Trapped in one

[Year 2068]

The world has found peace since the reign of the spirit king ended over one thousand years ago.

All humans and spirits had learned to coexist amongst one another.

In such a way that spirits now made contracts with humans, giving them the title "Contractors".

But as expected from any form of coexistence, not all humans and spirits were in line with this mode of living.

Spirits who didn't want to be slaves to humans went into hiding in a small region called the Spiritscape(Spirit realm).

Humans and spirits came together to split the realms into two, one being the Spiritscape and the other being Harmonea, the human dominated continent.

But even as all this happened, both species were wary about one thing.

The return of the Spirit king.

....

[Harmonea continent, Tecnopolis city]

\\Eric102\\... Did bro just use a crit weapon on a water based monster? That isn't even out yet...[4 secs ago].

The first comment popped up on his screen while he was tapping the keys on his keyboard.

\\Cumbuddy\\... Broooo, I'm def reporting this guy, a streamer using a hack is not normal lol…[2 secs ago].

\\Mum fucker\\... Rampage hating? Wake me up please hahahaha…[Just now].

'Uhn? Weirdo.' He uttered internally, staring disgusted at the computer.

\\Winnawe\\... Come on guys, Ramage might have gotten the weapon from some kind of beta loot box..[Just now].

\\Cumbuddy\\**//Winnawe//... Get off his dick lil bro, he's done…[Just now].

\\Zero bitches\\ … Hahaha, gramps really actually acting like he can't see the comments, switch on your cam lil bro… [Just now].

Ryan Hanley, a 19 year old streamer with long black hair and black eyes, sat on his gaming chair, observing as his fans began dropping hateful comments on his streaming chat.

Known as the professional gamer Ramage, he had been able to make gaming a successful business career for him.

Ever since he won the Esport trophy as the number one gamer in Asia, he had been getting free exclusive weapons that most people have no access to in the game.

But not everyone knew about this since it was supposed to be confidential….

A sigh escaped his mouth.

"Honestly, why do I even do this?" He blurted out loud.

\\Cum buddy\\... Did you just talk? Answer us, you beta. Did you hack the game or something?! Show your face?! … [Just now]

\\Opro\\... Come on. … [Just now].

Click!

Ryan pulled the plug of the computer, switching it off entirely.

His screen went blank, hinting that he had just turned off his stream from over 3 millions viewers.

He rested his back on the gaming chair, his face focused on the ceiling…

How long do I have to keep doing this? It's not like I can't go find another job, I mean, that's the whole reason I keep my face hidden when I stream. But then again, what kind of work could I possibly get? There's nothing… interesting to pour my all into.

Ryan glanced at his small spirit friend, Migi, sleeping on his bed.

Migi, a small red fox with fluffy tails, was his spirit companion.

I could consider using Migi as a combat spirit to battle underground, but seeing as I'm not even up to an adept level contractor, I'll probably lose in the first round.

Ryan stood up from the gaming chair, stretching his hand outward for a green energy to slowly ooze from finger tips.

That was the colour aura befitting those of the Novice contractors, ranging from the level 1-3.

Ryan sighed, dissipating the green energy from his fingertips. His gaze drifted back to Migi, the small fox spirit still peacefully asleep on his bed.

"Maybe I should just give up on being a contractor altogether," he muttered under his breath.

Glider's ears twitched at the sound of Ryan's voice, but the spirit remained asleep.

Ryan smiled softly at his companion, then glanced at the clock on his bedside table.

It was getting late, and he realised he hadn't eaten anything substantial all day.

"Might as well grab some groceries," he said to himself, stretching as he stood up.

Ryan changed into a simple t-shirt and jeans, careful not to disturb Migi.

He grabbed his wallet and keys, then headed out of his small apartment.

The evening air was cool against his skin as he walked down the street towards the local supermarket.

The sky above was overcast, hinting at the possibility of rain.

Ryan quickened his pace slightly, hoping to finish his shopping before the weather turned.

Inside the supermarket, he wandered the aisles aimlessly, picking up a few essentials - instant noodles, energy drinks, and some snacks. As he reached for a bag of chips, his hand brushed against someone else's.

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, quickly withdrawing his hand.

The other person, a young woman with striking blue eyes, smiled politely. "No worries," she said, grabbing the bag of chips and moving on.

Ryan couldn't help but notice the faint purple aura emanating from her - a master-level contractor.

He felt a twinge of envy, quickly followed by shame at his own green novice status.

Lost in thought, he finished his shopping and headed to the checkout.

As he exited the store, he felt the first drops of rain on his face.

Ryan looked up at the darkening sky, watching as the light drizzle quickly intensified.

With a sigh, he realized he'd forgotten to bring an umbrella. The rain was coming down steadily now, and he still had a ten-minute walk back to his apartment.

As he stood there, grocery bags in hand, getting progressively more soaked, Ryan Hanley couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of his situation.

Here he was, a contractor with the ability to manipulate spirit energy, and he couldn't even keep himself dry.

"Some hero I am," he muttered, shaking his head as he began the wet trek home.

The rain continued to fall, washing away the day's heat and leaving Ryan to ponder.

As Ryan stood in the rain, grocery bags hanging heavily from his hands, he noticed something strange in the sky.

A bright object was hurtling towards him, leaving a trail of ethereal light in its wake.

"What the...?" he muttered, squinting through the raindrops.

Before he could fully process what he was seeing, the object crashed into the ground nearby with a deafening boom.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, shattering the supermarket's windows and scattering debris across the parking lot.

Ryan stumbled, his groceries spilling across the wet pavement.

"Oh, come on," he grumbled, watching as his instant noodles rolled away. "Today just keeps getting better and better."

As the dust began to settle, Ryan cautiously rose to his feet.

Through the curtain of rain, he could make out two figures emerging from the crater.

They were spirits, and they were fighting.

One spirit appeared to be made of swirling wind, its form barely visible except for the debris it carried in its vortex.

The other was a creature of living stone, its massive fists clenched at its sides.

"You cannot escape me forever, Inir," the stone spirit's voice rumbled like an avalanche. "Your crimes against the Earth Clan will not go unpunished."

The wind spirit, presumably Inir, let out a laugh that sounded like whistling breeze.

"Oh, Boulder, you lumbering fool. Still holding grudges after all these centuries?"

Ryan watched, transfixed, as Inir danced around Boulder, lashing out with razor-sharp gusts that chipped away at the stone spirit's rocky exterior.

Boulder retaliated by slamming his fists into the ground, sending tremors through the earth.

"Um, excuse me," Ryan called out, immediately regretting his decision to speak as both spirits turned to look at him.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but you're kind of destroying the neighbourhood. Could you maybe take this somewhere else?".

Boulder's glowing eyes narrowed. "A human dares to address us? Know your place, mortal!"

"Wait," Inir interjected, its voice curious. "That green aura... you're a contractor, aren't you?"

Ryan swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of the faint green glow emanating from his hands.

"Uh, yeah. Novice level. Look, I'm not trying to get involved in... whatever this is. I just want to get my groceries and go home."

Inir swirled closer, its voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Perhaps you could help me, young contractor. Boulder here is being quite unreasonable about a little misunderstanding from a few hundred years ago."

"Misunderstanding?!" Boulder roared, the ground shaking beneath their feet. "You stole the sacred Windstone from our temples!".

As the spirits argued, Ryan found himself caught in the middle of their dispute.

He glanced longingly at his scattered groceries, then back at the feuding spirits.

This was far beyond anything he'd encountered in his brief time as a contractor.

"Okay, okay," Ryan Hanley said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "Maybe we can talk this out? There's a coffee shop down the street if it hasn't been demolished. We could sit down, have a nice chat, and not destroy any more public property. What do you say?".

The spirits paused, seemingly taken aback by the unexpected offer.

Ryan held his breath, rainwater dripping from his hair, as he waited for their response.

He wasn't sure what he'd do if they agreed - he certainly couldn't afford to buy coffee for two powerful looking spirits.

But it had to be better than watching them tear apart his neighbourhood.

As Ryan stood there, rain-soaked and bewildered, caught between the two powerful spirits, a sharp voice cut through the air.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Kill that spirit!"

Ryan's head whipped around to see a figure emerging from the shadows of a nearby alley.

It was a woman, her eyes blazing with fury and her hand outstretched towards them.

Purple energy crackled around her fingertips - the mark of a Master-level contractor.