Chapter 5: A Chase From The Islands
12:13 AM
Reyn stared at the time on his phone in a daze. He could not make sense that he had stayed over three hours inside the game. Was it shorter or longer? He did not know. It seemed like his sense of time is mixed up with something else.
[Don't enter the tower!]
Looking at the message Luke sent him, Reyn couldn't help but chuckle, "But I already entered it."
He decided to go out for a fresh air to clear his mind. It will take a fifteen minutes walk to a nearby convenience store here in Suburb 2. His hands reached up above his ear to unplug the chip, but his eyes widened when his fingers caressed for its location. It was inside his skin.
The heart in his chest almost skipped a bit. Swallowing loudly, Reyn thought of every possible scenario that had caused the chip to enter his flesh without leaving an entry wound. How the hell would he take it out?
"I don't know..." He muttered in surrender, "How is it possible?"
The thought of going to a doctor crossed his mind. They might be able to remove it safely. At the moment though, he decided to keep it to himself. As long as it does not do any harm to his body, he doesn't mind.
Reyn put on a grey long sleeves and went out with both hands pocketed. The midnight breeze was cold and calm. It ruffled his darkbrown hair under the silvery moonlight.
-----
In a dark alley, a stout man stood over a dead body. He repeatedly uttered a single word while his wide eyes gazed on his victim in amusement. The walls were painted with blood, visible under the light of the full moon. A severed arm was forcefully wrenched a few meters away, near a pile of garbage.
"More... More.. More.." The man said in a slow and steady manner. It was collected and calm, even with the deed he had done.
A green glow disappeared from the back of the man, along with a figure that once was there. The man's eyes pried away from the corpse and rolled down to the card that appeared in his hand.
With a wave, the card disappeared as he turned to leave. As his figure slowly faded into the distance, shadows receded, and the light was able to penetrate the darkness, displaying a flowery scene of red.
-----
Reyn was halfway back from the convenience store. He was checking the contents of the pair of paper bags he carried. It seemed he overbought meat. He had been saving his allowance for some time, and it's safe assume that it will last him a few months. However, if he continued buying these much, he was sure the credits in his account would only last him less a month.
A chuckle escaped him while he contemplated. He never felt this tired for sometime. His body demanded him to eat until he's full. That was good. If he had the appetite, he will gain more weight, and fats to burn.
Just a few more blocks to his house, Reyn stopped as the corner of his eye caught a pair of eyes, stalking him. He tensed as his cheerful face became stern and serious.
Within the shadows casted by a building to his right, a figure stood in silence. Reyn paused for a brief moment before continuing. It was much rather safer to ignore people like this than further draw their attention. But as he took his fifth step, he heard the voice of a woman call out to him.
"Have you seen a man, twice larger than your size? He had a symbol drawn beneath his right eye. Surely, a man like that would have caught your attention.." The voice was soft, but serious in tone. It also had a mixed accent, obvious for every ear, for it doesn't suit well with the common tongue.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I haven't seen such a man," Reyn hurriedly walked away.
"I sense shadows about you!" The woman's voice chased him, "It coils around your feet and licks your thighs."
Reyn felt a sudden chill running down his spine. He felt that the woman's lips were almost kissing his ear, whispering these senseless words. But he was sure that she was a good distance away from him. He quickened his steps.
"This certainly calls for a close watch. I must ask to take lodgings in your home."
"I'm sorry again, ma'am, but we have a strict house rule. I must politely decline."
"Is this the hospitality of the main continent, nowadays?"
Upon hearing this, Reyn raised a brow and curiously asked, "Are you from the western continent, ma'am?"
"East."
Reyn laughed hard and accidentally said, "There's nothing east!"
It's known that there is only one continent up north, two continents to the west, and four continents to the south. The biggest and at the center of them all, is the Main Continent. East was mostly a vast ocean. If there was anything in it, it was the First Islands. When Reyn realized this, his brows creased.
"Oh! But there are so many things East. You just don't know it yet."
This made Reyn glance at her direction. Even if it was only a quick glimpse, he was able to see her features under the moonlight.
She had an old brown skullcap covering her head, and strands of black hair escaping down. Her eyes were violet in color, highlighted by her pale skin. She wore a black coat, its full length caressing her thighs. Under it, was a sleeveless white shirt, waist wrapped in black bandages, and a baggy black pants covered her long legs.
'Is she in a cosplay?' First thought that came to his mind, but she just looked so different than the people in the Main Continent. She was definitely a different breed.
Reyn's legs instinctively halted. In an instant, he knew he was at the front of his house. "I will walk you home. Let me just put my stuffs inside.." He looked back, but she was gone.
"Strange..." Scratching his head, he walked to the door and slowly swung it open. Inside, he felt secure within the concealment of the walls and he was reminded of hunger.
"Better cook it all, I have no way of preserving it."
Reyn was six feet tall, almost 80 kilogrammes. Although he had the heart of a child when it came to superstitious things, he was actually a battle maniac when he was younger. He loved to fight.
It was during his junior years when he almost choked another kid, three years older than him, to death. His uncle transferred him to another school while he reflected on his action. After that, he stayed away from violence and avoided other kids. Just minutes ago, he witnessed the violence left by the Swordsmen--he needed to clear his head and not get carried away.
"Mountain stew here it comes.." Reyn started cooking. The ingredients he bought was for a generic dish he learned in the mountains of the northern continent. He learned from the tribesmen there on how to conserve his energy by staying put. It takes a lot of patience to do so. One can occupy their minds with something else or just empty their mind and sit whole day without moving.
Thirty minutes later, he was done cooking. He ate it all in one go, never feeling that hungry before.
"That's a whole pot, and I still want to eat..." He muttered in disbelief. His hands searched the paper bag and brought out a piece of bread in a tightly sealed wrap of plastic.
While he munched, he pressed the chip above his ear and it expanded and projected a screen on his face.
Reyn was impatient as he skimmed through his status. He was not aware that he was still holding a bread in hand when he said, "Enter the Shadow Realm!"
----
A moment later, the door to Reyn's house swung open in a hurry. The woman from before rushed inside only to see that there was no one inside. She scoured the place but found that the person she was looking for was gone. "Strange..." She said as she investigated the place. The pot on the table was still warm.
'He ate all of it?' Irele, her name, put her finger inside the pot and gently pulled it up to her lips and lick it. "Good cooking..." She said. There was an air of foul earlier when she met him. At first, she thought he had made a direct contact with a Shadow Duelist. She was going to watch him carefully but something caught her attention. Just now, she felt a surge of darkness inside the house causing her to rush back.
'Is it my imagination or is he actually a duelist?' She thought carefully. Her attention was drawn to the light bulb above as her eyes were filled with curiousity and amazement.