Sometimes… I wonder if I am a nihilist.

I find myself trailing off to these ideas usually accompanied with memories of my childhood. My father used to always tell me to look for something that I can dedicate my life towards and, my mother, always the kind soul, would chide back to him that I could do whatever I wanted with my life.

They both died when I was seven.

A unnamed disease was circulating at that time; bloodshot eyes, sporadic movements, and many more non-disclosed symptoms.

My parents were showing signs of this… sickness and then were taken to a hospital. A couple days after, the hospital collapsed on itself. No survivors.

Attempting to suppress these… unfortunate memories of my past, I splash some water onto my face and look up to the mirror in front of me. Gazing into my reflection, I take note of each of my features: starkly pale white hair that falls lightly past my nose, firm charcoal black eyes, both of which rest upon my almost sickly pale skin.

Reassuring myself, I walk out of the bathroom, each wooden plank creaking under me with age. I grab my only tailcoat, and while putting it on, I'm reminded of the loose hems on the left side of it. Choosing to ignore it, I put on my top hat and exit my house, making sure to lock the door behind me.

As I turn away from my house, I'm greeted with the familiar sight of towers stacked upon towers, each blotting out the sky with their stature.

Focusing on one tower, I spot numerous pipes of varying muted colors climbing up as if they were vines. Looking up, I see the pipes converge behind a large azure clock.

7 sharp.

Shifting my focus elsewhere, I noticed that the street was empty, more so than usual at this time. But I have different things to worry about. It is my twentieth birthday after all, and if I want to buy something for myself, I have to be quick.

I notice a carriage parked on the side of the road, approaching the coachman, I greet him and ask.

"Hello, how much would a trip to Ana's bakery be?"

The coachman looks at me and squinted his eyes for a moment before giving a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Oh, you're in luck sir! The streets are quite empty today, so I'll give you a discount. Just three bronze crowns."

Taking out my wallet, I hand the coachman three bronze crowns. Noting that my already light wallet is now noticeably lighter. Before stepping onto the carriage.

After finding a comfortable position in the seat, I look outside. Through a window, I notice a younger kid taking pen to paper, seemingly studying.

It's a familiar sight. Shortly after my parents died, one of their old acquaintances took pity on me and hired a tutor; Mr. Blackmore. He saved me from illiteracy and taught me arithmetic. Although, I can't use those skills much in my current job.

That reminds me, I need to make up an excuse for missing work today. There's a car in the shop today, which is strange, usually we work only on planes and blimps, but It's probably owned by an important person.

"Your stop is here sir."

I exit the carriage and tip my hat towards the coachman. Walking towards the door, the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread fills the air. As I open the door, someone is there to loudly greet me.

"Hey Gwyn! What brings you in today?"

I look to the source of the noise and spot a young girl with brown hair and big green eyes staring at me. It's Ana's younger sister Samantha.

"Pleasant day Sam, I'm looking to get something for my birthday." I respond curtly.

"Oh, if that's the case then all the deserts are over here." She responded with a bright smile and pointed toward a section of the display case.

Leaning down, I don't spot anything that catches my eye.

"Do you have any recommendations?"

Samantha looks around for a bit before passionately exclaiming, "I like the cheesecake the most!"

Looking back at the case of deserts, the price of the cheesecake noticeably stands out from the others and not in the good way. I suppose birthdays are for going all out...

"If that's the case, then I'll take a slice of the cheesecake." I say while straightening my back.

As she's pulling out the cake I look around and it struck me that the namesake of the bakery, Ana, was not here; she usually works with Sam on Tuesdays.

"Sam, where's Ana? Don't you two usually work together today?" I ask while raising an eyebrow.

She stopped in place and stared at the floor.

"She's… sick" She responded in a quiet voice.

Seems like a difficult subject. I won't pry.

"I see, I hope she feels better soon." I try to answer with sincerity.

I reach for my wallet to pay but she cuts me off.

"Don't worry about paying, take this as a birthday gift." She says while mustering up a smile and handing the cake over to me.

"Oh, thank you", as I'm leaving the store, I turn to Samantha, "be safe."

I walk out the store and begin to head down the street to find a place to sit down and eat. I find a small park with a few seats open, and decide to eat there.

After enjoying my cake, I look into my wallet and notice that I definitely don't have enough crowns for another ride back home, so I'm forced to walk.

As opposed to the street my house is on, this street is crowded with people, talking loudly to each other as I pass by them. Yet, all of that noise falls into the background until complete silence envelopes my senses.

I set my mind to ponder around questions that have crossed my mind before. Questions like, Does my boss have a life outside of the shop? Why are there so many pipes on buildings that seemingly connect to nothing?... Ana being sick gives me a bad feeling; reminds me of my parents sickness for some reason.

Before delving further into this question that crossed my mind, someone bumps into me.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir." The man that bumped into me said before quickly scurrying off.

He didn't even give me the chance to apologize as well.

Moving along, I eventually reach my house and unlock the door.

As I step through the door I'm hit with an unnatural wave of fatigue.

Well it is my day off, It wouldn't be the worst thing if I got more rest.

Hanging up my coat and hat, I walk up the stairs to my bedroom before collapsing into my bed.

I close my eyes and fall asleep, much quicker than usual.

And when I woke up, I was face to face with an endless way.

Chapter End.