--Thank you for your purchase, come back soon...
--Okay, with this being the last client for this year, Marian I get that I'm working here today... but shouldn't you be with your boyfriend or is it Christmas?
--Ed... First I don't have a boyfriend, second who is older between the two... if someone should be having fun with their friends, it's you. Long-haired brat.
--Marian, you know that I am not what is called the pinnacle of popularity, in fact closed spaces with many strangers make me nauseous, you also know that I do not get along with people...
--Again with that excuse, you work in customer service, you deal with people every day, and you're not talking to me right now, silly.
--How can I say it?... I don't mind clients or people in general, those who try to manipulate me or use me against my will or without remuneration bother me, I'm not a saint to help the world for free.
--What you are trying to say is that you hate those inclusive little groups that drag everyone according to their rhythm, correct?
--Basically yes... besides you know my little problem with anger.
--Aiiiiii... poor guy tried to rob the store on your turn. Tell me again how much did it take?
--Three broken ribs, a broken jaw, internal contusions, a broken arm and I think I dislodged a kidney or was it the liver?
--As always you are good with your hands.
--I was kicked out of every martial arts school in two different states, just because I couldn't help but seriously fight.
--So violent, ha hahahaha how did the owner let you work here...
--Do you want the truth or the lie?
--It's Christmas, tell me the truth as a gift...
--Well... I went out with his daughter for a while, then she left the country, but the friendship with the old man remained, and he let me work here.
--It's an incredibly normal story.
--Well, there's also the part where some guys almost raped the boss's daughter and I left them half dead in an alley, after that I started going out with her and well the old man was quite grateful to me, although I never had a very serious relationship with that girl...
--That is an interesting story.
--Thanks... but seriously you should go even if it's with your family for Christmas, it's only an hour away, leave me and go home I'll close at one. With me here nobody is going to steal anything.
"If you insist, I'll bring you cake tomorrow."
--If it's your mother's, I'd love it...the one you make tastes like wood.
"Shut up... you know I can't cook."
--That's why I ask for your mother's...
--See you tomorrow Ed. Merry Christmas.
--Merry Christmas...Marian, be careful.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------
After saying goodbye to Marian, I was left alone in the store, today is December 24, also known as Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, also the day when Santa Claus distributes gifts around the world to good children, although in the end they are only holidays for religious and commercial marketing, I myself working with a red cap and a fake beard, what can I say more than, Ho~ ho ~ ho ~ Viva Capitalism.
Ok now let's wait... it's 5 minutes to midnight... no one will come, I said I would close at one but no one is here to watch me so let's close for today.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------
--Ready everything off and closed... now I just have to go home...
Following the usual way to return home, a normal street, only now it is covered with snow, the festive mood fills the atmosphere, but that is only in the public part in the alleys and alleys the story is something different, alcoholics, drug addicts and prostitutes continue their business despite the winter cold, unfortunately my small apartment is in one of these places, at the end of an alley a small somewhat old building.
As usual, a prostitute tries to call me, we repeat this conversation daily I reject her as usual, and she leaves after giving me a kiss on the cheek, she is ultimately one of my neighbors in that building.
I enter the building and quickly go upstairs to my apartment.
I wash my face in the dishwasher and make a quick dinner...
Everything the same as always except one thing. A floating oval of light is in the middle of the kitchen.
Ok... I don't remember seeing drugs consumed today, at least. Did Eve open something on her lips?
That junkie bitch.
Ignore the surreal hallucination and prepare my dinner, after eating and drinking some coffee, the oval is still there.
Well, this is already weird... what did my grandmother say?
If you don't know, hit him first and ask questions later?
Let's go with Grandma's advice first... I prepared my right fist and hit with all my might towards the oval.
Cold... A chilling and terrifying cold spread through my right arm, I tried to retract it, but it did not move, in fact not only my arm my whole body did not move, little by little I could feel how my body was freezing, a horrible feeling and unpleasant, I lost the sense of touch as I could only feel needles all over my body, smell and taste followed, my eyes stopped seeing shortly after taking me into the darkness, being in this frozen darkness you can hear a voice, no , not one voice several voices in a language I didn't recognize, it sounded like English but closer to German or Russian.
I don't know how long I was in the dark, he can only think while he waits.
What was that oval?
What or who is doing that voice?
What it says?
What the fuck is going on?
I thought for a long time or was it little? My mind was failing little by little, and then I remembered a book I read in school.
A young man in a blue jacket was swallowed by a floating oval and was summoned as the familiar beast of a pink-haired Lolita...
Although I fell into the floating oval, and I am in this space that I suppose is black since I cannot see or feel anything, I cannot smell or taste the air either, I can only hear those voices in the distance, if we assume that it is floating oval and the oval of the story are similar, I'm being summoned to another world... Every anime and game lover's dream come true, well is that, or I overdosed on some mystery drug from Eve... Ok, if it's another world I'll manage, if it's a bad trip and I wake up in the hospital I'm going to "punish" Eve as she wanted so much.
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------
--Your Majesty the Ritual is almost ready we just need to place the offering, unfortunately we have not been able to secure a suitable relic or sacrifice, so we can only offer a prayer to god and a traditional offering and hope for success.
The head priest explained the precarious situation to me Viceroy Orlando Bloom of the Free Dukedom of Mills. In this ritual the last chance of survival of this kingdom at war has been invested, the other two dukedoms and the empire are all at war and only to make matters worse a new Demon Lord has been born who unifies and commands the demons and monsters.
--Men and women of my land, brothers and sisters of the Free Dukedom of Mills, today is our last day. Today is our last day of being on the defensive, today we will begin the offensive, now my people pray from the bottom of your heart, offer your Faith, your Hope, your Emotion, to the Ritual and all together let us call our hero, the Hero who will save our land from invaders and demons.
Thousands of people prayed, they prayed to their god, to their ancestors, to every saint and virgin, angels or demons, those thousands of people prayed for their lives and their future, they prayed wishing for their happiness, for the defeat of their enemies, for the subjugation of monsters and demons.
People prayed for the advent of a hero, for the coming of a god made man, for the arrival of a victor who would crush his enemies and bring peace to his land.
And their prayers were heard by the darkness.