After a few days, he had adjusted to the way everyone around him behaved, despite how challenging it had been to deal with the predicament he had put himself in. It was much simpler for him because he had no real friends; he just avoided anyone he believed would be a problem for him. Gang members, for instance, who were searching for him and looking for mischief that would involve him.
Once the alarm clock in the small, brown-wood cabinet next to his bed went off to signal the arrival of another Saturday, he turned it off and grabbed his phone to check the time. When he noticed the date flashing on his phone, he sat up and let out an enormous sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness I didn't wake up after another week," he said as he stood up and opened the window. He looked out at the empty concrete, dark blue road. He nodded slowly. "It's time to pay Big Brother Gian a visit."
After dressing in a plain white T-shirt, black six-pocket pants that reached his knees, and black and white rubber shoes, he proceeded down the brown wooden staircase. His parents joined him for breakfast, pleasantly grinning and conversing with him as he explained what he was about to do.
"I'll be leaving right now," he said as he walked out of the house.
"Take care, Gideon!" his mother said, waving her hand at him and smiling brightly.
Gideon took a bus and a train to get to the local cemetery in their city. But first he made a pit stop at a flower shop and bought a bunch of red gladiolus. After then, he entered the cemetery. As he moved through the entrance's arc, his eyes wandered. There were few people in the broad meadow scattered with innumerable tombstones because there was no occasion. After a while, he ventured further into the cemetery. He arrived at the gravesite where he had come.
The morning sun revealed his stoic expression as he stood in front of the grave, shaking the bouquet he was holding. "Yo, what's up?" he asked.
The gray grave marker bore a name. As it says... Brangwen Gian. The etched name was plainly apparent on the immaculate tombstone, indicating that it had recently undergone cleaning.
Gideon's attention was pulled to the item that was just underneath the tombstone. A floral arrangement, similar to the red gladiolus bouquet he was carrying.
"Did mom or dad pay you a visit? I don't recall them mentioning it to me, but there are only a few people who know what your favorite flower is." He walked closer and placed the new bouquet next to the old one. "Whoever came here to give you this probably knew you well."
He took a proper stance and crossed his arms as he gazed at the tombstone. His face softened into a gentle smile. "By the way, I've already returned my anime posters and am planning to return my massive cabinet of anime figures soon. I hope you don't mind if I take some of your anime figures. Don't worry, I won't take all of them. I'm not a big fan of most of your anime figures. You have shitty taste after all."
His face was obscured by the light breeze that swept through his bangs. But he just closed his eyes and smiled, not even trying to fix his disheveled hair.
"How long has it been? Eight? Nine months? I've lost count, but you can't blame me; I'm bad at counting." He opened his eyes and looked at the tombstone. "Dying early and leaving us behind? I can't believe you, and you said you'll always be there to roast me when it comes to my what you so-called trashy waifus?" He grinned, but his voice was laced with sadness. "Who am I kidding? It was my fault, and we both know it."
A bitter smirk crept across his face as he recalled something that occurred nine months prior. He remembered having a bleeding lip and bruises on his face as he stood in the rain. Even an atmospheric water burst couldn't clean his white suit since it was so dirty. Even with a lot of water on his face from the rain, it was impossible to hide the tears that were running from his eyes. He raised his injured, violently shaking hands and stepped forward while trembling.
"Big Brother?"
He questioned while maintaining a fixed gaze on the young man who was face down on the concrete road and had blood streaming from his body. neither breathing nor moving.
"Gian!"
"Do you hear me, Gian? Just say something, Gian!"
The members of Gian's group yelled, waiting for a reaction; they crowded around him and called his name, but nothing happened.
An aggressive and rebellious teen who had no fear yet was always kind to his younger brother. This was how Gideon remembered his elder brother, Gian Brangwen. Their snobby expression when they were in their default facial expression was one of their many similar facial characteristics. Only Gian had a stern expression on his face, as opposed to Gideon who usually had a soft one.
Despite just being a year older than Gideon, Gian was the head of a renowned gang in their area. Due to his impressive combat skills, the members of the rival gang were unable to come up with a plan to defeat him, so they chose to take advantage of Gian's youngest brother, who was his greatest weakness. They made the decision to kidnap Gideon, who was considerably more helpless and exposed, and they were successful. As expected, Gian and his devoted friends sprang to his younger brother's assistance. It started a gang war.
However, a bloody unexpected consequence happened while Gian was dragging Gideon away from the hazardous area where the gang conflict was occurring. Holding Gideon's forearm, he comforted his injured younger brother with words of consolation. Gian was caught off guard by the rapid entrance of adversaries, but decided against escaping the blows and endangering his younger sibling. Gian heroically took a stand in the face of peril, vowing to do whatever it took to keep his younger brother safe. However, one of the adversaries captured him as he tried to shield Gideon. The final stab, which also penetrated his heart, was delivered under his ribs with a knife that was pointed upward. He was murdered. Gideon saw everything that happened unfold in front of him.
"Big Brother..." was all Gideon could say as he stared at his big brother's lifeless body.
The perpetrators managed to flee but were apprehended later. However, the life that they took could no longer be reclaimed.
He closed his eyes and shook his head repeatedly. "If only I could have stood up for myself at the time... This will not happen because we still have you with us."
Once more, the soft wind stroked his face, but this time it was only surrounding him.
Gideon scratched the back of his head, oblivious to what was going on around him. "Yep, I can see you laughing right now, I know I'm still a drama king, one of the things that won't change," he chuckled.
"The stone of otherworldly hero's chosen one," a man's voice rang out in the area, but it sounded unreal, as if it were just the wind.
Gideon looked around as soon as he heard the mysterious voice. "Hello?"
Gideon's answer, though, was a dramatic modification of his surroundings. In the early morning light, what had been a cemetery had changed into a pitch-black chasm, with only him remaining in the center. While the surroundings were absolutely dark, his body was shining and was being highlighted.
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped when he understood where he was. He turned his body while looking around the space. His already wide-set eyes expanded more when he turned his head away. "Where the fuck am I?"
"I see, the language spell works well," a struggling voice said. "Forgive my hastiness and forcefulness; I am in the midst of overwhelming desperation right now, and I require your assistance." The voice that had called for him earlier sounded again, but this time it was much clearer, and the owner of the voice was right in front of Gideon. Suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
A man with long, jet-black hair that reached his back and complexion the color of snow greeted Gideon. He was on his knees in front of Gideon, using his black sword to support himself and prevent himself from falling to the ground. Even though he was gasping for air and had blood pumping through his face and brow, he made an effort to grin at Gideon.
His crimson eyes, sparkling with joy, were riveted on Gideon. The two sets of horns on his head caught Gideon's eye. Two sets of smooth, pointed, black horns that resembled wood. A pair of horns was just behind the head temple above the ears, and another pair was just above them. The horn on the right side, adjacent to his head temple, was left uncut, while the other three were severed in half.
Even though he wasn't standing, his bloodied slacks and black robe could still be seen.
"Who are you?" Gideon asked, his gaze fixed on the person in front of him.
The man kneeling in front of Gideon slowly raised his bloodied face. "My name is Keiram, and I come from a world other than yours... the world of Eteria."