Let it be known that, no matter the time and place, nighttime is always terrifying. Especially in this ruined world, night was like a living hell for all that lived in it.
'Liliana' and I sat inside an abandoned office building. Between us were two flashlights, which left bright light surrounding the area around us. It was nothing special, just your usual office, separated from a much larger office space outside.
We had the blinds of the office drawn, alongside the curtains and windows closed. Essentially, we had confined ourselves inside of this one room.
I wasn't sure how others felt about this sort of thing, but being cooped up in a small place like this actually brought me comfort. Similar to how safe I felt hiding during the tutorial. I looked up at Liliana. She remained as calm as ever, though her legs were pulled up to her chest, and there was a slight wavering in her eyes.
I couldn't place exactly what was in that gaze of hers, but she certainly wasn't as well put-together as I assumed she was. I wondered if this was the timing to try and comfort her. But to be honest, I didn't really care about that sort of thing.
I turned my gaze away, sighing and closing my eyes.
It was reassuringly quiet. That wasn't without good reason. We were blocked off from every noise outside this small office, or at least most of it. The people still alive now had probably gotten the hint that a similar strategy to ours - going as silent and well-hidden as possible was the way to operate.
"...Sir, could you entertain me a question?" Liliana was the first to speak up and break the silence. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
'Sir? I'm pretty sure we're not that far away in age from each other...'
"We're staying in this small office for the entire night, correct? Why?"
I hummed. I leaned my head against the wall behind me, unsure of how to explain it to her. After gathering my thoughts, I began to explain.
"What do you think the most dangerous time of day is? I mean, what do you think most people think it is?"
"Night." She replied without much thought. I nodded, my eyes traveling to the floor between us.
"Right, nighttime. You can say that without even having to think about it. That's why night is so dangerous. I'm not sure what you had to go through...but it pales in comparison to what can happen at night. Abnormalities are born in spades at nighttime, and even more just get empowered by it. Only large, strong groups, or extremely capable individuals can risk being outside at night."
I had already told her the basics about Abnormalities, so I'm sure she understood what I meant.
Still, Liliana raised an eyebrow, giving me a sidelong glance. "And you're not a capable individual?"
I chuckled. If it wasn't for the fact that we needed to be quiet, I might have burst out laughing.
"I hope I can become one some day..."
There was silence between us for some time again, before Liliana spoke up.
"Could I ask another question? If you wouldn't mind."
I was a little offput by her overly polite demeanor, especially that she was bothering to ask me for permission to speak, as well...but I indulged her, regardless.
"You don't have to ask me permission for every single little thing, you know. Actually, I prefer that you just speak your mind. But sure, go ahead."
Liliana's eyes trembled for a second, but she nodded and spoke. "Um...yes, I'll keep it in mind. Well, that is...Alan, did anything happen to you after that...thing gave you the 'reward'?" Her voice hesitated as she mentioned the Pixie.
Even in her steadiness, I suppose the trauma couldn't be completely suppressed.
I stared at her for a while. Not knowing her intentions with this question was definitely playing against me. In the beginning, lots of guys got drunk off of their power and killed others. Probably after going insane from the stress of the tutorial and the first few nights.
Still, some just did it because they wanted to. After all, most of the people that adapted quickly were either extremely capable, or extremely mad. There was no in-between.
Still, I wanted to have Liliana be a 'companion', right? It wouldn't be good to hide too much from her. So, I decided to just be honest.
"No, I didn't get anything. I'm not sure what you got, but I'm a part of the unlucky few that walked out of it all with nothing to show for it."
Knowing what I knew now, it was a little bit of a lie. But what reason was there to share that I could regress? Besides, for all intents and purposes, I was mostly truthful. I wouldn't be showing any amazing abilities or skills unless I began finding some miraculous information.
"I see. That's unfortunate." Liliana shook her head. There wasn't any condescension in her voice, only genuine pity.
"Well, don't feel too bad for me. I'll manage somehow. More importantly, what about you?" Just from her actions, I expected her to have something. I wasn't sure what form it would take, but a person with her composure was certainly destined for greatness. I'm an exception.
"It's nothing too impressive. It was just before you spoke up to me, I saw...a tree sprouting from my hands." She spoke, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment, like just admitting it was something shameful. "It was small. Like, a bonsai tree sprouting from my fingers."
I stared at her curiously. Tree manipulation? Plant growth? Elemental powers related to wood or earth? Frankly, I had no idea what form her ability actually took with such a simple description.
"That's interesting...well, in the first place, it's good to have an ability." I chuckled a little bit, thinking on the difficulties I had faced just through lacking one. "Even if you don't decide to stick around, you'll be fine. Probably."
Considering that I had never heard of Liliana or her power in my past life, I assumed that her ability probably wasn't all that great. Still, that was fine. I didn't need an exceptional companion, just someone who I could work alongside. Someone who could hopefully cover some spots I was lacking.
I wasn't that fond of getting along with people...but this was my second chance at life. If I didn't try hard to find reliable people, then the world would just end again.
Liliana fixed me with a curious stare. "You know, sir...you really do have a dour way of speaking and thinking. We've just met, but you barely have any optimism." She sighed. I raised an eyebrow at her words.
'I'm surprised that someone who's been through the tutorial can still think that way.'
Before I could reply about how ridiculous such a thing was to say in the midst of the world ending, there was a noise which made everything still. A rattling...an insistent rustling...constant jiggling of the door handle.
We both froze. But my hands moved immediately after freezing, turning off one of the flashlights, and turning the other away from the door. Liliana covered her mouth, attempting to hold her breath - seeing her do so without being told to was reassuring.
The handle continued to jiggle, sending a rattling noise through the office. It started off gently, like what would be expected of someone trying to open a locked door. Then it began to speed up, to the point that the handle was being twisted, turned, and bent in every possible direction. Sensing that a fight was unavoidable, I grabbed my makeshift staff (broken mop handle) and stood, holding it firmly in both hands.
"Get ready to fight."
I didn't have time to look and see whether Liliana had processed my words. The door handle stopped turning...and then there was jingling, and the sound of a key being inserted into the lock and turned. It was sickening, but I focused.
The door slowly opened to reveal...darkness. Quite literally, a dark outline of shadow, vaguely in the form of a person. In its' hand - or where its' hands were outlined by darkness, there was something that looked like the flashlights we had. Except, there was no way it'd just shoot out a gentle beam of light.
Wordlessly, the thing's fingers moved to the flashlight, looking to click it.
"Shit-!"
I swung the mop handle with all of my might, slamming the thing's wrist. Its' 'hand' flew to the side, but it still persisted in clicking on the 'flashlight' like nothing had happened. When the 'flashlight' turned on, a beam shot from it - or at least, I assumed something had to come out of it. I barely observed what looked like a pure cone of shadows crawling out of the flashlight, and decimating the entirety of the building in its' path.
With that one click of the flashlight, the figure had taken out a chunk of the building using those shadows.
"tReSpAsS..."
With that, I was almost sure - this was some kind of security-guard 'Abnormality'. It wasn't a wonder that he could enter in the room - it was only natural for a security guard to have some keys. His 'flashlight' also made sense...
But why the hell was he so powerful?!
"Damn it!"
I exclaimed, moving to stab the figure with the sharp edge of the broom handle. The jagged edge moved...but it didn't feel like it really 'stabbed' anything. It felt like I had stuck the handle into a pit of quicksand, and I could see my cherished weapon of a few hours sinking into the shadows of the figure.
"-ugh."
I had to let go of it, not wanting to be pulled in alongside it. I had seen what some abnormalities did once they got their hands on people. It was never pretty. There was no curiosity that could indulge me in falling into that unknown void.
"Sir, take this-!"
I turned my head for just a moment and instinctively reached my hands out, grabbing...one of the long rods which had been holding the office's curtains up. While I had been fighting, it looked like Lily was dismantling anything nearby useful as a weapon.
I didn't even have time to thank her, as the 'security guard' aimed its' flashlight at me again. Using the curtain rod, I smacked the thing's arm away again and again, but it was unreasonably sturdy. The metal rod was bending more and more with each successful block, but it was enough to keep it at bay.
Still, the office was practically falling apart, with each shadow-blast of that 'flashlight' punching more and more holes inside of the place.
'This isn't enough. I need some way to get rid of it entirely...!'
I went to smack its' arm away again, but the small amount of reason and logic the being possessed was enough for it to pull back. I lunged forward, completely missing, while the 'security guard' ruthlessly readjusted its' aim.
'Ah...I'm fucked.'
This is why someone like me has no business trying to fight things like Abnormalities. Maybe sticking to running away really would have been better.
"NO-!"
With a desperate cry from behind me - rather than death, I was treated to another hole that showed the stars above...they were beautiful.
I looked back down, only to see a mess of tangled vines and shrubs wrapped around the Abnormality - namely, its' arm, which was forcefully bent upward at an odd angle. Struggling, the shadow-being continued trying to attack, turning its' 'flashlight' on and off over and over, sending multiple beams of destructive, screaming shadows into the sky.
For now, it was held in place. I finally let out a breath.
"Thank you, Liliana."
"I-I...can't hold it...forever...sir!" She narrowed, her blue eyes glowing with power - and sheer effort. I nodded, and dropped the useless metal I was holding. I vaulted the office desk and began to look into the drawers, frantic and desperate. "S-Sir? What are you doing?"
"Getting us out of this alive." I said simply. Liliana had to accept that answer, as she could already feel her control slipping, and had started putting her everything into holding the Abnormality in place with her branches and vines.
Still, they couldn't hold forever. There was an audible,
-snap!
As the bindings came undone, and the 'security guard', more durable and strong than the strongest metals, began moving again. It held its' flashlight out towards us threateningly, speaking again,
"tReSpAsS..."
Liliana gave it a frightened look - it was the first time I'd really seen fear on her face. But then her expression quickly morphed into confusion as I stepped in front of her, holding...a hastily scribbled thing on two pieces of paper that read, 'Company ID, Alan.' and 'Company ID, Liliana.'
"Hold it, sir! You shouldn't be attacking company employees like this."
"S-Sir?" Liliana now looked at me, but I couldn't reply, focused entirely on the 'security guard's next actions.
"...tReSpAsS?"
Sensing my opportunity, I nodded, handing it the two pieces of junk paper. "That's right, employees. The both of us have our company IDs on us, too."
Miraculously...the security guard actually took the papers, momentarily stowing away that horrifying flashlight to instead look over the paper like it was an inspector attempting to find faults. It nodded, as if satisfied, and then handed me back the two pieces of scrap paper.
Then, it tipped a hat that seemingly materialized out of shadow, turned around, and just...left.
"What...was that?" Liliana stared at where the security guard had been only moments ago, looking completely bewildered. I quickly knelt down, beginning to gather everything to go.
"That...is nighttime. And our cue that we need to switch buildings. Grab the second flashlight."
Liliana nodded, simply grabbing her flashlight. She still didn't have any supplies of her own other than the flashlight, after all.
The two of us began to exit the office and headed for the stairs to get out of the building. The elevator wasn't even a consideration. Too much Abnormality risks.
While we descended the stairs, I thought about something for a while...and then I said,
"Hey, uh...thanks for the quick thinking back there. You saved my life. Again...thanks."
I murmured, still not too used to this whole, 'companions' thing. I couldn't see her face, but I could feel Liliana smiling behind me. I didn't know why she was smiling, but for some reason, it made our hectic situation feel a lot less hectic.
With Liliana here to help, I imagined that I could take on a lot more than I had in my past life.
Whether this choice of my first ever companion would be a good step in the right direction of dealing with the Flood Dragon remained to be seen...