At about 11-o-clock, a fancy car with red color and an epic design was flying on the street. In which sat a boy, who almost looked dead and a man in his 30s.
The car drove silently, the boy kept looking out of the window, or maybe he was lost in thought, it was difficult to know due to him not showing any emotions.
One thing was of certainty, he looked even more dead than before, someone could mistake him for a corpse and none could even argue about it.
"You must be quite happy, finally your vacation ends." The man asked while laughing gleefully in his mind.
"...Yes, I am quite... happy." The boy sighed and kept looking out of the window.
After some time passed, the boy said "Stop the car."
"...Why, young master?" The man asked, obviously surprised by the sudden order.
"I don't feel like heading home... I will directly go to the academy tomorrow, tell father he doesn't need to worry about me. I will stay the night in a hotel."
"But, young mas--"
"Stop the car." The boy interrupted the man, making him enraged but all he could do was swallow his anger back and obey, making him feel like he swallowed a disgusting bug.
"Stop." The car heeded the man's command and stopped.
The boy got out and ordered the man to take his leave.
"...Be careful, young master, don't get yourself in trouble." The man cautioned the boy since that was still his job. The man waited for some time, looking at the back of the boy getting further and further away.
His eyes flickered in pain and confusion, 'When did things change? Why did they change?...Humph! That which has passed has passed.' He started the car and drove away, unknowingly his teeth gritted in anger.
The boy looked back after crossing some distance and happened to see the car leaving.
After waiting for the car to leave his sight, the boy started wandering the city aimlessly. He didn't have anything particular in mind.
He simply felt that going to that place which he detested to even call home, was a waste of time.
Walking along the street and seeing the cars and passerby walking past him relaxed him... probably but the gloomy aura around him was gone.
Noticing a building with the sign of a bar, he decided to go in as he didn't really know what to do or where to go.
'I wonder if what I heard is true, does wine truly posses the power to drive away pain?' Blinking his dead eyes blankly, he stepped inside.
Chatter! Chatter!
As he entered inside the 5-story building, the bustling noice of people entered his ears, making him take a moment to enjoy the beautiful scent but he wasn't a fan of crowded places, so he left for the upper floors.
On the next floor the crowd was visibly less compared to the first floor but he still decided to go to the highest floor.
As he thought, there were only some elderly people sitting in the corner with the rest of the final floor empty.
He went and sat in front of the bartender. He didn't even bother to take a look at the bartender and ordered a drink.
"Hmm!?...Unfortunately, we don't serve wine to people who are below 20." A sweet voice entered his ears. He looked up and after a momentary daze replied, "Then juice will do."
The bartender was a pretty lady looking to be about 26 or something.
The lady's eyes flickered as she stared into his, 'Those eyes!'
After blinking her eyes a few time she spoke in a rather restrained tone from her previous cheery voice, "Aren't you going to force me to get you a drink."
"...Should I?" The boy tilted his head in confusion.
"...Pftt! No, no there is no need. I will get you your juice." With a polite smile, she went to fetch him his juice.
Tck!
"Here you go." The lady placed the glass on the table.
The juice was lemon flavour, it's sour taste would make anyone rejuvenated. Her intention to get a reaction out of the boy was quite clear.
Though her plan was ruined as he took a sip of it like drinking plain water.
'His eyes... Those eyes...CHANGE YOUR FACE, DAMNIT!' The lady's breath became ragged, her brows squinted together as she gazed at the ceiling.
She took a few deep breaths and asked, "Are you a robot or something?"
"...No, why?" The boy glanced towards her.
The lady glanced in his dead eyes, her heart racing thunderously, 'CHANGE YOUR FACE! THAT LOOK, WIPE IT FROM YOUR FACE!'
"...You tell me, why didn't you even argue to get yourself a drink?" The lady glanced at his reflection in the juice.
"Because I didn't want to." The boy replied calmly.
'...DON'T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY!' The lady's eyes flickered in anger.
"That's the problem. A boy your age should argue with me, you should be hot-blooded. Have large, unattainable dreams. Do your best in everything. Smile large and wide. What are you doing here? Here where people come to drown themselves in alcohol to get away from responsibilities. Putting a poker face isn't the way." The lady firmly gazed into his eyes which could make anyone detest and loath him.
"Is not arguing a bad thing?" The boy blinked his dead eyes.
"No, but... a boy your age doesn't come to a place like this unless he's... unless he's rowdy or troubled or something. This isn't a place where a boy your age should be at." The lady frowned, her eyes hiding a deep shadow of fear.
"So a person can't simply come here because he wants to?" The boy tilted his head.
"...Look, with my eyes, I can discern a regular drinker and a Newbie like you. Especially you who I know hasn't even had a drink before. What are you doing here?" The lady's eyes glared at him ferociously.
"...Should I compliment you now?" The boy asked calmly.
"...Look kid, I am getting chills looking at your expressionless face. I would appreciate it if you twisted that face of yours a little." Her fingers gripped the counter tightly, her heart beating madly as the more she looked at him, the more her most hated memory came to surface.
"So you called me a robot because of my expressionless face." The boy nodded in understanding... with his expressionless face.
"You... I swear I am going to beat you up if you continue with that face of yours." She gritted her teeth tightly, each passing second her breath getting faster and faster.
"...Beat me, huh?!" The boy went quiet for a second before he replied. "Then go ahead, it's not like I can resist anyways." A smile finally surfaced on his face.
Yet it wasn't the one the lady was looking for. Looking at that smile, she finally understood that the boy wasn't putting on a poker face but he had truly proved true her thoughts, he had forgotten... How to smile.
His parted lips didn't resemble a smile but a creature suffocating from pain.
There was silence for a while, before she finally spoke. "I see... I wonder just what hell you have lived through." She looked at him in the eyes. Her eyes moistening in sadness, the image of a young boy surfacing in her mind.
"...Hell?!" The body looked at her in the eyes. "If it was hell, I wouldn't have had to desire for death everyday. Hell is the freedom from this world, this accursed world won't even let me die. Life... this ever so brilliant blessing, I wish the world hadn't wasted it on the likes of me." He laughed, finally he laughed... he laughed hard, as if he had heard the most funniest joke in the world.
The image of a bloodied body of a young boy suddenly crept up in her mind, her eyes trembled as she asked while hanging her head low, "Why don't you fight back?"
"...I am not a masochist lady, if I could, I would have fought back. I am a worthless, weak bug. I can't do anything." He regained his composure and his face once again became lifeless, not that he was laughing out of happiness earlier either.
"...Then get stronger, get strong enough to fight back. To trample on those who trampled on you." She gritted her teeth, her fingers trembling from the tight grip on the counter.
"If I could... if someone could get stronger then why would he chose to stay weak?" He posed a question of his own.
"...Talent isn't everything, trying is what counts. Even if you fall, getting up is what makes you strong, giving up is what truly makes you wea-- no it makes you pathetic. Don't give up. Not on yourself, not on life. Try, just try." Her eyes glistened as two thick drops of something transparent formed in her eyes
"Nice thing to say, especially for those who don't even know what people like us go through." The boy reached out for the glass.
"...That attitude of yours that reek with, 'You are so pitiful', is what that makes you weak. If you truly wanted to change something, you would have at least tried to get stronger, no matter how pathetic of an innate skill you were born with. No matter how bad of a talent you had been born with, things will change when you start to try." Her brows squinted tightly, her vision getting blurry due to the obstruction in her view.
"I am not saying I am pitiful. I have never took pity on myself. I have always known that it is my own fault I am so pathetic. I know my place." The boy calmly took a sip.
"Saying that you seek death and you know that you are pathetic is what makes you weak. You are declaring it loud and clear, you are someone that should be pitied." The lady's teeth caused a tiny, weird sound to produce due to their tight gritting.
"...I am not declaring anything, you are simply assuming things." The boy replied calmly.
There was silence for a while, before she looked up, "...You know, the way that your face is still so blank... is kinda disgusting."
"..." The boy blinked his dead eyes while staring at the glistening objects falling from her slightly red eyes.
Her words were harsh but they were true nonetheless. The whole time he just kept a straight face as if he was talking with thin air.
Dunk!
After finishing the contents he placed the glass on the counter along with the money and left.
The lady stared at his back disappearing from her vision, her trembling body finally gave in as she collapsed on the floor.
"Sniff! Sniff! Ruu, Ruu, I am surry. I'm, Sniff! I'm so, Sniff! Ruuuu!!" The lady tried desperately to wipe away the liquid falling from her eyes but no matter how hard she tried, the liquid overwhelmed her face... just like the image of a boy standing on the edge of a roof of a large building with dead eyes overwhelmed her mind.
• • •
Her words were still ringing in his head. As he went back to his wandering, a part of him still felt as if it was arguing with the words she had spoken.
Unknowingly, time passed and he found himself standing in front of something , something which he had not seen for 6 years. It was a guild.
Looking at the wide and tall building, from which numerous people walked out and numerous entered, he felt... weird.
He raised his foot to take a step away from where he didn't belong but accidentally placed it forward, making him proceed towards the building instead.
He stood there at a loss, not knowing or unable to think of what to do. In the end, he decided to enter, only to take a look.
He walked inside through the giant door which remained open 24/7. Walking inside and seeing people walking with large swords and staffs and various other types of weapons, some injured some caring large monster corpses, some nervous, some excited. It all amazed him.
His eyes fell upon a girl walking nervously towards one of the receptionist desk.
She stopped many times but picked herself back up and continued walking. Standing in front of the receptionist she said.
"I would like to get admitted as an adventurer." Her face was determined. Prepared for anything that might come her way.
"May I have a look at your status." The receptionist asked, seeing such sights was a everyday occurrence for her.
"Yes." The girl replied nervously.
"...You are, eligible to join. Congratulations, tomorrow we will recommend you a party, than together with them you can start your adventures." The receptionist replied with a light smile.
"...YESSSS!!" She jumped in her excitement, though such an act wasn't enough to surprise the people around.
Looking at this seen the bartender's words rang in his mind. 'Trying is everything. Huh!?'
He stood there for a while before heading inside. He took a stroll around the hall.
Eventually, he stood in front of the notice board, on which a description of the major events happening regarding the guild and regarding the dungeons that were under the guilds authority was given. Though the notice board wasn't actually a wooden board.
He looked at it, with a blank state of mind. A notice caught his eyes.
>The H rank dungeon 'Wild Cage' is expected to cause an outburst if not cleared urgently.<
'Hmm!? 'Wild Cage', that dungeon is very unpredictable. It can change into three types, on the base of who enters it, making it quite hard to clear and the fact that you can't prepare for the right type of stage you find yourself in just increases the chance of low-ranked hunters to ignore that dungeon. Hence, an outburst from that dungeon was expected.' He made a quick analysis with the information he had in his mind.
'Though, it's not my place to do something about it.' He stood there once again, feeling a bit weird.
'...I guess, I should leave now.' He started walking towards the door.
He hadn't walked far before a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Umm! I saw you just standing there, if I am correct your party might for some reason not be coming today." A man looking to be about 33 was the owner of the hand placed on his shoulder.
"...Wha--"
"Taking your silence I presume I am correct. So you see, actually one of our party members is unable to come due to some reason and we are assigned by the guild to complete a task which we can't decline. If you are free, mind helping us out?"
"...I am--"
"You are willing? Yes, brilliant. Don't worry my friend, I would definitely repay this favour. The loot we gain, you will get a share of 10% of the total."
"Would you mind--"
"I know you think the share is wrong but when you know the dungeon we will be entering you will realise that it's worth it. GUYS OVER HERE, I FOUND US A MEMBER!" The man shouted enthusiastically while waving his hand towards a group of people.
The boy was dumbfounded. This guy who barely knew him for 1 minuet was acting like he could read every thought he had in his mind.
Before he knew it, he was surrounded by a group of people. "Are you the one taking the place of Soyal?" One of them asked.
"Yea, he's the one." The man who approached him first said.
"Oh! Thank you than. We will make sure to compensate your help." One of them said.
After which, a small round of 'thank you' began.
He was feeling quite weird, stuck in this awkward situation.
He decided to stop this weird situation, before it became even more... stupid.
"Umm! Sorry to crash your hope but I am only level 7."
"...Huh!?"
There was silence, hearing this ridiculous claim.