After finishing another class, Luke's body left the classroom to get lunch. Even though he couldn't control his actions, he already felt exhausted.
The constant uncertainty and fear were mentally draining. It made Luke feel stuck, like a prisoner watching his own life from the outside. The only good thing was that he noticed another student who seemed to share something similar to his situation.
Luke covertly observed the man walking ahead of him.
This man was someone Luke had noticed in his earlier class. He didn't know his name, but he had seen him several times around campus. Luke guessed he was in the same department, probably studying for an art degree like him.
However, more than his name or identity, what caught Luke's attention were his eyes. Unlike the dull, emotionless stares of others, his eyes were filled with emotions. Well, it was mostly fear.
In addition, the golden strings tied to him were all coiled around his right arm. Instead of connecting directly to his skin, they were tangled together like knotted threads.
From these observations, Luke was almost certain that this man was like him, someone who could see the golden strings around. The guy had even come up with a unique method to retain control over his body.
It was an idea Luke had never considered. But, even if he had, he wouldn't follow it.
'The world is already abnormal, and doing something like that might draw unwanted attention,' Luke thought. 'My method is safer. Limited actions are better than risking exposure. Look, he doesn't even realize I'm like him.'
Though Luke found the man's strategy reckless, he felt an undeniable sense of relief. It confirmed that he wasn't alone, and his situation wasn't unique. There might be others hiding out there, with more knowledge and understanding of the world.
Luke wanted to approach the man and reveal his presence, hoping they could work together. However, he ultimately held back and continued observing from a distance. He would only reveal himself when the time was right and he could be sure the man was worth the trust.
This plan, however, was flawed. Since Luke had no control, once class ended, he couldn't continue observing the man. They had different schedules. Luke had to follow his usual routine, while the man would go wherever he needed to.
Still, luck seemed to be on his side. After their morning classes, they both ended up heading in the same direction, toward the ground floor.
Luke wasn't sure where the man was going, but he knew his own destination: the school cafeteria.
And he was right. As soon as he reached the ground floor, his body turned toward the tempting smell of food. The man, on the other hand, walked straight ahead, heading toward the field and the university gate.
Luke's eyes narrowed slightly before returning to their usual dull, lifeless state. A hint of regret lingered, but he quickly memorized the man's face. He planned to find him again later when he was free and in control.
However, just as he was making plans in his mind, his body suddenly stopped walking.
Ding! Do-
Just as the campus bell was about to ring for the second time, the students around him suddenly froze. The wind stopped blowing, and the entire area was filled with an unsettling stillness. Everything was motionless, except for the man to his left.
"What happened?" the man exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear. From the tone, it was clear this was his first time experiencing something like this.
Luke felt uneasy, too. 'Why is everything so still? It's like time itself has stopped… no, it's more like the world has stopped moving!'
He quickly calmed himself, making sure to hide any emotion in his eyes. He knew the situation was strange, and he needed to make sure no one noticed how different he was.
The man wasn't completely mindless too. After turning around and glancing at the others, he quickly realized the importance of hiding his difference and froze similarly in place.
Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. The longer the silence lasted, the heavier the man's breathing became. Luke, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of exhaustion in his eyes.
He really was mentally drained. Too much had happened in one day. He was afraid, and his thoughts began to spiral.
'What if the entity above finally notices me... and that guy? This might be the sign that I have to let them control me... just let the golden strings fully touch me.'
Just as Luke was on the edge of losing his sanity, something changed. But instead of relief, it only brought more terror.
Dozens of meters away, on the edge of the building, many golden strings floated. However, they were thinner and moved in a more erratic way than before.
When Luke first saw the golden strings last night, they had reminded him of yarn. But now, they looked more like tapeworms, slithering and wriggling in a way that filled him with a deep sense of disgust and fear.
But the fear didn't stop there. Attached to these strings was a giant creature, huge and reaching up to the ceiling. It had six spider-like legs that turned sharply, making a loud, sharp scraping noise every time they touched the ground.
Above and attached to these legs was a humanoid figure lying face down in the air. Its body was covered in scales like a lizard, but with the slippery, slimy texture of a frog.
Its head was disturbingly featureless. It had no eyes, no nose, but its mouth was wide and gaping, spewing forth more of the worm-like threads.
On its forehead, there was a wooden symbol, but it was too far away for Luke to see clearly.
The monster-like creature slowly lowered its head, scanning its surroundings. But when its gaze fixed on Luke, the thin golden strings it had sent out suddenly stopped, as if it were startled.
Despite the surprise, there was an unmistakable excitement on its featureless face. And without any hesitation, it swiftly moved forward, heading straight toward Luke!
Clank. Clank.
Each step the creature took was deafening, like metal crashing against the ground. Luke's left hand trembled, and he fought the urge to tear away the golden strings and run.
But his mind stopped him.
Even if he could regain control, he knew there was no way to outrun the creature. He didn't understand this world or the dangers lurking in it. Was this how he would live forever? Always fleeing from monsters?
In the end, Luke knew he had no choice but to act like everyone else. He forced his hand to stop shaking and made his eyes empty and blank, hiding the fear inside.
The creature stopped just a few feet away, its face so close that Luke could feel its cold breath. The golden strings from its mouth were now pointed straight at Luke's eyes.
One small movement, Luke knew he would be dead.
Luke and the monster began a long unfair stare-down contest. If he moved, he was certain to die. Yet, even if the monster moved, he still had a chance of dying.
Then, without warning, the golden strings froze in place. The creature let out a low growl and its head jerked to the left. The strings then followed its movement and stretched in that direction.
As the strings moved past Luke's ears, he heard a loud, desperate scream. "Ha-ha! Help! Help!"
It was from the man he had been watching earlier.
The creature jumped over Luke, passing right above him.
"Help! Help!"
The man's screams echoed, and each one felt like a punch to Luke's chest.
Those cries reminded him of the horrible truth. If he moved, he would be next. He was no hero, and he wasn't going to risk his life for someone else. Despite the agony of hearing those screams, he swallowed his guilt and kept his body still.
After a while, the man's screams faded into muffled sobs, and then nothing. The silence lasted for a minute before Luke heard the metallic thuds of the monster's feet, as if it were testing its steps.
-ng! Ding! Dong!
Then, two seconds later, Luke felt his body moved and the people around him started moving again.
A student with round glasses happened to pass by Luke, and he caught a glimpse of the earlier man in the reflection.
The five golden strings that had once been wrapped around the man's arm were no longer there. Instead, hundreds of thin, tapeworm-like strings now connected to various parts of his body. All of them converged a few feet above the man.
Luke couldn't see the monster, but he was certain it was still there, lurking.
The man appeared to walk normally behind Luke, but his feet never made a sound. It was as if he was floating, gliding through the air, controlled by the invisible monster like he was its personal puppet.
The harrowing metallic noise continued to echo behind Luke. The man's path seemed to change. He no longer headed toward the field but instead moved in the direction Luke was going.
Luke's mind raced. He felt overwhelmed, wanting to run, to escape, but his body kept moving, taking him toward the cafeteria.
Fortunately, the monster didn't ultimately follow him inside, and it seemed to go somewhere else. For a brief moment, Luke had the space to breathe and to calm his mind.