The city was a blur of neon; icy wind cut through the night sky like a jagged knife. William's frail eyes caught a faint glow from a bluish light. He grimaced and squinted, raising a hand to shield it from the harsh brightness.
"Ahh! It's here, I thought it had left."
He smiled briefly, the jolt of relief clearly written all over him. After all, he had been waiting for the bus for hours—the price of his own stupidity. Sure, it was a bad idea to oversleep until midnight at school, but mistakes be damned—at least he had a good sleep, right?
Sliding off the bench, he stretched his legs, cursing under his breath. "Shit, almost had a cramp."
Then, savoring the brief, satisfying stretch, he slightly raised his head and gazed at the drifting snow with a glimmer of admiration. Although it did not last long, the sharp wind reminded him how cold it actually was.
"I should have worn a jacket instead of a sweatshirt—who knew it would be this cold?"
William desperately rubbed his nearly frozen hands and after warming them just enough. He cast a sidelong glance at the bus, which stood a short distance away.
At first, it looked like his usual ride, as it was roughly visible. However, once he leaned for a closer look, a rusty vehicle that seemed unhealthy and centuries old came into sight, its aberrant rooftop appearing as if covered in roots.
'What the hell is that?' William thought, a bit bewildered.
On its side, a blue crest gleamed faintly, emanating an inexplicable strangeness. The perplexing symbol depicted two crossed swords and below three roses circled around a wand that glowed gloomy red, with uncertain letters etched along the bottom.
William squinted at the letters.
"Aizawl University?" As soon as he read them, he could almost immediately, tell something uncanny about them, as no such university existed nearby.
The faint buzzing from the bus made his heart throb with strange intensity. It then grew into an oppressive hum, wrapping itself around him. Consequently, his weariness enveloped his entire body, becoming as though it were a physical weight.
Then, he heard a voice quietly humming to itself.
William tentatively raised his head, and a pair of bright golden eyes met his gaze. The indistinct figure sitting inside the bus stared straight at him and chuckled.
"Such a magnificent sight, a customer at this hour?"
'What is so magnificent about this?' William thought, stupefied.
Moments later, he cleared his throat and quickly answered.
"Uh, actually, I am waiting for my bus."
He was more than a little on edge because of the dreadful presence the man strangely gave. And despite his futile attempts to calm himself, he remained fairly upright, even though it was clearly written all over his face.
"Come in, young man. There wouldn't be any other bus running at this hour."
William blinked a few times at his words, then swiftly lowered his head, adjusting his backpack with jerky movements. Before pulling his phone out from his pocket.
Making no effort to hide his exasperation, he looked at the time again.
"Eleven pm... Huh? How? It was just eight a while ago... Just a while ago. What the hell!"
'Did I doze off again?' Maybe that was the case; after all, he had a tendency to do so whenever he felt comfortable enough—which brings him nothing but inconvenience. It looked like the worst that could happen had already happened. Besides, what else could he do?
Take a ride on this thing? There was no way he would, definitely not! The only sane option left was to walk back home.
He knew it instinctively, without further thought. But, for some inexplicable reason, he could not move a single step.
The man, as though noticing his weary state, stretched a hazy, indistinct hand toward him.
"Young man, you will catch a cold. Come in. Aren't you late?"
William let out an awkward laugh at the seemingly half-hearted warning.
"Ahh! Not really, sir, I am not late in fact, it's quite early for me. I would walk back home."
"Are you perhaps worried by the appearance?"
William did not answer.
The man followed quickly with a gentlemanly laugh.
"Don't be. Despite how the bus looks, it's been running for almost a decade."
'Might be hearing things... this old piece of garbage is what?' He wanted to say it aloud, but not a word would leave his twitching lips.
True, the man might have sounded convincing enough for others. But William was different. After all, for a person with little sense of existence, his only defense against the unfair world was his instincts. Which were thankfully sharp, and right now, that very instinct was screaming, telling him to leave immediately.
But... before he could even realize, he was standing right in front of the bus.
Without further resistance, he let out a deep, resigned breath, shrugged off his uneasy nerves, and stepped inside. The man still unnerved him; he kept his face hidden under the brim of his hat, staring straight ahead while softly humming.
"Does this thing even start?"
William let out an awkward, forced chuckle, attempting to make it sound light against the looming despair reeking around him. But it made no difference. His heart hammered against his ribs, loud enough it could shatter the oppressive silence.
"Pay no heed on the appearance, as it might be deceitful."
The man voice carried not a single hint of emotion.
'Shit! Did I say it aloud?'
William thought, making his way to the last seat, his gaze intense. Except for the sense of trouble he felt, everything around him seemed normal. Of course, it was not what he had envisioned, to say the least.
After a few minutes of an intense stare at the man, William yawned, while the man began a soft, fluent rhythm.
"O, my dear Peace Rosa, you cannot bloom by clinging to the seed. Let go of the soil that binds the past, and turn your petals toward the sun anew—the most radiant flower you shall be."
His voice carried a hint of sadness, yet it was warm and comforting, like being enveloped in a giant hug. William's eyes felt heavy; he stared into the distant night sky through the window, dozing off, then slapped his cheeks, using the pain to force himself to stay awake.
Regardless, his consciousness slipped.
Closing his eyes, he felt like the air inside was hauntingly comfortable, giving him the ultimate sense of security; as moments passed by, his vision became hazier, and he could no longer make out the surroundings.
'Well, it's no harm. I might as well have a nap.'
Before he completely lost his grip, he heard the man's voice whisper nearby.
"Don't worry, soon we shall be there."
'Shut up, let me sleep.'
William no longer cared about anything. The only thing he could think of was the certainty that he could have the luxury of sleep right now. Fully surrendered to weariness, he hugged his bag tightly and leaned back. Every sound grew more and more distant.
Then, suddenly, the bus shook violently, jolting him awake. He glanced around frantically; the world around him seemed to be falling apart, shaking back and forth.
"What's the problem, sir?!" he shouted in his panicked state.
However, he got no response, which made him even more wary of the situation. He abruptly stood up, barely managing to stay upright, and headed toward the man.
Yet again, William felt utterly wordless as his hand passed through the man's shoulder like a wisp of fog. Then, before he could process the impossible, everything was swallowed into complete darkness.
He did not know where he was, whether he was sitting or standing. Shoving his hands around, he tried to grab hold of the surroundings, but he noticed that he could no longer move his limbs freely.
The shaking grew more violent, and his forehead hit against something with a jarring, muffled thump. Similar to a rag ball, he was tossed here and there uncontrollably; the constant collisions began making him dizzy.
'I knew it… this was a bad idea!'
"Hold tight, young man!" the man jovially advised, as if this were a normal commute. A substantial heat followed the words as William braced his hands against the ground.
In the next second, a soaring ache radiated through his head, and an excruciating pain gripped his whole body. His abdomen slammed onto something hard, and he instantly curled himself into a tight ball.
His current circumstances became more incomprehensible; it seemed like he was locked up somewhere, lacking a way out. The pressure, rather than just hurting, felt like a firm, crushing restraint, squeezing the air from his lungs.
His body grew damp and grimy. His head throbbed, and a blinding flash of pain ran down his side.
All he could feel was primal fear rising inside him.
He did not want to die. Not like this. Not before he could fully live his life!
"Oh my, isn't he the young man I was attending to?..." The voice chuckled. "What a turn of events, Headmaster Raven."
The casual, emphasizing tone—as though this were a funny mishap—enraged William. However, at this point, the emotions dwelling out of him were nothing more than a joke; however, he could not really laugh at it.
"Ou!" he cried out loud as another hard surface struck his head.
"Am I dead?" He felt queasy, and his voice echoed oddly through the darkness.
He tested his limbs, attempting to curl his legs. A wave of relief washed over him when he confirmed he could move freely again. Though still in pitch-black, he clearly sensed he was no longer on the bus.
Then, the surroundings abruptly began to light up. His vision was bleary at first, causing him to grimace and rub them. It then softened into a faint white fog before he adjusted to the gloom.
William glanced around, dazed, at the massive place before him.