The next day, an hour after sunrise, Luke sat in a coffee shop across from the university gates. As he sipped his black tea, his gaze lingered out the window. On his fingers, he wore two wedding rings, one on his middle finger and another snug on his pinky.
Attached to them were two golden strings, visible only to a select few, like Luke.
Hidden beneath his collar, an adhesive bandage plastered on his nape, with the third string connected to it. The fourth string on the other hand was attached to the baseball cap he was wearing.
As Luke placed his teacup back on the table, he rubbed his fingers thoughtfully.
When he woke at dawn, he had successfully evaded the golden strings and regained his autonomy. Initially, he thought it would be difficult due to the slight delay in his movements upon waking. However, when his life was on the line, adrenaline really pushed him to achieve the unexpected.
This gave Luke a newfound sense of optimism. At first, he had been scared, and the fever had left his mind in chaos. But now, he had finally come to terms with it.
Even though the strings no longer bothered him, as he had learned how to escape from them, he knew his situation was still serious with the monsters lurking around. This made it even more important for him to be brave.
Unlike yesterday, when he attached four of the strings to his skin, now had the four of them detached instead. With this, he had control over both his arms and feet and as well as his control over his head.
Despite this regained freedom, he kept up the act of being controlled and stuck to his usual routines, like visiting the coffee shop.
Luke covertly touched the knife hidden in his pocket. If he ever spotted signs of those invisible monsters, he wouldn't hesitate to plunge it directly to them.
Of course, he never had the intention of seeking them out. That courage must reserved as last resort as he knew it could also end in his own destruction.
His main priority was to stay cautious and avoid the monster known as the "Puppeteer". If he ever heard the sound of metal clanking, he would swiftly act normal or, if possible, run away from them.
As for the "Traveler" ghosts he had seen the previous night, Luke decided not to bother with them for now. Unlike the "Puppeteer", they made no noise and were harder to detect.
Besides, he lacked any real information about them. For now, it was better to pretend they didn't exist.
Luke took another sip of his beverage and stood up. His back remained unusually straight the entire time as the fifth string was still attached to it.
Although his back usually followed the rest of his body, it still had a slight delay, as though the string was sluggish. Even so, it didn't really affect Luke much.
As he stepped out of the coffee shop, his gaze shifted to the university across the street. It was Saturday, so only a few students were around. Still, Luke had three reasons for being there.
First, he wanted to stick to his usual routine and visit his uncle, a tenured researcher at the university.
Second, he needed to finish his painting which was due on Monday.
And third, he wanted to observe that odd psychology professor from yesterday.
Luke lightly touched his chest, feeling the outline of his necklace hidden beneath his clothes. He hoped his uncle was different. He also hoped his uncle had answers about his parents. He was curious whether their deaths were natural or if something more sinister was behind them.
For a brief moment, a flicker of emotion sparked in Luke's dull eyes. Then, with quiet determination, he took his first step toward the science building.
***
"He isn't here?" Luke asked his uncle's teaching assistant.
"Yeah, Professor Lorence is attending a conference with other university professors," the young woman, in her mid-twenties, replied.
Luke scrutinized her expression carefully. Shortly, he nodded politely. "I see. Thank you."
Once Luke turned around, his gaze fell. He hadn't anticipated he would never meet his uncle today. From his past memories, Uncle Lorence had always been in his laboratory, working on his research. Every time Luke visited, his uncle was always there.
'Is this a coincidence? Or something else?' Luke wondered, unable to shake his unease.
With a sigh, he made his way to the psychology department to observe the professor he had encountered the day before.
***
Luke waited outside the professor's office. No matter how long he stayed, there was no sign of the professor or any other faculty members coming or going.
He couldn't just enter the office since he had no real connection with the teachers. Besides, he had no psychology-related questions. And even if he did, he wasn't inclined to interact directly. After all, of all the strange occurrences, the professor was still the most mysterious for him.
'Is it because its a Saturday?' Luke wondered.
Luke speculated that the absence might be because its weekend and there were usually no classes. With no other options, he turned to leave.
Just then, the school bell chimed.
Ding! Do-
And then once again, the world was filled with stillness and silence. The air that had been blowing through Luke's clothes suddenly became nonexistent.
Noticing this sudden change, Luke's instincts screamed at him, and he subconsciously stopped all of his movements. The fear he had felt yesterday was still lingering within him, and he couldn't just shake it off after just a single day of rest.
Seconds turned into minutes, and then five minutes passed before the world returned to its normal state.
Luke breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he hadn't encountered anything horrifying. Moreover, he was thankful that he had finally figured out the gist behind this mysterious phenomenon.
'Every noon, the time will stop for about five minutes. This doesn't happen because of me. It seems to be something that has been set from the beginning. I just didn't notice because I was unconscious before,' Luke thought.
He also suspected that the same thing might happen every midnight when the bell struck twelve. However, he wasn't sure yet as he had only experienced it once. He might need to test it later at night.
While the mystery had been solved, Luke was still confused about why it was happening. He also couldn't help but wonder if this was the only time the invisible monsters could resurface and attack.
'What is the purpose and cause behind this time-stopping mechanism? Am I living in a digital world, like the ones in video games?'
Numerous questions flooded Luke's mind, and each one only increased his eagerness to uncover the answers.
He shook his head and decided to stop overthinking. Soon, he headed to a restaurant outside the university to eat.
***
In the afternoon, an hour after lunch, Luke sat in the art room together with other students finishing their paintings.
Luke stared at his half-finished painting of a street with the sun setting in the middle. He had seen the scene while roaming the city and thought it would be nice to paint.
Although he liked it and felt slightly pleased with his work, it didn't fit the event theme.
The university held an annual event for art students, with different themes each year for the paintings and sculptures. This was why, even though the semester had just started, art students like Luke were busy.
Luke loved art and the process of creating it. Even with the strange things happening in the world, it hadn't changed him. He still wanted to enter the contest and show his work to others.
As long as there was art, there was imagination. And as long as there was imagination, there was hope.
Art was the only solace for him, and he didn't want to abandon it.
"Bizarre," Luke whispered, thinking about this year's theme.
A smirk appeared on his face as inspiration grew inside him.
Luke swung his paintbrush across the half-finished canvas. This time, he made the street scene darker and more disturbing, adding golden strings flowing from the sky and connecting to the people walking below.
In the middle, he painted a man who looked like him. The man had dull, emotionless eyes and stared straight ahead, as if he could see the people looking at the painting. Like the others, he was also connected to the strings, as though something above was controlling his every movement.
Luke decided to paint this thing for two reasons.
First, he was impatient. He wanted to speed up his investigation by watching for anyone who reacted strangely to his painting. He hoped to find those who, like him, saw the world as it really was.
Second, he just like it and wanted his painting to shine in the event.
When he finished, Luke wrote his initials and the title of the piece in the corner:
"The Marionette City."