Perun froze for a moment, shocked. His heartbeat kicked up as he stared at the man standing in front of him.
"What the hell are you saying?" Perun snapped, raising his voice. "Who even are you? You look like some kind of thug. Is this a new scam trick or what?"
an unusual, sharp gaze settling on his face—half fear, half anger.
"If you don't leave right now," Perun warned, "I'm calling the cops."
Vaelor didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if weighing something in his mind. A faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.
"Oh, right," he said calmly. "As I mentioned before… I am Vaelor, emissary from the Realm of Dominion."
Vaelor's eyes narrowed slightly, as if a new thought had just surfaced in his mind.
"I'm here to gather some information for my report," he added, his tone steady and almost formal.
Perun instinctively took a step back, maintaining uneasy eye contact. His fingers twitched at his sides, unsure whether to defend himself or simply run. With each small step he took backward, his forced smile grew tighteredging toward frustration and disbelief.
"Oh! So let me guess," Perun said, "you're from some… different universe or whatever, and you came here to file a report? In my room? Yeah, sure… that totally makes sense."
Vaelor responded softly
"Ah, not a different universe," he corrected, interrupting Perun. "A realm—one far beyond the reach of your world."
"Okay…" Perun muttered, not convinced at all
He continued stepping back, inch by inch, never taking his eyes off the stranger. His hand brushed the wall as he moved, guiding himself toward the door. By the time Vaelor finished speaking
When Perun finally reached the door of his room, he let out a deep, shaky breath. Without taking his eyes off Vaelor, he turned, flung the door open, and hurried out. He slammed it shut behind him and locked it with the key from his pocket.
"Report my ass," he muttered under his breath as he backed away from the door. "You're just a thug. Because I'm alone and weak you think I'm easy prey…"
Inside the room, Vaelor's calm voice drifted through the door.
"I am telling the truth."No rush at all-Just take your time.
Perun clenched his teeth.
"Oh no… what do I do now? Should I call the cops or handle him myself?" he thought, anxiety clawing at his chest.
He ran toward the exit door of the house, where an old landline sat on a small cupboard. He grabbed the receiver immediately—only to realize the line was dead.
Unpaid bills.
"Great… just perfect. I'm screwed tonight," he whispered harshly. "How am I supposed to get help? It's raining outside, and no one's around this old apartment."
His eyes darted around the dim hallway until they landed on a floor wiper leaning in a corner.
"Should I just… charge at him?"
Perun grabbed the wiper, pulled off the cleaning head, and kept the long metal stick.
"Now this is better," he whispered to himself. "One-on-one. The room's pitch dark—he won't see me clearly. And I know every corner of my own apartment. I can use that. All I have to do is knock him out."
With that plan burning in his mind, Perun crept back toward the room door, taking silent, calculated steps. He reached the door and paused. His first thought was to rush in recklessly… but then he glanced down at his own skinny body.
"…Yeah, no. That's not going to work."
Instead, he knelt slightly and peered through the keyhole.
Vaelor was still sitting comfortably in the chair, a faintly amused expression on his face, as if none of this bothered him at all.
Perun frowned.
"How shameless is he?" he murmured quietly. "A thug acting all cool after being caught… he seriously thinks he can fool me like this?"
He stood up.
"I'll have to catch him off-guard. But if I just open the door, he'll have time to defend himself…"
With a suddenly neutral tone, he called from outside, "Hey, man… you there? Hey, Vaelor!"
"Yes," Vaelor replied calmly from inside.
Perun forced a calm, almost polite voice. "Listen… after hearing your deep explanation, I'm starting to believe you. Maybe you're not lying… the universe is big and unpredictable, right?"
He then quietly inserted the key into the lock and turned it.
Tik~
The door didn't open.
"Huh… it's stuck. Hey, come here and check it," Perun called casually.
Inside, Vaelor stood up. The soft sound of his footsteps grew louder as he approached the door.
Perun tightened his grip on the metal stick, positioning himself for a strike.
"This is going exactly how I want," he whispered, adrenaline flooding his veins. "When he opens the door… I'll attack. I'll tie him up and end this."
The footsteps drew closer.
Perun raised the stick.
His entire body tensed.
Vaelor was just inches away from the door.