Chapter 2: Snowy Night

It's been a peaceful day since my naive

self died along with those disgusting feelings towards a certain person in me.

Being trapped in a delusional world of youth could be troublesome sometimes. The walls that blinds me to perceive beyond what we believed. It was a world just now I recently escaped.

Never did occurred to me that abandonment from the girl whom I delusionally love could pull the trigger for me to finally wake-up. I was really glad to be born this way, but it was a curse at the same time.

For those who didn't know, I suffered from a syndrome that made me unable to forget, even "that" slightest feeling. However, as I am no fool, but could be foolish sometimes, I began to acknowledge that I am in fact feeling this way. It's not really a personal or an emotional matter to me anymore. I just simply feel and acknowledge, therefore I am.

On my way home from school, I saw Kaede and Arimaya being intimate together. Did I cared? No, not really. For someone like her who could dump a person whom she literally know for almost ten years for a guy whom she just know for three months disappointed me from the bottom of my heart.

I even begun to acknowledge that "love" came actually from our brain: specially, from hypothalamus. If so, should we tell: "I love you from the bottom of my hypothalamus." instead of "I love you from the bottom of my heart."? Well, it's seems we could say: anecdotally, love is a matter our heart. However, it's still all up to our brain to make our heart skip in the stake of being attracted to someone.

Once again, I leave the two do whatever ever they wanted, but for some reason, I felt the gaze of my former childhood friend. When I turned around to have a peek, I saw her worried face for a moment... That's all, then leave them without looking back. I guess, she's just being concerned about me as her childhood friend after all.

...

"I'm home."

As I went inside of the house I called home, I saw my beautiful auntie on the kitchen, wearing a white apron with her casual clothes. She had a short black hair that only reaches her nape, strong personality like a man; having a boyish attitude.

"You're finally here. I was just about to cook for us."

"No, let me do it."

"N-n—"

I took the job for her and pushed her down on the chair. To express my insistence, I pressed her shoulder, telling her to relax a bit.

"O-oh, you got the right spot."

My auntie owned a coffee shop known as Dutchwhale. By the way, I was the one who named it. It all begun when my mom abandoned me along with my sick sister and her taking a different path.

Yes, if anyone is curious, we're actually not blood related.

I remembered... It was a cold snowy night. I was... walking on the streets with my rumbling stomach. My hunger doesn't really matter that time and I even gave my food I bought to a bluish-white haired girl, what matters to me was my sadness and disappointments in my life.

I decided to leave home barefoot just to make myself felt cold from this life, and trust me, I really regretted it that much. I was already 20 meters away from our house and have no choice, but to get back to get a pair of warm fucking shoes.Then I leave again, wallowing in this feeling of sadness and disappointments.

There, as the snow fell from the sky, I met a beautiful lady, who works as a hostess. It was honestly an unfavorable fate for I saw her lying down on the alley.

"Help! There's an unconscious lady here!"

I was really worried at time, although we're still strangers.

"Dammit! Heavy."

I picked up the lady and put her on my back.

then began to walk as I screamed for help. It was a snowy and cold night, and the lady had a high fever... Probably because of overworking.

Soon a kind old man, who owned a coffee shop, help us. He took us in and then took care of us. I was really grateful at that time because I thought no one would help us.

As I was pulling the lady with her on my back, I remembered those disappointing words came out from my mother's mouth, it was probably the reason why I'm so desperate to help the lady I barely know.

The old man was really kind, he even apply a first aid kit on my bleeding feet. Wounds I'd have got from walking barefoot in a snowy night.

The next next day, the lady had finally recovered from her fever. Her strong personality refreshes her attitude, yet she was still kind and gentle.

"Hey, kid, I'm really grateful to you. If you didn't found me there, I don't know if what will going to happen to me."

The lady expressed her gratitude with a tough smile, yet so bright. On that day, I didn't know my life would be able to finally have a chance to take a different route from a lonely one.

As time past like a wind blow does, the lady and I formed a mother-and-son bond and finally decided to quit her job as a bar hostess. She also work for the old-man who aided us. And after his death, the coffee shop closed.

Because, I have a talent in financial management, our life isn't really become that hard. We used the money we to opened a coffee shop under my encouragement. The lady, who soon became my auntie Kiana, was surprisingly skilled at managing business.

I even wondered if why she chose to become a bar hostess and later found out the reason. Hearing her sufferings and what she went through made me realized that people are actually the cruel ones and not this world.

"Is it ready?" Auntie asked with her rumbling stomach.

"Yeah..."

I put the stew I cooked for the both of us upon the table. Eating together in this house we called home, really made me happy and comfortable. I mean, who would've thought that an abandoned child and an abandoned lady could make such a comfortable living.

Our hard-works really paid off thanks to the late old-man, who openly helped us.

I sometimes wondered if he's watching us from above. The truth about auntie Kiana was also given to me by him.

*Sigh...

What an awful past. But just like a water lily we bloom no matter how awful the pond was.

"By the way, how's with Kaede?" My aunt asked. She was aware of my status in the soccer club and especially with Kaede.

"Still being distant towards me." I said awkwardly.

"Honestly, she kinda disappointed me. I mean, how could she just throw you away for just some random guy she barely knew?"

"Perhaps, she's looking for thrill, and that is something I couldn't give her...I guess."

My aunt sighed and said: "I guess, she really is not the one." She laughed, awkwardly.

"That kinda hurts. But you're right, I'm just wasting my time chasing her."

"Right." My aunt nodded in agreement.

"By the way, are those motherfuckers troubled you again." I asked, both worried and irritated.

"No, since those men, wearing suit began to visit the shop regularly." My aunt answered. With her expression, I could say she was a little at ease. However, just like me, she stay cautious about those men.

"I see. However, that still quiet suspicious."

"I agreed."

My aunt is a smart woman, and with her experiences as a bar hostess, she's good at spinning people's head with words.

***

Saturday in the evening, I went out for groceries when suddenly, a little girl ran on crossing road.

*BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!

The driver of the truck was desperately beeping as he seemingly kicked the break. Without being hesitant, I rushed towards the little girl, and before I realize, it was me who got hit by the truck.

...

"Huh! Where am I?"

I woke-up in a strange empty chamber. The walls looks like a starry night with the threads of light.

[Greetings, chosen one, your death had finally been occurred.]

"Huh? What is this thing?"

A holographic window suddenly appeared before me. And it started my death had finally been occurred?

Is this the afterlife? What does this thing mean "chosen one"? I literally got hit by a truck!

As these incomprehensible events occurred one after another, my mind went blank and was unable to cooped up with these unearthly fate.

[As you may be confuse, this is not the afterlife. This is the time chamber, an isolated dimension from the universe.]

"What? A voice?"

I looked around, seeking for the voice of that woman I heard for an answer, but to my dismay, I was all alone in this chamber.

[Initiating the awakening process.]

[The monster is about to be generated.]

And as this voice said, a monster appeared. It got a massive body, sharp teeth, grey scales, pair of red eyes, and 12 feet tall.

I looked at the eyes of the beast and made me felt the fear that could certainly made anyone petrified.

[Quest: conquer this chamber by the defeating all the monster being generated.]

"This must be hell..."