1 Life and Dreams of Astarot

Hello, the author here.

I'm trying to make the characters make the story as long as possible. Please comment if there is too much info dump. I want to avoid it.

Good Luck Reading.

...

A night penetrated the skylight, turning it into dark. The light of the celestial heavenly body - Moon, was enveloping a man in 20's who was staring at it deeply despite the absence of life in his eyes.

Looking for hope!

Looking for something that will not make him give up!

"The moon that shines, brightens the night. I hope you will shine in my life, too. Everything I do, everything I say, I always pay the price. All my dreams crumbled into dust. Everything I'm passionate about only ended up as a failure. No matter what I do or say, I always feel I am the one to blame.

"I am too poor to even date a girl, and I am ashamed of this life. I wish I were a King, or an Aristocrat from a filthy rich family, so that girls would line up to me, and people would look up to me.

"King Crocus...

"Duke Crocus...

"Tycoon Crocus...

"I wonder how it feels to be like that. When I don't have to work for my life, nor will I care about my career. Finding wives would be easy-peasy."

The man's eyes feel heavy as it glistens with tears.

His name is Ashtaroth Baal Crocus, and he always refers to himself as Crocus. A teenager whose life is nothing but full of misfortune.

"Nah.

"Impossible!

"Crocus, look at yourself and stop dreaming! Dreams are nothing but fantasy! An average person like me can never catch the moon in my hands.

"I'm just a Toothless Crocodile like they say. A Fangless Crocodile because I am a big failure. I couldn't count how many misfortunes I have experienced.

"My mother and father - I wonder what kind of work they have. When I was born, I was always cared for by a nanny. When I grew up, they would only send me money just enough for me to survive my everyday life. Now, I've been kicked out of the house, and don't know where to go."

Crocus wanted to see if he could grab the moon with his arm, believing in a fantasy as the last hope. Until he noticed the scar of the past that never heals.

"It all started when I accidentally killed a black cat while it was hunting my cute pet, a brown rat. The cat didn't scratch me. But surprisingly, I ended up with a scar that never fades. Soon after that, I have been quite miserable and hapless. I have been having recurring dreams about a giant Black Cat repeatedly saying it would make my desire come true.

"Yesterday, the Black Cat said that it would come to me, which frightened me, contemplating my life here.

"Not that I didn't care, it's just that I didn't know. It's not what I didn't feel, it's what I didn't show. I was so bewildered. I was completely unsure how to respond to the Black Cat considering my life is already a mess, and that this could be a miraculous turnabout."

Crocus snapped back to reality with a heavy heart.

"Whatever. This is just a random emotional thought. It's time to find a job and a place to stay."

"If I were to be a king, or were a king, I would definitely get out of my comfort zone, get into a bloodshed and war if I have to, and stay there forever. My life is ruined beyond repair. Nothing is going my way but endless disappointments, frustrations, heartbreaks and all the bad things."

Crocus turned his attention to his phone and switched it on. He explored the software application he has been using.

"Fortunately, I have had this phone and power bank before they kicked me out. I can still work and play my favorite monster game."

"Sigh...

"This games are my only safe place, where no one can hurt me. This is the only thing that makes me feel alive."

Crocus navigated the game application which can be played without an internet. Hearing a familiar sound calms his heart as it makes him reminisce about the past.

"Sigh…this destructive monster game and my favorite game.

"Oops

"I should have been worrying about food for tomorrow. But for me to forget the bad memories that happened today, I have to play this game to keep my mind and heart at peace till I fall asleep."

All of the sudden.

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

Crocus heard a noise and turned his attention to the direction where the noise came from.

'Huh? A white rat? Not a black or brown rat?

'What's it doing here? It's a little expensive rat. No matter... but... but... Why does it seem like it's calling me?"

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

"It's really calling me!?"

"Wait... I... well... Should I follow it?"

Crocus began moving on its direction as it calls him for some unknown reason. For him.

'Welp, I feel comfortable with this rat than the cat... I think it's better to trust this creature than the black cat in my dreams. I feel like I needed to and wanted to follow because somewhere deep in my heart, I wanted to do everything or something that would make me feel different, or at ease.'

One hour.. two hours have past.

The white rat rattled through the unknown scrubby forest, and ended their trip as they reached an unknown cave. Crocus came to a stop when he saw the cave. It sounded eerie, and at this night time, it was terrifying.

'No.

'No

"I should go back."

"This is creepy."

Crocus' slight trust in his guts held him back.

'Huh?'

Crocus could tell that it was a warm heat from a floating light coming from the cave. It was getting closer to him. He was kind of smelling it as it moved towards him.

'Wait...

'Is that...

'Is that a SANTELMO!!!??'

He knew that Santelmo ( St. Elmo's fire ) is a floating ball of fire that mesmerized humans from the Philippine mythology, which he heard from his deceased grandfather who was a soldier sent to that country.

It was fast, like a bullet. Crocus could not evade the speed of it. He was scared but he couldn't help and was fascinated by its distinctive beauty. As if he was in a paradise full of enchantment. Just like a world which is so beautiful and scary at the same time, with countless unknown creatures on it.

Crocus could feel its warm heat straight to him when all of the sudden...

'Huh!?

'Did it just enter my chest? What's going on with my body!?'

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

While he was still in a state of shock and confusion, the white rat went beside him. Crocus didn't have any idea, but he felt frozen when the rat climbed up on his body, and calmly rested on his shoulder.

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

*Tsitsi* *Tsitsi* *Tsitsi*

'Is it trying to say something?'

The rat was trying to be affectionate, but Crocus was getting weird vibes about this rat, and it even made him feel terrified when the rat changed its tone.

*Tsaritsa* *Tsitsa* *Tsitsa*

*Tsitsa* *Tsitsa* *Tsitsa*

Slowly, the white rat's hair and skin fell off next to the intestines until the skeleton was the only thing left.

*Crack*

Shock filled Crocus's facial expression after hearing the sound, while staring at his broken phone without having a clue of what was going on.

'My phone is broken. How will I contact my mother and father now? Oh wait, they already threw me out on their ears. Should I still contact them?'

His life revolves around his phone - his job as an Information Technology undergraduate and his favorite games - it's all there. Everything he is now depends on it. But now it's totally shattered. While worried about his dead phone, this ball of fire, Santelmo, keeps him bothered.

'It's still in my body. I still don't know what it does to me.

'Uurrrghhh!!

'This is way too much! A lot of unpleasant things have happened. I don't know what to think anymore! This is infuriating!'

'I gotta get going to find a place to stay, and wait for the ball of fire to do something to me. I heard that it only mesmerizes humans and nothing else.'

Soon, he reached the park.

'Since, I have nowhere to stay, I'll just sleep on a grass in the park. People would always say that it is a good place to stay during night time.'

The park was unguarded due to the town's corruption, resulting to not being able to afford even hiring a guard to watch the park at night. Crocus saw a bench and lay down to rest.

Looking at the sky, Crocus felt like the light of the moon was wrapping him up and embracing his entire being.

'Fortunately, I'm used to life's tribulation times. This is the first time I had been kicked out of the house, the first time being so alone in the park and the dark.'

Shaking his head to fight brain-fag feeling today.

'What am I saying? I know I'm always alone. Whenever I go, I always feel like I don't even exist. Desiring love, wondering the feeling of love, and being a rich man is my dream that I know I wouldn't get.

'What am I saying again? Being alone brings me peace. Even if the world changes, I know I can face loneliness calmly because it is the only thing that gives me peace.'

Crocus can feel that his body is telling him to rest from everything that happened today.

'I wonder if I could continue my college? Maybe I'll think of it someday once I have enough money for it. I just need to steal a phone...

'Arrrghhh!

'What am I thinking!?'

For the last time, he tries to face the air. Imagining himself grabbing the moon.

'I want to be a King or Rich Tycoon, even if I become lonely. I would treasure it! I won't get angry over it and even if people hate me, I would still be their King or a rich gentleman so their feelings don't matter.

'That is my desire that I know I have no chance to experience. However, if I have? I will do anything to become one even if it turns me into something I'm not!

'Sigh

'So much overthinking. I'm going to sleep. Maybe everything is just a dream.'

Crocus peacefully rested everything in his sleep.

Suddenly.

*Meow* *Meow* *Meow*

Cats began appearing.

*Meow* *Meow* *Meow*

*Meow* *Meow* *Meow*

Brown, black, white, striped and even chocolate-colored cats surrounded Crocus like a whirlpool and he was in the center.

While a black shadow of a gigantic cat appeared and looked down at him.

"I don't know what that filthy white rat did to you, but I'm glad... That sh*it is finally dead! Now, I can do anything with this mere mortal!

"You're no longer protected. I may not harm you, but I will throw you into the world where countless disasters would happen! I will sacrifice all my soul power to put you there! A path of no return!

"It's because you sinned against me. Killing my other self in this world is unforgivable! It's my only way to go back home by possessing that body but you!!!

"You killed it!"

The gigantic cat shadow said. However, his eyes are full of emptiness and melancholy.

'Maybe this is my retribution for the atrocious acts I committed for a thousand years. But this world uses this mere mortal to...

'Erase me!!

'Not welcome me!!

'and abandon me!!

'Is unforgivable!'

The giant demonic cat made a hand sign. With swirling darkness...

'Since I am no longer welcome in my home, I will make you experience a hell that even I have no idea how dangerous it is!

"Alternate Universe Soul swap!"