*BEEP*

"Thank you for shopping at Wally's. Please come again," said a robotic-sounding male voice.

At a small convenience store cash register stood an average-looking guy with short, wavy black hair and brown eyes. He stood at average height and had average looks. Everything about him was average. Safe to say he wasn't turning any heads when he walked down the street.

The guy had one thing going for him though. He was young and had a lot of his life left in front of him. On his chest hung a small, red name tag. 'Rylen Aptera', it read. Rylen looked up at the wall of the store to where a small clock hung from.

'15 more minutes,' He thought to himself.

Outside, the sun was setting, signaling the end of Rylen's suffering at this hell named Wally's Convenience Store.

*DING*

Another customer walked through the doors, causing a high-pitched bell to ring for any employee in the store. The customer was an old lady with a walking cane. She moved so slowly that Rylen almost fell asleep watching her browse her way around the birthday card section.

As Rylen was nearing the land of dreams, the woman walked up to the cashier counter and placed a birthday card on it.

"Hello, young man," She said with a feeble voice.

Rylen's eyes slowly opened and he wiped the drool from his lips. "Did you find everything alright, miss?"

He took the card and scanned it.

*BEEP*

"Yes, thank you," The lady said. "My grandson's birthday is today, so I wanted to get him a nice card."

"MmHmm. That'll be $9.44"

'My birthday is today too.'

Rylen poked at the screen of the register and the lady handed him some crinkled bills.

*BEEP*

The till of the cash register opened and Rylen slid in the bills while also grabbing the lady's change.

"Would you like your receipt?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you."

The lady took the card, the change, and the receipt and left out the doors of the convenience store.

"Thank you for shopping at Wally's."

…

Rylen walked home, letting out a sigh as he gazed at the sunset painting the sky with vibrant shades of orange and pink amidst the scattered clouds. It marked the end of his part-time job, and tomorrow he will return to university. He had deliberately chosen a job close to home for the summer, hoping to earn enough money to chip away at his student loans.

He traveled through a large neighborhood full of common suburb homes with tidy lawns and SUV cars parked outside on the driveways. The suburbs around Los Angeles were quiet at the time with the occasional dog walker and passing car. Rylen slowly made his way home, thinking about his future at university. He was going into his fourth year this year as a business major, something he had never really had an interest in but saw the potential for later on.

He knew he'd probably fall into a normal job in a cubicle somewhere typing endlessly at a computer all day, but if he earned enough money to sustain himself, he was content. Rylen never expected anything from his life. He had dreams of being rich and buying the coolest cars when he was younger, but the reality of the world blew out that flame of passion a long time ago.

Walking up the front porch of a simple two-story house, Rylen reached into his pocket to dig out his keys, having to sift through the wrappers of gum he had gone through today. He soon fished them out and stuck them into the lock and opened the door. Inside, all the lights were off and only silence was present.

The silence was normal for Rylen who closed the door behind him and hung the house keys on a holder near the entrance. He walked into the kitchen and flipped on the lights, revealing a clean house with a granite countertop kitchen and a carpeted living room that had an old leather couch and a cheap flatscreen TV.

On the countertop, Rylen discovered a note next to a small box. He picked up the small paper and read the sloppy, cursive handwriting that he was familiar with.

—

Happy Birthday, Rylen! I'm sorry I couldn't make it tonight to celebrate, the boss asked me to work overnight on some new relics. I left a cake in the fridge and your present on the counter. See you tomorrow!

–From Aliyah

—

A glint of disappointment shone in Rylen's eyes but it quickly disappeared. He knew his aunt worked a lot of overtime to pay the mortgage and bills for the house so he wasn't expecting her to be there tonight.

Rylen put down the note and picked up the small box wrapped in newspaper. He tore through it and took off the lid. Inside, there was an old-fashioned watch. It had a silver case and a brown leather band. The red, second hand slowly revolved around the face of the watch with a soft ticking sound.

Rylen tried on the watch and didn't find it uncomfortable, so he kept it on as he ate half of the vanilla cake in the fridge for dinner paired with a bottle of cola.

'Happy Birthday to me.'

…

Later that night, steam filled the air, escaping from a small bathroom bordering a simple bedroom. The sound of hot water hissed as Rylen cleansed himself in the shower.

After a few moments, the handle creaked, and the flow of water ceased. Rylen stood beneath the showerhead, his black hair hanging over his face, drenched. In silence, with closed eyes and a clear mind, he remained for a while. Eventually, he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel hanging on the bathroom wall, drying himself off.

In front of the fogged-up mirror, with the towel wrapped around his waist, Rylen brushed his teeth. He then spat out the foamy mixture of toothpaste and saliva into the sink and washed his face.

Rylen grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and slipped into bed after shutting off all the lights. As he sat there in his bed on his back, he gazed at the ceiling with empty eyes. For as long as he remembered, he felt empty. Like he just lived on autopilot and watched from the inside of his mind as his body moved around without needing any input.

But he had grown used to it by now, so it didn't affect him in any way. Rylen had lived the most simple life imaginable up to this point. He didn't remember his parents and stayed with his aunt, who worked as a lab assistant at a famous research facility.

He got average grades in high school and barely got accepted into the nearest college. No one really talked to Rylen, but he didn't see a reason to change that so he went through his life alone and just drifted aimlessly. Now, he was going to go back to university to finally get his degree and get a regular job to finally get out of his aunt's hair. She was the only person Rylen ever spoke more than a few sentences to and he didn't want to burden her any longer with his presence.

As Rylen's thoughts started to slow, his dark brown eyes slowly closed in the darkness of the night. But the silence of the night was soon to be interrupted.

*FWOOSH*

A loud gust of wind forcefully flung open the windows of Rylen's room, sending the covers of his bed flying and jolting him awake. Surprised, he quickly got out of bed, only to find the room filled with the soft nighttime breeze flowing from the window.

Approaching the open windows, Rylen peered outside, scanning for any signs of the unusual. Below him lay his empty backyard, adorned with nothing more than grass and a solitary willow tree, its branches swaying in the wind. The neighboring houses remained dark, and the distant sounds of barking dogs and passing cars on the nearby highway were the only audible signs of life.

'How could the wind manage to open my windows like that?' Rylen wondered, unable to find a plausible explanation.

Satisfied that everything seemed normal, he closed the windows and turned back toward his bed. But his attention was immediately captured by an unexpected sight—a large black stone resting atop his mattress.

He couldn't recall seeing the stone when he had approached the windows earlier. Rylen's heart raced, and his breathing quickened.

'What the hell is happening?' he exclaimed inwardly, his mind racing to find answers.

In a state of shock, Rylen stood motionless, fixated on the mysterious rock. As he examined it closely, he noticed intricate carvings covering its surface, resembling runes. However, they were unfamiliar to him, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

His gaze remained locked on the stone, and suddenly, the carvings began to emit a deep violet glow. The pulsating light flickered, breathing in and out, casting an eerie aura. Overwhelmed with fear, Rylen was at a loss for what to do.

'Could it be some kind of explosive?' he thought, contemplating whether he should flee or stay put.

His hesitation prevailed, and he found himself unable to move, transfixed by the stone's mesmerizing display.

The light grew brighter with each pulse, yet the stone remained silent, leaving Rylen puzzled about its purpose. Despite his growing unease, a strange force compelled him to approach the enigmatic object. The enchanting violet light emitted by the runes enticed him, captivating his senses. In a trance-like state, Rylen began taking slow, measured steps toward the pulsating stone.

His mind blank and worries buried deep within, he followed the enticing pull, drawn closer to the radiant stone as it continued to pulse faster and brighter as time went on.

With only a single step remaining, Rylen cautiously extended his hand toward the captivating stone.

"Beautiful," he whispered, mesmerized by its radiant glow.

As his finger gently made contact with the smooth surface, the violet light intensified, flooding the dark room with a vibrant purple hue. In an instant, the brilliance became overwhelming, blinding Rylen's vision.

Amidst the luminous chaos, a deep rumble shook the very foundation of the house, causing Rylen to stumble. The stone beneath his touch began to dissolve, but his sight remained obscured. Bewildered and disoriented, he could only feel an icy chill envelop his hand, gradually creeping up his arm. It was akin to the sensation of submerging one's limb in liquid nitrogen.

A tortured scream escaped Rylen's lips as searing agony surged through him, rendering him paralyzed. Try as he might, he was powerless to retract his hand from the dissolving stone's grip. The torment persisted, crawling relentlessly upward, coursing through his shoulder and into his chest. Eventually, the excruciating pain reached his heart, unleashing an indescribable anguish that consumed him entirely.

In his torment, Rylen succumbed to the overwhelming pain, his consciousness fading as he slipped into a deep, unconscious state.