she hides.
"Hi." I say back without looking at her.
About a mile later, the bus stopped and a man in a hoodie entered.
There was something strange about his presence. Any normal person, I would have looked away.
But there was something that drew me closer to his sight.
He wore shades so thankfully my eyes couldn't see into his pupils directly. But what kind of person wears shades in the middle of the night?
He sat at the seat across mine.
For a while, I keep my head down and wait until I hear the driver announce that we're in my stop.
But I couldn't stop looking up. I just couldn't.
Until finally, I looked at his face. His features.
He seemed young. About my age.
Pale skin and lean. He had bright, blue dyed hair that stuck out at the edges of his hood.
He doesn't move, as if to let me keep staring.
Then suddenly, he smiles a tight lipped smile.
He reaches for his shades and withdraws them from his face.
His pale blue eyes pierced right through my eyes.
My eyes widened, my powers forcibly making its way through his soul.
"You shouldn't be here." He says. Inside his paradise.
He reaches out to me. No, his true self reached out. And I feel... FEEL... his soul's hand on my face.
"Go back to your own room." And I feel a force push me back.
I feel myself thrown back into the ground. But that shouldn't be right..
I was already seated.
Instead, I find myself on a marble floor and no longer on the bus.
"It took you long enough."
In front of me... Was me.
Red strings trapped him like a fly on a spiderweb. He wasn't even struggling to escape.
"What are you?" I managed to utter.
He laughed. "Years of peering into other people's hearts and you're surprised you finally see your own true nature?"
His eyes... They were a hollow green. There was nothing to see.
"You can't use your powers here. You're already seeing the depths of your heart."
I stand up and approach him. "What is this supposed to mean? What is binding you... Me... to this?!"
He tilts his head slightly and stares back at me. "You of all people should know."
"What do you mean?"
"If you have to ask your heart what it wants, than you ought to figure it out on your own."
"Don't be an asshole."
"But I am an asshole. You're an asshole." He chuckles. "Listen to me very carefully. You're about to come back soon and everything is about to change."
His eyes began to shine. "Strengthen your resolve and I shall give you my power. Your will to live will determine your fate."
"But... I don't have any." He smirked.
A scream breaks my stupor and the whole room was engulfed in a flash. I'm suddenly back in the bus.
And just as I fully return to my senses, the bus crashes into a wall and we're thrown into the floor.
There were only 7 of us in the night bus and luckily, the bus didn't overturn.
"Is everyone okay?" The conductor surveyed the passengers. "Everyone remain calm."
"We just crashed into a fucking wall! How do you expect us to calm down?" Said one of the rowdier passengers. My eyes catch a glimpse of his true self. A man trapped inside a well with bunch of people throwing what I assume are expectations.
He stands but returns to his seat. He seems to have injured his foot.
"You're hurt. Please don't move too much." An older lady approaches him. "Can someone check on the driver?"
The conductor approaches the driver and checks on him. "He's alive but he's passed out."
The conductor takes him off his seat and places him on the floor. The lady wraps a scarf over the man's bleeding head.
"Anyone else hurt?"
I hear someone gasp. The woman beside me had turned around. With shaking fingers, she pointed to the window.
Like something out of silent hill, a flying, flesh like monster I couldn't quite describe was staring at us. It screeched and I could feel the bus vibrate.
It wasn't the monster that shocked me.
It was the fact that not a single soul in this bus had moved or screamed for their life as the monster lunged for the kill.


"If it's not your will to live... Then how far will your will to die take you?"

(To be continued...)