"I died. Kinda cliche right? Well, to tell you my story my name is Jeremy Auns an ordinary office worker. I had just been dumped by my crush. She said cause i was ugly? Like hell I would take that to my heart ( he did ) Then Doom!! Here i am stuck in a white void!! I have been trying to get myself out of here but its pointless."

"Hah? You ask me how i died? Well i remember had an intense pressure that build up inside my head, its feels like my skull is about to explode with severe headaches. I feel a sharp stabbing pain in my head and my vission become blurred."

(Wow, its suddenly changing the genre to a medical fiction)

His body become weak before collapes to the ground. There were a lot of onlookers trying to help him when he was desperately trying to maintain his consciousness.

Suddenly, an elderly man appears and pushes an old pocket watch into his hand, disappearing into the crowd before anyone could question him.

"And YES, I died." Auns said in a dissatisfaction expression.

"Arghhhh!!! I am bored to dead. What the use of this fucking old pocket watch? Why would its be the only thing here with me?"

Auns was confused by the pocket watch, its intricacies eluded him. He ran his fingers over the face, his mind trying to figure out 'the watch' use. While he squad down looking at it intensely he noticed a small button on top of it. As he is overcome with curiosity, he pressed it.

"Click" The button made a soft clicking sound under of his action.

Suddenly, the white void around him transformed into a liquid-like substance that began to swirl around him. As he attempted to swim, he found himself struggling. The water felt heavy, like an invisible force was pulling him down, and he knew he wouldn't be able to save himself as the water overtook him, drawing him into oblivion.

"HELP ME! Please somebody. I don't know how to swim.FUCK! If only I learnt it when I was a kid" Auns shout desperately.

He slowly lost his conscious but somehow he saw a light shine bright and whispered something. He didn't hear it clearly but he think it something that was really important.

"ARGHHHHH!!!" Auns shouted while gasping for air.

Auns's eyes fluttered open as he slowly came back to consciousness. He choked and gasped for air, his body wracked with coughs as he spit out a mouthful of water. His vision was blurred. He felt weak and disoriented, his body shaking involuntary as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. Memories of what had happened flooded back to him and he felt overwhelmed with relief to be alive.

Auns found himself lying in a strange bed, looking around the room, disorented and confuse.

When he open his eyes it was a whole another world revolve around 18 century.He was filled with awe and confusion.He looking around wildly and found himself in a world with different building structure.

"Wh..what happening??" Ask the old man in suprised and confusion by the shout while running frantically closer to the bed, trying to take a seat next to Auns.

"WAI..WAIT DON'T COME CLOSER!!! Who..who are you??" Said Auns while trying to maintain a neutral facial expression to hide his fear. The odd old in question was quite short, standing at only around 5 foot tall, looking to be somewhere in his sixties to seventies. He had a massive, bushy beard that obscured much of his face. His shoulder dropped and his back was slightly hunched giving him an air of waeriness and wisdom.

"Oh I am sorry, you must be scared" Said the man while taking a step back.

"WHAT!! NO I AM NOT SCARED!! " Auns said skeptically while maintaining a firm demeanor but his tone of voice a bit shaky and hesitant.

"Fine, I trust you" The man said as to calm Auns.

"My name is Joseph" Just call me Granpa Joseph. He said

"Wha..why would i call you granpa? Your not my granpa!" Auns said with a hint of annoyance.

"Hahhh..Up to you kid!" He said with a mixture of exhaustion while pressed his lips into a thin line, tired of his behavior.

Granpa Joseph at the bedside explained that he had found him washed up on the swamp called The Withering Wood, while he was fishing, unconscious and near drowning. He had brought him back to his home and done all he could to ensure his safety. He told him that he was lucky to be alive, and that he should take it easy as he recovered from the ordeal.

"Here this is your pocket watch" Granpa Joseph said while throwing it to him.

"What ! Where did you find this?" Auns question.

"It's in your pocket the day you were drown" Granpa answer

"isn't this the pocket watch I saw while I was in the white void. It surely is! How could I forget such euphoric pocket watch. It had a unique design. It could be a hint why I trasmigrate to this world" he thought.YES! It is mine." he said while laughing awkwardly

"Kid, I don't know where you came from but do not let curiosity take your mind. When the night is red it will be the end". He kept repeated that he find it sickening.

"I know you think I am crazy but please hold my word high" he sigh.

And that is how he came to this world. He was lucky that he was able to establish a cafe in the middle of the town with the help of the old man who save him. He also repeatedly remind him to always avoid going outside as much as he can.

He have been living in Granpa Joseph house for nearly 2 month. He had already adapt to his new life and getting closer with Granpa Joseph.

"Granpa?? What are you doing?" Ask Auns in disbelief at the sight of Granpa Joseph packing his luggage.

"Ohh…Here you are, kid. I am sorry but I need to leave but please take care of yourself" said Granpa Joseph.

His expression was one of determination, mixed with a hint of resolve. His eyes were glued to his luggage, his hands were busy gathering his belongings and placing them neatly inside. There was a firm set to his jaw, and his movements were quick and efficient, revealing his eagerness to pack and get out of the house as quickly as possible.

"But..but why??" Ask Auns eargerly.

"You wouldn't understand, kid" Said Granpa Joseph while shaking his head.

"You..you can't go. I am used to having you here . I don't want you to go. Please not you too granpa. Please don't leave me" Auns voice tinged with sadness and a hint of desperation.

As the tears continued to build up, he blinked rapidly, trying to prevent them from spilling over. However, his efforts were in vain as one tear slid down his cheek, leaving a wet trail in its wake. He tried to quickly wipe it away, but more tears continued to form, blurring his vision and causing his throat to clog with a lump of emotion.

"I am sorry, kid" Granpa Joseph said in determination, despite Auns's pleas.

Auns's pleas were met with deaf ears. Despite his attempts to change his mind, Granpa Joseph continued to pack his luggage with a determined look in their eyes. Feeling frustrated and hopeless, the Auns eventually storm out of the room, unable to bear the sight of the other person preparing to leave.

"Fine!! On second though living alone might be better than living with you!!!" Auns said in frustation.

"Fuck!! You think i would be sad, you leaving me. Hahh!!! I already used to this" Auns mumbling while heading toward his room.

Though he speak like that, Auns was very grateful to Granpa Joseph for helping him.He also get money to build his new and normal life without he knowing that he is far from that.

After Granpa Joseph leaving the house, Auns continued with his daily life as best as he could. He tried to maintain a routine and keep himself occupied, but there was an emptiness in the house that could not be ignored. He found themselves missing the other person's presence and the small,everyday moments that they had shared. He also couldn't shake off the feeling of sadness and disappointment, and struggled to fully accept the situation.

"Ugh, I should stop being emotional. I'm getting really sleepy now. I should probably head to my room." He starts to feel his eyelids getting heavier and yawns a few times.

"Yeah, definitely need to sleep," he mutters to himself as he heads towards the bedroom.

(yawns) "Jeez, I'm beat...I hope I don't have that same nightmare again. it's been haunting me for days now. I just can't seem to shake it." Auns said mixture with exhaustion and fed up with having the same nightmare over and over again.

After Jeremy transmigrate to this world, he always distrubed with a nightmare. He saw a few man wearing a black hood covering their whole body excluded their face and blood splater everywhere. He suspected they did some summoning ritual and it look quiet gruesome.Hence he had a hard time sleeping lately

"Arghhhh!!! "He shout.

Auns wake up in a cold sweat. His face is pale and sweaty, and his eyes are wide with terror. He's panting heavily, trying to catch his breath, and shaking slightly as the memories of the nightmare still linger in the back of his mind. His expression is one of horror and confusion, as if he's trying to make sense of the terrifying images that were just seared into his brain.

"Aah Not this stupid dream again. Can't i just have my sweet and normal new life. Hahhh… I should get used to this soon." He said trying to convince himself.

He got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, still feeling a bit shaken up from the nightmare. He started his morning routine, making himself a cup of coffee and getting ready for work at his small café. As he went through the motions, he tried to push the memories of the nightmare out of his mind, focusing instead on the tasks at hand. He knew he had customers to serve and coffee to make, and there was no time to dwell on his subconscious fears.

"But…why has there been no customers. My cafe gonna be in a dire situation and will go bankruptcy at any moment if I didn't have any new customers. I know that this is a new shop but why won't they just at least come and see my shop first. I only open it for one month and here I thought I will have my l dream to became a cafe owner will accomplish".

"However why did I think the people here is weird. They doesnt particularly friendly and always do their own things."

"I should try promoting my café. Hmmm.. i got an idea" He said in excitement.

After that he tried to promote his shop by distribute template but the people give him a cold and weird look to him.

" Fuck, I should give up on this" he said in discouraged.

Its already been a few days, nothing changed, his cafe has been grim with no customer.

Not only that, his dream has become much more severe. The place was filled with human body scattered around as if it were ripped apart by some kind of terrible creature. He was also overwhelmed with the disgusting stench coming from them

"WTF is this smell! Don't they bath or wash? UGHhh they smell disgusting!. Wait how could I smell something if this is a dream. This is a dream right?" He question himself.

He wildly looking around the corner of the room and saw a strange trail of footprint leading away from the bodies,leading toward a dark area of the room. He saw a big shadow of a collosol creature. 

A sudden thick smell of blood filled his nostril and he couldn't believe his eyes. What he saw was a massive beast at least seven foot tall on all four legs. It body is sleek and jet black , while it claw and fangs are sharp and bloodstained. It eyes reflect a deep blood red and filled with hatred and hunger.

 At the same time he felt a sudden cold and indefferent eyes at his back. When he turn around he saw the man who seem like the one that leading the ritual while mumbling and chanting some sort of words looking at him straight at his eyes.

He jolted awake, gasping for breath as the horrifying images from the nightmare flashed through his mind.

"AGHhhh! What was that. WTF is happening. I thought it was a dream but that feel hella real.Ahhhh!, my life is already not in order and now what.UGHhh What a mess"

He quickly leave his bed and wash his face and shocked to see a dark shadow flash behind him trying to strangle him through the mirror.

"AHHhhh! What is that! Somebody help me!! While closing his eyes shut desperately trying to ask from help.

When he opened it. Nothing around him.

"Now what! Am I hallucinating. Fuck I am losing my mind! " He shouted, feeling relieved.

"Now that I think about it, wasn't tomorrow the day that Granpa Joseph told me to avoid going out. Then is that mean I need to close my shop. Nahhh. I'm not doing that. If I close my shop I need to become a beggar that begging for money in the street."

 He determined to just open his shop while set aside the Granpa words. Nothing out of ordinary happen aside from the people are muck more harder to see. Only a few people was seen walking along the street. Hence Auns decided to close his shop early as there are no customers. Suddenly someone come inside the cafe.

"Tinggg" the bell above the door tinkling as the customers entering.

"welcome to my cafe. What do you want to order my beautiful lady." Auns said in a welcoming and friendly manner.

"Anything special you have today and for your information I am a MAN" he said while smiling.

"Hahahaha… Anything for you, MY LORD. Auns laughing awkwardly.

"It's fine its something that always happen" the beautiful man said.

 Auns thought he was a women because he had a famine feature, his face is soft and delicate, his lip are full and pink. His hair is longer and silkier than a woman hair, his body shape is more hourglass than masculine.

Even that short time Auns could see his manner is much more delicate than any other women he had know before, a perfect image of feminine. 

"Here is your coffee. And may I ask for your name sir? Auns said

"Elrand. Elrand Yve. I allowed you to call me that" He said.

"Well I know you already know this but you are so handsome. I am totally jealous. I might look just like a squid beside you." Auns said.

"I'm sorry but what did you say. I think it the opposite.. I might be the one that look ugly…compare to you. I really am thinking that I am handsome but I couldn't deny yours." He said

"Hahahah. It seem that you also are a smooth talker." Auns said while gigling.

"But I speak the truth... never mind".Erland said.

"Are you perhaps an outsider? Ask Elrand.

"Yes I am. How did you know?" Auns said with curiousity.

"Well its rare to see people still open their shop on this day. But its might be different if you are not from here since you might not know anything. I suggest you to closed your shop for the day" Elrand said in hope that Auns would heed his advice.

"Yeahhh…but i can't do that" Auns said in a stance voice.

"Are you gonna cover my losses if i close my shop?" Ask Auns in a sarcastic manner.

"Well I am pretty sure there is not gonna be any customers except me based on the situation. Look at your surrounding" he said in skepticism and started to gigling.

Auns broke into a sarcastic chuckle and said,

"Oh, ha ha ha, very funny, mister. You think I can just poof some customers out of thin air?" He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, clearly annoyed by the man's comment.

"What do you want me to do, go out on the street and drag people in here? Maybe I should hold a damn customer recruitment drive!" Auns said in frustration.

Elrand couldn't help but laugh at Auns's reaction.

"Hey, hey, chill out," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I was just making an observation, that's all. No need to get all defensive." He chuckled again, amused by Auns's response.

"Besides, I'd love to see you try to 'recruit' some customers. Talk about a hilarious scene."

Auns's expression softened a bit, but he still looked somewhat annoyed.

"Very funny," he repeated, shaking his head.

"You think running a business is a laughing matter?" He crossed his arms once again, leaning against the counter and eyeing the man with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Maybe you could try giving me tips on how to attract more customers, instead of making sarcastic comments."

Elrand chuckled again, clearly not phased by Auns's irritation.

"Hey, I was just pointing out the obvious," he said with a shrug.

"No one likes an empty café, right? But hey, if you want some real advice, I could throw some your way." He leaned in closer, a smirk on his face.

"Are you ready to hear the secret to customer attraction?"

Auns raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself.

"Oh, really?" he said, trying to hide his interest. "And what, exactly, is this secret to customer attraction?" He crossed his arms again, waiting for the man to reveal his grand strategy.

Elrand chuckled again, clearly enjoying the Auns's curiosity. Then, with a sly smile, he said,

"You know, you don't exactly have a welcoming presence around here. You should probably try showing your face more, you know." He gave the owner a wink.

"It's not like you have a bad face. In fact, I'd say you're downright handsome." He leaned in a little closer, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Maybe if people saw more of you, they'd come in just to get a look at the dashing owner."

Auns's cheeks turned a faint shade of red at the compliment, but he tried to hide it by clearing his throat.

"Oh, spare me," he said gruffly, looking away.

"I don't need to get customers by showing off my looks. This is a café, not a fashion show." Despite his dismissive tone, he was secretly flattered by the Elrand's comment.

Elrand smirked, sensing the Auns's embarrassment.

"Hey, I'm just saying," he said. "You've got a good face. Why not use it to your advantage? People are more likely to come to a café if they know there's a handsome guy behind the counter. It's just common sense." He winked again, notching making any effort to hide his enjoyment at the owner's reaction.

Elrand shifted the topic of conversation before Auns could saying anything,

"Well, let's get down to business. I should probably pay for my coffee and cover your losses for today, since it seems like nobody else is coming in." He reached into his pocket for his wallet, ready to pay for his bill and possibly offer some extra compensation to make up for the lost potential sales.

Auns looked up at the man, surprised by his offer.

"Oh, really?" he said, a hint of relief in his voice.

"You're going to pay for your coffee and cover the lost revenue for the day?" He watched as the man pulled out his wallet, still feeling a bit incredulous at the generosity being displayed.

"You don't have to do that, you know," he said, despite secretly hoping that the man would follow through while helding his hand out.

Elrand chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"C'mon, don't be like that," he said.

"I'm offering to help you out here. Besides, I feel like I owe you something for making you listen to my little joke earlier. I said I'd pay for my coffee and cover your losses for the day, right?"

"C'mon, don't look so hesitant," he teased.

"I promise I'm not trying to scam you or anything. I'm just a charitable soul who can't stand to see a small business owner suffer losses on a slow day." He held up the money in his hand, waving it teasingly.

"Besides, I'm getting a pretty good deal here. Great coffee, and a handsome owner to chat with."

Auns rolled his eyes at the man's playful demeanor, feeling a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a real saint," he replied dryly.

"I'm sure you do this all the time, right? Walk into small businesses and cover their losses out of the goodness of your heart?"

The man continued to smile, clearly enjoying the banter.

"Oh, so you think my visit is special, huh?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'm flattered, but I guess you could say I have a soft spot for cafes like this. Plus, I have to admit, the coffee here is pretty damn good."

"And let's not forget," the man continued,

"the owner isn't too bad either. I mean, a handsome owner who makes good coffee? That's a rare find these days." He looked at the owner, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Auns rolled his eyes at the man's persistent compliments.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said, unable to hide his frustration. "You think I'm handsome, and I make good coffee. Can we move on now?"

Elrand chuckled at the owner's response, sensing that he was getting a bit frustrated with his teasing. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing you for now," he said, a hint of amusement still in his voice.

"You're right, I've probably teased you enough for one day." He took a step back from the counter, preparing to leave.

Elrand took another sip of his coffee before setting the cup down on the counter.

"It's been fun chatting with you," he said, his tone still playful, but with a hint of finality.

"But I should probably get going. Thanks for the coffee again, you really know how to make a good cup." He gave the owner a final smile and a wink before getting up from his seat and heading towards the door.

After a few minutes chatting with the man called Elrand, he left and Auns decided to wait for a few minutes more to see if there will be a new customers. Somehow Auns felt familiarity with the Erland. As time goes by, there were no people to be seen and he choose to close his shop.

While he close the door he notice that the sky is slowly changing colour. It start with subtle changing colour in the hue of the clouds, gradually they become more reddish in tone. As the light begin to slowly changes from blue to red, a sinister shade that cast the entire landscape in an ominous glows.

"Now what the fuck is happening!"

To be continue…

>You shoul spend some time here and have some fun before going to the next chapter^_^

~Trivia Time~

Commet your rating for elrand flirting skill out of 10

How did Auns died based on the symptom?

a) aneurism

b) brain cancer

c) brain hemorhage

d) heart attack

Guess what gonna happen to Auns?

- comment your answer readers