A sea of waves could be seen from afar. As the clouds grew greyer every second, a single entity could be seen. A man doing everything he can to get to shore. He exerted all of his upper body strength to row the black boat he was on. It was as if he had one single goal.
The waves got stronger. The wind got faster. And out of nowhere, a single lightning struck the waves. With one heap motion, the boat overturned and the man fell into the raging sea reflecting the black clouds.
As his breath got shorter and his lungs filled with waves, the man saw a glimpse of hope. An island made of rocks stood still. The rain did not reach the castle that stood atop the soulless island. It was magical. There was only a clear circular sky above the island. As the glimpse of hope faded into the man's heart, he lost consciousness.
Seph was laying down on his bed, drowned in sweat. His pillows were nowhere to be found and his blanket only covered half his body. He sighed as he sat up straight.
'Another nightmare,' he thought.
Ignoring the daily nightmares, he went ahead with his daily routine. A cold shower and a warm breakfast. He got prepared for his day and changed into a white shirt and black pants. He looked at the mirror.
In front of him stood a man in his twenties. He had white eyes, which made him almost always mistaken as a blind man. Of course, he didn't mind it. He had above average looks and a thin body. In his arms he held a set of books and on his shoulder was a small bag, hanging on only one strap.
Seph went ahead and went downstairs. A small library stood before him. Books were neatly organized in their shelves and the seats were dust free. Seph unlocked the door and changed the close sign, and went into his usual spot as a cashier. It was still early in the morning, so he didn't expect anyone to come in. So he went ahead and started reading.
Since his earliest memories, He only knew his love for books. His parents died in a car crash and his sister went abroad to study. As for Seph, he engrossed himself in books. Through getting bullied in school for being slightly handsome to his current life as a librarian, Seph only knew the feeling of his fingers touching the soft pages and the characters in a story giving him the time of his life. His uncle made him handle the library, giving him no wages whatsoever and only paying for his food. However, Seph did not mind that. For all he knew, the freedom of reading was much more important than some piece of paper.
As Seph dove into his imaginary world of character, the bell of the door rang. An elderly lady walked in. Her gray hair was tied in a bun and she wore a kimono that looked like it was worn for far too long. Beside her was a Persian red cat that had a golden bell tied to her neck. The lady smiled and spoke in a soft familiar voice.
"How are you, dear?"
"Couldn't be better, Grandma Yu. Would you like the usual while you get comfortable?"
"Thank you."
As she sat down on a rocking chair beside the window, she opened a fresh book. Her glasses were tipped onto the edge of her nose and her finger traced the lines she was reading. The cat stood on the countertop beside Seph as he made green tea for the grandma.
Since the very first day he started working as a librarian, he knew grandma Yu. She came everyday and read almost all the books the library had to offer. And everyday she would have the cat and a cup of green tea beside her. From everyday conversation, Seph figured out that she lived alone in an apartment, which was paid for by her son.
By the time Seph served the grandma the bell of the door rang again. It was two teenagers dressed in school uniforms. The boy had black hair while the girl had blonde hair. Both of them excitedly greeted Seph.
"Hello, Big Brother!"
Big Brother. That's what the high schoolers called Seph.
"Do you guys not have classes?" Seph sighed inwardly.
The high schoolers destination for bunking class was usually either the school cafeteria or the library. It was blatant that they were bunking class.
They looked at me nervously and blatantly lied.
"Nope, Our classes start much much later!"
They went into a corner and gossiped.
Seph sighed. Although he used to also bunk classes, it was to avoid bullies and not to avoid studying. He continued reading his book as grandma Yu's cat slept on his lap.
Over the entire day, no one else would come in. The high schoolers would leave in the afternoon whilst the grandma waited until closing time to leave.
She called out to Seph.
"Seph dear, how old are you this year?"
It was a sudden question.
"I will be twenty two in the winter, grandma."
"What about your friends?"
'Ah,' Seph could see what she wanted to know. For the last two years, He had never talked to anyone as a friend. She had always come in at dawn and left at night, so she must have noticed it.
"I do not have any friends."
It was a blatant lie yet Seph smiled at her.
Seph hated being alone. His parents death and his love for books made it hard for others to approach him. Even if he did approach him, the bullies would make sure they didn't make any connection to Seph.
"You are a handsome boy, Seph. You should find friends. You wouldn't be able to survive in this world without friends."
He got taken aback. 'What was this sudden advice,' he thought. She had a serious look on her face. As if giving Seph her final advice. However, Seph only smiled and nodded.
After she left, Seph tidied up and without changing, went to bed. He felt his tiredness drift away and go into his world of nightmares again.
"Mhm."
He felt a cold hard feeling where he laid.
'I must have fallen from the bed,' he thought.
Some time later, he opened his eyes.
"What the?"
'Am I still dreaming,' he thought.
Everything around him was white. He stood up. The ceiling, the floor and the walls, all of it was white. Seph walked. However, no matter how much he walked he couldn't find the end of the room. Suddenly, A game-like screen appeared in front of him. It was black glass and the writing looked like it was scratched on. Thinking he was still dreaming, Seph read the words.
[Welcome To The Tower, Successor]