Franz's POV – The Ride Home
The night air rushed past him in a blur, cool against his skin as he sped down the dimly lit streets. The low growl of the engine echoed through the empty roads, the city lights flickering past like remnants of another life. Franz Kafka leaned forward on his bike, gripping the handles tightly as he weaved through traffic at dangerously high speeds.
The first day of college had gone well. Surprisingly normal. No bullshit, no unnecessary drama. Just lectures, casual conversations, and an uneventful lunch. A good, quiet life—exactly what he wanted.
But if only his father and brothers were still here.
His grip tightened momentarily. He could almost see them, hear their voices. The weight of loss sat heavy in his chest, a void he had learned to carry. But he shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. He had already done what needed to be done. His revenge was complete. There was no use drowning in the past when they wouldn't want that for him.
A faint chuckle escaped him. They would probably be furious if they saw him wasting his second chance mourning. He exhaled sharply and twisted the throttle, increasing his speed, leaving behind the lingering sadness like a shadow stretching in the rearview mirror.
A few minutes later, he slowed down, pulling into a convenience store parking lot. Killing the engine, he swung off his bike and walked inside, the chime of the entrance bell breaking the quiet.
Zane's POV – The Convenience Store
Zane sighed, rubbing his temple as he leaned against the counter. The night shift at the convenience store wasn't exactly glamorous, but he didn't have much of a choice. His parents had cut off his allowance after another argument about his grades, telling him to "learn responsibility."
So here he was, bagging instant noodles and selling cigarettes to tired office workers.
Just as he considered checking his phone, the door chimed. He glanced up, only to freeze for a second.
The tall guy from earlier. The one who caught him in class without even looking.
Franz.
The guy walked in like he had all the time in the world, heading straight for the cigarettes. Zane wasn't sure why, but he felt like he was looking at someone who wasn't quite... normal.
Not in the flashy, attention-grabbing way.
Just something about him felt off. Unreadable.
Still, Zane forced a relaxed expression. "What's up?"
Franz gave a lazy nod. "You work here?"
Zane scoffed. "Clearly. What, you think I just wear this name tag for fun?"
Franz raised an eyebrow. "Could be a fashion statement."
"Yeah, real stylish." Zane shook his head. "What do you need?"
"Cigs."
Zane turned to grab one, but the moment he did—
A loud creak. Then a sharp shift.
His stomach dropped.
The entire cigarette rack wobbled dangerously, tipping forward.
"Oh, you've gotta be—"
Before he could even react, a hand shot past him, gripping the shelf and pushing it back into place with a solid thud.
Franz sighed. "What's with your luck today?"
Zane let out a slow breath, staring at the cigarettes now scattered all over the floor. "Dunno, man. Maybe today is not my day"
Franz didn't say anything, but after a moment, he crouched down, picking up the scattered packs and placing them back on the rack. Zane blinked. "...You don't have to—"
Franz shrugged. "You'd already had a rough day."
Zane paused, then huffed a small laugh. "Guess I can't argue with that. Thanks."
Together, they restocked the cigarettes, the store's dull fluorescent lights humming above them. When they were done, Franz dusted off his hands and grabbed the pack he originally wanted.
Franz paid and turned to leave, waving his hand. "See you at college tomorrow."
Zane replied, "Sure."
'Guess he's a decent dude.'
Franz's POV
The moment Franz stepped into his apartment, tossing his bag onto the couch, a sudden notification popped up in his vision.
[Establishing connection with higher beings… Approximate time: 4 hours.]
A small countdown timer appeared beneath the message, steadily ticking down.
Franz stared at it for a moment before sighing. "System, what is this?"
[The gods wish to speak with you.]
"Why?"
[Unknown.]
Franz raised a brow. "That's a first. Don't you usually know everything?"
[I do not. I am not controlled by them. They need permission from my creator to be in contact with you.]
"Oh?" Franz leaned back, intrigued. "So, they can only contact me through you because of that?"
[Affirmative.]
"Huh… so what are you, exactly? A small god? An advanced AI? Some eldritch program?"
[Something beyond human understanding.]
Franz let out a mock gasp. "Oh, forgive me, O Great and Unfathomable Entity. I had no idea I was in the presence of such divine intelligence."
[Your sarcasm is noted.]
Franz chuckled, shaking his head.
His phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he saw a message from Orion.
Orion: Yo, night ride.
To which he replied
Franz: Alright. Text me the time and location.
The countdown to the gods' conversation was still running, but he had hours to kill. No point sitting around overthinking it. A night ride sounded like the perfect way to make the time pass faster.
With that, he stood up, grabbed his keys, and headed back out into the night.