"Holy fu**, what the fu**-"
I fell to the ground, still not believing what I saw.
I stared at the wall for a few more seconds, before my gaze was interrupted by the sound of an old man's voice. "Hello son, what are you doing here?"
I squeaked slightly, startled by the voice of the old man.
"Who...!!- oh... Geezer, don't scare me like that!" Registering what happened, I looked away in embarrassment that someone caught me stalking.
The old man looked at me and laughed softly, amused by my reaction. "Haha... It seems that the great 'Mischievous Fool' can get scared of a normal old man's voice like me."
I sighed and didn't say anything in response to what the old man said.
I still have respect for the elders, you know? Despite... well... my mischief...
This is what I mean by 'my mischief'
[Flashback sequence]
"HEY, GET DOWN HERE JAMES!" A random person shouted, telling me to get down from the Chief's roof.
"HAHAHAHAHA! MAKE ME, MR. WILL!" I laughed in response.
Yes, this was during New Year's. I bought like 500 fireworks and put them all in the slum chief's vents. If I remember again it was funny to see the faces of the people. Watching as the chief's house blew up colorfully.
Well, it was also thanks to Paryss for helping me out on that.
The Chief's house blew up, as all of the fireworks detonated creating a house that looked like it descended from Eden.
Ah, what a majestic sight that was.
[Flashback Sequence over]
"So, what are you doing here? Old Man Mack?"
Alright, let me introduce this old man, first things first.
This is Roy Maverick (not the guy from One Piece), a rich man who... decided to live in the slums for some reason. He fought in the Great War of Ruberdich, 50-60 years ago. near the country of Tristania. 2 million people died in that war, yes... it was a major catastrophe back in the day.
You could say he was THE mad lad of the battlefield, gaining the title "The Termite" by his enemies. He was always spamming bullets and all that, but his accuracy was nigh-perfect. He could shoot in any direction, and it will almost definitely hit someone.
Just like his title says, he always went into enemy territory unnoticed. Sabotaging their supplies, and destroying all of their mortars by himself. He also destroyed enemy bunkers and fortresses with modified hand grenades he made in his basement during times of war.
Old Man Mack is a relatively tall old man, probably around 184 cm, or in freedom terms, about 6 and ½ feet (probably). He doesn't have a dadbod and is still in great condition despite being 82 years old. He's also quite stylish, packing that specially tailored suit every day... Despite living in the slums.
Enough of the introductions, it's time to get back to the story.
"I was just strolling around and saw you peeking from a wall." Old Man Mack said, stopping slightly before continuing.
"I was curious too, and went to see for it myself as well."
Although his tone sounded like he was serious, he was lying. He wasn't strolling around and randomly stumbled upon me who was staring at a dead end, no. He was also watching the shady man from the shadows.
"... You're lying." I accused, clearly not believing his words.
"Oh? And what gave it away?" Old Man Mack asked back, feigning intrigue as to how I 'figured' it out. Turning his eyes away slightly in denial as a small 'pfft' failed to suppress.
"You weren't even trying to hide it, look! You're even laughing!" I said, my tone carrying annoyance as I looked at Old Man Mack with a frustrated expression.
I was quiet for a few seconds, before continuing again.
"Just tell me, why are you here?"
Old Man Mack let out an exhale, saying "... You young ones are impatient, aren't you?" Before explaining his intentions.
"I was also doing the same thing as you, intrigued by this peculiar unfamiliar face. I wondered. 'How did they get here?' My curiosity won, and I followed them like you."
I was surprised, before regaining my composure again. I mean, this is Roy Maverick after all. 'The Termite'
"Oh, well... I'm surprised you can still lurk, geezer." I responded to him, my voice carrying a tone of slight mockery yet admiration.
Old Man Mack looked back at me and just chuckled slightly in response. "Oh, James. You are funny as always. I've always enjoyed your tomfoolery across this neighborhood."
"Uh, thanks geezer but... I didn't ask." I responded to him.
I was aware that I was talking to a war veteran, that happens to be the most feared and badass soldier at the time. And his moves still pack a ton, but I am rather close with Old Man Mack, so I'm praying that he doesn't mind.
"Is that how you treat the elderly, James?"
... Well, this is quite terrifying.
Behind that calm demeanor lies an irritation that can shatter through souls if not contained, even though Old Man Mack said it in a soft, calm tone. I can't help but feel a sparking malicious intent from within.
"... Never mind," I said, before looking down at the ground once more. Regretting what I said earlier and just hoping that he'll let me off easy.
"Hahaha, it's okay." Old Man Mack said with a slight chuckle.
Old Man Mack wasn't serious with his previous statement after all.
I let out an exhale of relief because I'm getting left easy. I shook my head before standing up once more, looking at the wall before turning my head to Old Man Mack again.
"So, what do you say we follow the dude?" I asked Old Man Mack.
He responded. "Hmph, I always find amusement in your weird ideas, James." Old Man Mack said, with a slight smile of agreement.
I stared at him for another 2 seconds before grinning widely. "I'll take that as a yes."
I ran towards the wall at full speed, but unlike the strange guy... I crashed into the wall instead.
"OW!"
... That hurt.
"The Fool has been fooled, how ironic. Hahaha..." Old Man Mack teased me, I just sat there, dumbfounded.
"You knew that I wasn't gonna go through it, didn't you?" I asked Old Man Mack, looking at him with a resigned expression.
"Why yes, since I thought the peculiar faces don't look like they have no brain... I thought their method of transmigration might be more blended and hidden." Old Man Mack said, observing the wall as he got closer to it.
We both gave up and just started to walk down the street.
"Well, that was a bummer," I said, my expression defeated looking down at the ground.
Old Man Mack just stared at my sad expression before patting my shoulder.
"It's all right, we have other times to observe."
I looked up at Old Man Mack, brightened up slightly at his words...
Until disaster struck, of course.
Remember in the previous chapters? When I accidentally bumped into that one gang nobody?
Well... He's back with his friends.
"Well well well, look who we have here. Myers." The guy I bumped into said, his tone was annoyed and slightly arrogant.
"Don't hit me with the 'Look who we have here?' bullshit, that's only used in corny-ass movies," I replied while crossing my arms and shaking my head in disapproval.
Old Man Mack just stood behind me with a smirk on his face, "Should we run, or do I have to teach these young lads a lesson?"
One of the gang members said to Old Man Mack, "Oh? And who's this geezer? Scram, old head."
"That's not how you talk to your elders, son." Old Man Mack replied, carrying a tone of authority and power.
Everyone in the area began to shiver slightly, including me. Even though he didn't say anything threatening, that tone... It was nightmare fuel.
But, the gang members were still too stubborn.
"W-Who are you to say shit, geezer?!" One of the gang members shouted, but their tone didn't sound intimidating. Rather, they seemed scared.
I looked at Old Man Mack terrified, knowing him... His prime self would've emerged to the surface if those thugs hadn't apologized.
However, because I loved violence... I just sat back and watched the show with a smug grin on my face.
Old Man Mack cracked his knuckles, a vein popping out of his forehead as he failed to suppress a sadistic grin.
In a heavy tone, he said: "Shall we play a game?"
The thugs were still too stubborn, and one of them shouted with a hint of fear in his eyes, his voice cracking slightly. "Y-You're just pushing your luck! Geezer!"
With slight hesitation, the thug launched himself at Old Man Mack with a rusty knife in his hands.
Tetanus damage boost huh?
But since Old Man Mack was a war veteran, he side-stepped the stab quite easily. Disarming the thug and stabbing him deep into his chest using the knife that he used.
Quite brutal, but he is 'The Termite' after all.
Seeing one of their members die that easily, they all ran away in fear. Including the guy I bumped into.
I let out an exhausted sigh, relieved that this was over... before looking at the corpse in front of me.
"Dead. Welp, I'm glad you're not my enemy, geezer." I said, relieved.
Old Man Mack turned to look at me, putting on a warm smile as if nothing happened. "Let's go, son."
[Timeskip 2 days later]
2 days since that encounter happened. I was on my way to work as usual.
Hold up, I think I never explained what my job was.
[Brief Explanation Sequence]
My job is a hidden one. It's a company that works in the shadows, producing many strong people despite living in the slums.
There are 4 divisions.
- Intruder
- Misfortune
- Producer
- Disciple
I'm in the Misfortune Division, code name: "Joker", and Paryss is also in the same division as me, with the code name: "Penny"
I'll explain later once the time comes. But the name of the Organization is: "Malevolence".
[Brief Explanation Sequence Over]
But to my surprise, when I arrived at work there was nobody there.
"Why the...?"
Before I knew it, Paryss emerged from the ground and tackled me.
"AH-" I screamed, before getting dragged into deep undergrounds.
A few moments passed, and I was dizzy. Looking around this peculiar room...
"Ugh... What the hell...?"
There, I saw a few people behind this bulletproof glass, talking about something behind those windows... but I can't hear it.
Turns out it was one of the lower ranks in the Producer Division, and this place is the Producer's Laboratory.
I have no idea why there is a fancy, futuristic laboratory below this... poor slum neighborhood, but I guess it's a good hideout area.
(sigh) Let's go to their conversation.
I saw Paryss conversing with one of the scientists, her expression was mildly irritated... and somehow... forced?
"Why is James a part of this experiment again?" Paryss asked one of the scientists.
"Well, uh... Miss Paryss, James is the best candidate! As he is one of the highest performers in the Misfortune division." One of the scientists explained.
But Paryss wasn't satisfied with his explanation, she fired back.
"And just what is this experiment exactly? If this harms or makes James uncomfortable in any way... I will let you know, that I AM the danger."
Paryss was mad, even though she was the one who brought me down here. Meanwhile, I just sat there in silence trying to hear something, but it was just muffled nonsense.
I did think about a few ways to get out here, but... They all didn't work.
Suddenly, the room was engulfed in a weird smoke. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.
There it is again... the dream.
[DREAM SEQUENCE]
I woke up in the same grassy fields, the big tree was still there.
"Why do I keep going here...?" I asked myself, standing up from lying down on the dirt.
As I walked into the open area where the tree was, I couldn't help but notice that a few shattered pieces of... Light? Floating in a random pattern across the sky.
This wasn't in the previous dreams, as I followed my gaze to where the light pieces were coming from, It appeared from the leaves of the big tree.
"This dream just keeps getting weirder and weirder..."
Being the man that I am, I continued walking to the tree. Conveniently, there is a big path that leads directly to the tree. One that was not here in the previous dreams.
When I looked towards the left side, I saw that little girl again... This time, she's not crying. But she was staring at something... Far, far away in the distance.
I approached her from behind, the fabric of reality and space bending and distorting again whenever I got closer to her, but I didn't let that stop me and kept approaching.
"You're here again... James Myer." The girl said, turning their back on me. But her face... wasn't as creepy as before, it looked more friendly and innocent. No longer those wide eyes, that sadistic smile... It was still slightly distorted, but it surely was a massive improvement.
"You... You look different." I said to the girl in a soft yet astonished voice, looking mildly shocked at the sight.
"I... I guess." The girl said, stopping for a few moments before continuing.
"You've been put into a deep sleep by that gas, but time works differently here. You'll wake up in half an hour, but half a day has passed in the real world."
This information was interesting, although I was not surprised about it.
"That's interesting," I said intrigued, changing my gaze to the sky where the girl was looking at.
"Come to think of it..." I paused for a moment, before continuing "I've never asked for your name."
The girl looked at me before sighing and chuckling a bit.
It seemed quite an off-character for the girl since she's usually crying and emotional... but today she's calm and mature.
"I guess you don't know who I am, huh? Well... I guess it's to be expected." The girl paused for a second, looking at the ground before looking back at the sky. "It has been many years since our last encounter."
... What?
I raised my eyebrow, thinking about the kid's words. Then I thought back to Paryss' statement a few days ago... About everything in this dream is a distant memory, but is it truly?
"By your words... Do you mean, we're childhood friends?- No, wait. That's not important right now. What's your name?"
The girl laughed softly at my repeated question, before putting on a slightly more serious expression while still smiling.
"My name, huh... I've almost forgotten about it. But... it's Chloe." The girl responded.
"Chloe..." I repeated quietly.
"I want to ask a question," I asked, turning my head at Chloe again.
Chloe looked back at me with a curious expression. "Ask away."
I stood silent for a few seconds before turning my head around and looking at the massive tree in the center of this field.
"What is this... tree?"
"The tree...?" Chloe turned around, she looked at the big tree before smiling softly.
Like she is remembering, recalling something. A distant past that only she remembers.
"This is the tree that made life to us, the reason why we're living right now. Well... you. Because I don't exist anymore." Chloe explained, her smile faded as quickly as it appeared.
I analyzed her face, her expression was melancholic.
But, how can somebody that doesn't exist remember memories? Unless... ■ ■■■
What...? Why was it censored...
■■>#@(
Let's... ignore that.
I asked Chloe another question because I didn't get what she meant. It was all cryptic. "What do you mean... you don't exist?"
Chloe stared at me deadpanned, gazing into my Astral soul. Even though I knew this was only a dream, It felt too close to reality.
As Chloe kept staring for a few more moments, I was extremely uncomfortable and requested her to stop. "Uh... Chloe, you are staring a bit too... intense."
Chloe didn't even flinch or get embarrassed, she looked away with a neutral face before she finally responded to my question... But her voice was eerily neutral, "To answer your question, James... I don't exist anywhere, but I exist in nowhere."
What? That doesn't even make sense...
Chloe asked another question, her tone curious, yet questioning. "James, what do you think when you are here, in this place?"
I was slightly caught off guard... What do I think about this place? It was a question simple, yet confusing.
[Random Sequence & World Lore Bomb]
"Wait, scratch that. Why is there a... floating train in the sky...?" I asked, staring upward as I spotted the train from afar.
For some reason, the train looked quite simple, yet magical... and weird? At the same time. To be more specific, the design was different from our trains. Our trains are more steam-era-like design-wise, for example, we haven't changed the designs of our trains since the Fath Era.
[Explanation Sequence]
Fath Mada was the greatest Emperor in the Nous 'Und Tara Continent, and his influence also spread throughout the entire world. Even reaching the Sacred Domains of David. During Fath Mada's era of Colonization and Imperialism, he would cultivate technology. From what seemed to be regular bows and arrows. Turned into a complex series of weaponry and inventions.
A recent discovery shows that Fath Mada leaped through 4600 years of technology in just 6 decades during his time of Dominance.
[Explanation Sequence over]
Chloe looked at the sky to also spot the floating train, she narrowed her eyes slightly before recognizing what train it was.
"That's a subway train," Chloe realized with a casual tone. She looked at me again. But for me? I was confused.
Looking back at Chloe, I stayed silent for a brief moment. Staring back at the train that's blocking the ever-setting sun before asking her "What's a subway train...?"
Chloe didn't seem to want to respond to my question, so I took back my words with a simple "Never mind, forget I asked."
(this is just lazy writing)
"But going back to our topic from earlier..." I said, trying to trail the conversation back to its original discussion.
[Random Sequence & World Lore Bomb Over]
"What do I think of this place, huh... Well. I feel like this place keeps awakening some hidden... memory. I don't know though. Because this entire place feels... nostalgic, I can't help but feel as if... I belong here." I answered. While answering... I decided to approach the tree for a better feel of the place. Touching the trunk lightly before I look back to Chloe.
Hearing my answer, Chloe complimented me with a simple "Good answer, James." She began to walk towards the tree too. But it's a different spot from where I am.
Chloe turned her head around and nodded slightly as if she was gesturing for me to follow her.
I followed her because I was curious, and after what felt like 5 loops around the tree, a big door that led to the interior appeared, to describe the door's appearance... Its shape was an arch, with carvings of ancient symbols, and its texture was weird. As if it was from another world...
I followed Chloe inside the tree, to find... a book? The book's cover was white, and it was floating above a special stand that was imbued with some kind of barrier or sort. The cover wasn't exactly plain white either, it had a texture or feeling when you touch it that you would usually find when you scrape a knife with another knife.
Looking at the book, I had no recognition whatsoever of it. I decided to ask Chloe what it was.
"What's this...?"
Chloe had a small, soft smirk on her face as she looked at me again. "This... is your book."
My... book? What? I didn't ever remember having a book, especially this... weird.
"Huh? My book...? What... what do you mean, I've never had any books in my possession before..."
"You may not remember it, but it is your book... James."
I saw as Chloe approached the stand, making the barrier that protected the book disappear with just a touch. When the barrier disappeared, the entire dreamscape began to shake violently. "W-Whoa-" I said in slight shock. But the tremor stopped as fast as it appeared.
Chloe held out the book and faced it in my direction with her hands not touching the book as the book was floating a few centimeters above her hand.
"This, James... is 'The Book of Denial'." Chloe excitedly said, before continuing again. "It's your book, your creation..."
W...what... The Book of Denial? I don't remember any of this...
I stood there, dumbfounded by what Chloe just revealed... It was very shocking, but even that is an understatement to the amount of surprise and shock I felt at that very moment. I didn't question why I was revealed stuff like this, because I had a good assumption... It will be an important matter that involves me.
"But, this book is weak now... It used to be an unimaginably powerful book, capable of causing ■■■ ■ ■■...."
TO BE CONTINUED