Demian

It was incredibly hard for Adam to get through the doors of the publishing house as if there were some kind of barrier forbidding entry. Even Eric and Kobayashi's battles before it looked lame.

"What a strange discomfort," Adam thought, looking hesitantly at the well-decorated doors.

The stately building of the publishing house was, in Adam's eyes, a terrible place where his mental trauma would ignite with renewed vigor. He sighed, and then determination appeared on his face.

"Even if I am met with ridicule, I will still move forward. For such is the author's life--full of ridicule and admiration, envy and hatred!"

With a slight movement of his hand, Adam unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was greeted by a lively atmosphere and young girls and boys walking down the corridors, some with papers and some with trays.

On the left side of the building was a coffee shop, where there were older and middle-aged people. They were drinking coffee and having breakfast, and laptops were placed in front of them.

Adam walked up to the front desk and was greeted by a pretty girl with short black hair and brown eyes. She smiled sweetly and said hello.

- Hello, how can I help you?

- Good afternoon, miss. -Adam said awkwardly, which made the girl smile strangely but continued. - An editor named Ronald Watson wrote to me about my book proposal in print.

The girl thought for a moment and then excused herself by calling the publisher's intercom. After a minute she turned to Adam and smiled politely.

- Sir, Mr. Ronald will be here in five minutes. I've already notified him of your arrival. - she said as she pulled out her book. - Because of certain rules, you have to make an appointment. I assume you are the author?

- Yes. - Adam said quietly, his voice sounding husky and nervous.

- Great, here's a piece of paper.

The girl paid no attention to Adam's poor condition and only handed out a form that read "Meeting Arrangement". Adam took a pen and began to write down all the information about himself.

After a minute, he finished filling out the last line and handed it to the girl. She looked at Adam and looked at him admiringly. Adam looked back at her perplexed, not understanding the reason for her admiration.

- You have very beautiful and elegant handwriting, sir. - the girl hastily explained, making Adam's cheeks flush.

However, he was still perplexed, for his handwriting had never been beautiful. Adam could even say it was terrible. However, a glance at the actual written text caused him to go into shock.

Barely controlling his expression, Adam exchanged a few words of thanks and headed for the café, where he took an empty table and ordered a cappuccino.

"Can my characters have that effect on me?", Adam wondered, and then his face brightened as if he'd come to the answer, "Right! According to the story, Eric was a nobleman and a very old man."

Despite Erik's terrible character and habits, the protagonist himself was elegant and very handsome. From his youth, Eric showed fine manners, but because he was obsessed with magic, he rarely showed his skills, preferring to explore in dark rooms.

- Thank you," Adam thanked the waiter, who brought his cappuccino.

Adam wondered what steps he should take. He would soon have a lot of money, but would it be profitable to buy a third slot? Besides, it would attract a lot of attention.

"What the? How can he write books so fast?"

"What the hell. Is he stealing from others?"

And that is not the end. Instant popularity for Adam would be the end that would ruin him. He feared he would change.

Besides, Adam still remembered the moment when he and Eric had almost become one. And considering that Eric's consciousness was much stronger than his, Adam might as well have been just a memory for Eric!

"I shouldn't be publishing anything right now, much less diving into the stories," Adam shuddered, "The memories of the two characters are already deeply affecting me. I can't go on like this."

As a writer, Adam had a pretty good imagination. And he could already imagine what he would become if he let his guard down.

In his thoughts, Adam did not hear the footsteps approaching him. They sounded somewhat hurried and strained.

- Who do we have here? Ah, the unbelievable author, Adam the one-liner! - Adam suddenly heard a mocking voice and raised his head.

He saw a scruffy man with thick black hair. He had rough features and pale skin. His clothes were plain and rumpled. If there were two words to describe him, they could only be: "an ugly savage.

What made him especially ugly was his mocking smile and his eyes full of contempt. He had the aura of a man who liked to mock the weak and indulge the strong.

Adam's eye twitched as he recognized the man. He didn't have much of a good impression of him, though.

- Damian...

Damian Crawford. A writer in the science fiction genre. He was one of those authors who was jealous of others and didn't try to improve himself. Adam read his books, but none of them interested him.

His main trick was to make arrogant protagonists. In the style of the typical "young masters" of Chinese wuxia novels. And the books most often had a harem in them.

- Sir Adam, have you come again for a pathetic attempt to publish your paltry book? - Damian pulled back the chair in front of Adam with a broad smile and sat down," "Aren't you tired yet?

Adam's eyebrows quivered with irritation and humiliation, but he didn't give in to Damian's provocation.

- I don't know what you're talking about, Damian. Maybe you confused the 'paltry book' part with your work. - Adam picked up his cup of cappuccino and smiled weakly. - And as for the reason for my visit here, it's simple: I was sent an invitation to discuss the printing of my new book.

And the more Adam spoke, the darker Damian became. In the end, however, his expression changed, and he laughed out loud, catching the attention of the people around him.

- You've got to be kidding me, asshole. - Damian gritted his teeth. - Your brain must be made of shit. Or has your hopeless attempts to write a good book turned you into an idiot who believes in non-fiction?!

Adam looked perplexed at Damian and dodged the flying drool that flew out of Damian's mouth along with a scream. It got to the point where the waiter had to ask him to be quiet.

- Ah, I'm sorry! - Damian bowed his head to his visitors, to which they rolled their eyes.

Adam only stared blankly at Damian as he watched the spectacle. He felt irritated that he was disbelieved and treated as a simpleton.

- I don't suppose you've seen my new work? - Adam finished his cappuccino and knocked it down on the saucer. Maybe then your fucking rotten brain will pick up again and help you see beyond your nose.

Adam got up from the table and paid his bill as he left the café. His heart was full of anger and frustration.

On his way out of the café, Adam saw an unfamiliar man at the front desk. And the girl, seeing him, called out to him.

When Adam saw this gesture, he thought to himself, "Is this..."