Somewhere in Treo City
In an alleyway, a figure was limping, their every step dragging blood across the ground.
All that was visible was their bright orange eyes through a mask. Their cloak was stained with blood, with a stripe of blue color running across the shoulder. The cloak was ripped and soiled at the ends.
'If I can reach the prison, I can at least fufil my desire...' The figure looked straight ahead, at the alleyway's end.
They noticed their hand fading as they looked down at it.
'No. I shouldn't revert back to my Astral Form. They will be able to hunt me easier...' They balled their fist.
"Do you want to survive?" An interesting voice said to them, "You are bleeding the pieces of your desire, not human blood. It is as if your soul had transferred to your desire."
The figure just remained silent and observed their surroundings, not bothering to waste energy responding.
As a shadow appeared in front of them and said, "I have the same desire as you," they took a few steps back, "So let me consume you, and make me stronger."
The figure's pupil trembled as the shadow grinned and emitted a strange green hue from its eyes. They forced themselves to calm down, taking a deep breath.
'Desires might be similar to others, but it can never be same because everyone's experiences varies... they must have already gone crazy because of the different desires and experiences consumed...'
The figure scowled as a number of thoughts passed by, thinking: 'It feels like they are the manifestation of...'
They gritted their teeth, mustering all their strength, "We don't have the same desire, I just want to destory the Knights, not mankind."
"Ah, hahaha. If you let me consume you, I will help you get rid of the Knights." The shadow didn't seem to hear their last sentence, speaking with an eerie voice, "Let me consume you..."
The approaching shadow made the figure feel rather crept out, 'They do not know my power, so I can use this to intimidate them.'
"Ain't you afraid of my final explosion? I can target the desires of others directly." The figure lied bluntly, eyes widening with a smirk.
The shadow paused its movement to study the figure.
The figure sighed quietly: 'This is the end for me...'
Their eyes glowed brightly, but their body faded even more.
With alertness, the shadow took a few steps backward.
The figure did not seem to care if they were discovered as they connected to the Astral World.
'I'm right, they are like me...' the figure sighed, 'Hm?'
A bus stopped at the traffic light outside the alleyway.
Someone connection to the Astral World was becoming stronger.
The figure coughed up blood and laughed, glancing back at the cautious shadow.
'I'm not a hero, I don't have to care about anything as long as I achieve my desire!'
Their body burst into a brilliant orange glow, and a tiny fissure appeared between the Astral and physical world.
"It will be more difficult for me to carry out my plans if people know that I exist," the shadow snorted, giving up on trying to consume that dying desire and left the alleyway.
That orange desire shot forward at once, never staying still.
'As long as you have any little desire towards the fall of the knights... I will amplify it with my power!'
...
Voye continued to yawn as he made his way back to his room.
'I suddenly felt so exhausted on the bus...it's worse than the hackaton.' Voye drags his legs across the floor, moaning inwardly.
Within this world, hackaton can endure for days at a time. Since technology has advanced and food has become better, humans have also evolved stronger.
The instant Voye's leg touched the side, he fell onto his bed.
Something orange materialized, peering around with a curious expression.
'This is the person's entire life experiences that feeds their inner desires...'
It stood in an unusual Astral World state, more akin to a private than a public domain.
This private domain represented Voye Sal.
'Let's see if there's any point I can exploit...' It slid into Voye's recollections, flipping them around like a movie.
If it possessed a face, it would be deeply frowning, possibly clenching its teeth.
'This kid is so ignorant. His desire is to understand the truth... but this power will be too weak! If only he desired strength I could use! The one silver lining is that his friends seem to know something, though I can not confirm if they have powers because these are just memories. I can only hope that this power of his would be unique enough to be used differently.'
It let out a sigh, but no sound emerged.
'Such ignorance is also pitiful. No matter. As long as there's a little desire to destory the Knights, I will ampfiy it. For now I shall just sleep... I'm no longer connected to the main Astral World, nor can I afford to.'
The orange desire shook its head, darkening gradually.
"Daddy is going to be a hero okay?" said a man, leaning in and speaking softly to a young child. "You can't tell anyone. I will go save mummy."
"A hero..." The child's eyes shone when hearing that, "Daddy have powers?"
"Cool right?" his father asked, grinning and holding up a fireball.
"Woah..."
The child watched in amazement as the fireball transformed into lightning and ice.
"I hope you make lots of friends, alright?"
The father nodded and grinned when the child cast a fleeting glance in his direction.
Voye was able to vividly recall his father's eyes, though, after giving it some thought.
His eyes were bloodshot, as though he had shed tears.
'Why did I suddenly remember that?' Voye peered out the glass.
Voye had been sleeping all day and all night for the past day.
Voye decided to go to his favorite cafe to clear his mind.
However, with each step he took, random memories from his past seemed to resurface.
'Maybe it's because I suddenly don't have to care about school anymore. My mind's more freed up.' He made a random guess, but he did not like it.
He made sure he did not have time to think back on his past by being so focused on his studies and doing so many projects and competitions.
Shaking his head, Voye pulled open a fresh book to read on his panel.
The incident on the bus yesterday?
Voye wanted nothing to do with it for the time being.
All he could do was try to avoid feeling those feelings. He might experience less overwhelming emotions in the future when he looks back.
By avoiding his desires with other things, he would eventually forget about them... hopefully...