"Have you ever heard whispers of the enigmatic tale of a young soul seeking the essence of 'home'? If your curiosity is yet to be piqued, then take your seat and prepare to be dazzled by the unfolding mystery on the stage before you."
[Ting~ Ting~]
[Loading complete. The stage is open… shall we begin?]
...…
whooo.. whooo..
The night's quietude was pierced only by the rhythmic lullaby of falling leaves, as the cool night breeze carried hauntingly beautiful melodies. Within the mundane confines of a single bedroom, a young boy with hair as dark as coal sat alone at a study desk, adorned with books and studying materials.
The room was devoid of any noise aside from the soft sounds of turning pages. The only other item of note in the room was an antique clock, its ticking marking the passage of time. The boy let out a small yawn, his gaze shifting towards the clock.
"It's already past 11:55 PM? I thought time was passing more slowly tonight."
The boy reached for his favorite peach soda and opened it, relishing in the familiar fizzing sound he adored. The strain on his weary face lifted as he thought about how he preferred soda over coffee, especially since he always turned down anyone who offered him coffee during his late-night study sessions.
The boy closed his book and turned towards the bed, grabbing the book he had intended to read. However, upon opening it, he only managed to read one line of text.
< Welcome to the stage of the divine. >
This opening line is odd. The book has no title or author attributed to it. And the prologue that follows is even more bizarre.
The boy's concentration was interrupted when a sudden headache struck him. He glanced at the clock, noticing that it had stopped at 23:59, and then he was shocked to see it begin to rewind on its own, going back to the time just before it had stopped. Confused and alarmed, the boy stood up to get a closer look at the clock, but before he could do so, he suddenly passed out and fell to the floor.
...…
The explosion tore through the silent night, shaking him to the core, making him jump up. His eyes widened, and the world before him… wasn't his.
The night sky and the twinkling stars above were swallowed by the ancient European-style skyscrapers with their curved arches and cracked stonework that shone under the flickering golden light. The air smelled of smoke and metal, and somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed.
He propped himself up, his palms stinging from sliding on the rough stone floor. His breath emitted a cold white mist.
"Where… am I?"
In front of him was a narrow alley with damp walls, the darkness clinging like black silk. In his hand was a small tube containing a strange liquid that swirled red, blue, and yellow as if it were alive. It vibrated slightly, in sync with his heartbeat.
Before he could understand what was happening, the night exploded again.
"GET HIM! GET HIM!"
"DON'T LET HIM RUN!"
The sound of boots hitting the stone floor echoed throughout the alley.
What the hell was going on?!
He panicked. Just a moment ago, he was in his room, and now he was being chased by strangers.
Panic gripped his throat. He turned and ran. The cold air cut into his lungs; each breath felt like a shard of glass stabbing into his lungs. The alley was winding, dark, and crisscrossed with boxes scattered around.
They were wearing old-fashioned police uniforms, dark blue with shiny brass badges. Among them, one stood out, dressed entirely in white, with a long vest and a bowler hat that made him look like a ghost in the middle of the night. When he took off his cap, revealing his brown curtain mullet, he began to mumble in a hoarse, scratchy language that scratched at his nerves.
The air around him thickened.
Damn.
He felt as if his body were being pulled twice as heavy, each step as heavy as stepping through lead. His heart was pounding, but the sound was distant, muffled, like he was drowning.
Let them take me, maybe I can even ask who I am… where I am.
But the thought shattered as soon as it occurred.
What if I'm the criminal here? What if they kill me before I can ask?
"God, why me?"
People who have traveled through time don't have time to get acquainted! I haven't even recovered yet!
His vision blurred. The metallic taste of fear filled his mouth. A chain flew out from the darkness, wrapping tightly around his body. The cold chain was digging into his flesh. He struggled, gasping for breath, but the more he struggled, the tighter it tightened.
No… no no no!
Just as the police approached, another explosion rang out. Thick gray smoke rose up, stinging his eyes. Amidst the smoke, a hand firmly grabbed him, wrapped in leather gloves, and in the blink of an eye, he was lifted up, thrown over the stranger's shoulder.
Before he could react, they were already jumping off walls and roofs, as if gravity didn't exist. The cold wind whipped into his face, making him only able to hold on, dizzy.
What the hell was this person?! Jumping like a ninja in Naruto?!
From below, the chains shot up again, tearing through the mist. The other person dodged in mid-air, turned around, and pulled out a gun from his waist. The explosion was sharp, sparks flying brightly as the bullets hit the rocks. But the pursuers were not normal either; they moved too fast, their eyes shining dimly under the light.
"Who are you…?"
He whispered, his voice swallowed by the wind. The person carrying him did not reply, but only said a short, cold sentence
"Cover your ears."
He did so immediately, his hands pressed tightly to his ears, trembling. Even though he covered his ears, he could still hear the chanting, the strange sound, the voice of the man in white, deep and inhuman, like a hundred whispers overlapping each other. His skin crawled, his guts twisted.
Remember my face, you pervert! You're on my blacklist! And the person carrying me runs a little faster!
The roofs flashed by under his feet. The city below was a sea of light and shadow. Fear, confusion, and heartbeat all merged into a sharp desperation, and just when he thought he was safe, another figure appeared in front of him. The same brown-haired, curtain mullet-style man.
He raised his hand, muttering the same language. A glowing symbol appeared in the shape of a purple eye. The air shook. Something responded. The sound of space tearing rang out, and a giant yellow eye opened in midair. From both sides, feathered wings grew, shining and distorted like an archangel or seraphim
The person carrying him pouted slightly.
"Tch. I knew it."
Then in a split second, he tossed him away as lightly as a bag of groceries. The world spun, the stars trailing in long streaks of light.
Before the darkness swallowed him, he caught a glimpse of the other person's face still hidden in the shadows, only hearing a soft laugh, as if hidden behind a gloved hand.
"Sorry, but bear with it, fate."
Oh my god, I'm still a virgin and have never had a girlfriend! Damn, Remember this!! I'm about to fall!!! I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!
At this speed, his hair stood on end, his face was ugly in general and you can make a meme from this, but the sky was beautiful, the tall old-style houses were unique, but he could also see a lot of homeless people, that was what this era had, but where did he have time to admire the scenery when life and death were still unknown? He was so scared that he closed his eyes and rushed straight into the window of an old apartment building with many floors.
SH*T!! I'M GOING TO DIE!!
BOOM!..
Somehow, he didn't just fall. No, he flew straight into a room, his face slamming right onto the wooden floor. Luckily, the window had been left open, or else he'd be in trouble. But with that kind of speed and distance, honestly, it wouldn't be surprising if he had a broken nose. It was no joke.
The pillow that had fallen off the bed landed on his head, but the rest of his body slammed hard against the floor. The pain was intense; it hurt like hell. Blood began to drip from his nose, and the throbbing was so sharp he could barely hold back a scream. He wanted to scream, desperately, but something in his gut warned him not to. If he did, something bad would happen. He could feel it.
He touched his nose. It seemed fine, still in one piece, but the pain didn't let up. Yeah, not funny.
The noise must've woken someone up. He could hear footsteps approaching getting faster and louder. He backed away, just about to hide, when the door suddenly burst open.
Isn't there enough of these horror scenes for tonight?! Why do they keep coming? If it wasn't for that stranger, I wouldn't be in this situation. Please don't be anything weird. If there was a ghost or something like that, I would faint right there...
creak... creak...
He closed his eyes and squinted a little to see... It was just a cat with orange fur looking at him with its yellow eyes as if it was hunting for prey, then it just walked to the window and jumped out.
"...? "
He sat there frozen while his nose was still bleeding, then he stopped and grabbed his shirt to wipe the blood. He sighed and continued to use the shirt until his nose stopped bleeding, but he still felt pain. He walked to the study table near the window. The table was super messy with books everywhere, none of which were useful. He picked up the book and looked at the table, including a Gremico city history textbook, a book on ancient language Rumes, and a piece of paper with something written on it. First of all, it was in another language; secondly, it was too blurry, and it was nighttime, and his eyesight was very bad at night, especially after being thrown like that.
Stepping out of the door, the young man looked around for the light switch. Walking around a bit more, he saw a wire for a lamp, so he pulled it down to turn on the small light bulb. This room was small and generally looked cheap. A table with a sofa, and right in the corner was a small and pretty kitchen, generally just enough for one person to live in. There was a door next to the bedroom.
He just went to the wall and opened the door. It was a normal and very small bathroom. It was difficult to step in as he looked at another thing, seeing it all normal before turning to look at the mirror.
He saw a huge eye behind its back twitching continuously, and then a hand from nowhere touched him and brought it up to his left cheek while giggling. Its eyes also maliciously looked at him. He just moved back quickly and hit the door. Too hurt, he sat down, leaning against the door.
He clasped his hands and prayed, his face pale, his heart pounding continuously, sweat flowing nonstop, sometimes creating a puddle. However, his fear of those things stemmed partly from his face, which was covered in a layer of mist. He only saw that he was no longer himself. Currently, in the mirror was a young man with ginger red hair, his face covered by a thick layer of mist, a white shirt stained with blood from the wipe just now, and trousers.