That rainy night (01)

It was a rainy day on the middle of the year. Thick grey clouds hung up on the sky, shrouding the sun and hiding the moon.

Inside an old-looking bookstore at West Java, a young man looking in his early twenties was reading a book with such immersed look that it seemed he wouldn't be bothered even if there was an earthquake happening.

The middle-aged shopkeeper at the front desk was reading his recent newspaper when he then glanced at the clock, it showed the time was already at 17.15 in the afternoon. Looking at the only customer left at his old shop, he spoke with some annoyance, "Hey, young man, it's alright if you don't have anything to do and want to read a novel, but please don't do it in my place! I still need to close the shop soon."

Ryan was pulled out of from his reading as he heard the old man's reminder. When he glanced at the heavy rain outside, he was feeling lazy all of sudden.

"Let me be just a bit more, I am almost at the epilogue, old man. It's still raining outside anyway, I will help you to tidy up the store later, okay?"

The old man looked at Ryan quietly for few seconds. He sighed softly as he said, "You should really find a job or girlfriend soon, kid. Quit bothering with an old man like me already."

"Thanks, but no thanks, old man. Girls are just a drag. There's a saying that life is originally smooth and simple, but it's the girl that makes it hard, yea?" Ryan spoke lightly as he continued to read.

As for a job… Ryan glanced at his bag under the desk, thinking that he wouldn't need to worry about that issue anymore as his resume was already accepted by a small company in his hometown. It was soon the time for training in his new workplace, so he would like to read as many novel books here in the old man's bookstore before he went back to his hometown.

By the time I have a stable job, perhaps it wouldn't be late for me to think about women or marriage… Ryan thought quietly as he was reading the book.

"You won't be saying that when you've found the one for you, kid." The old man was inwardly speechless at Ryan's response.

The heavy rain outside kept falling as the night silently arrived. The two grown up men also kept reading on their own device, accompanied by moths who occasionally flew near the lamp. At around half an hour later, Ryan closed the book he had been reading all this while. He exhaled deep breath as he reveled on the feeling when he finally reached the end of the book.

"How's it? Finished reading the (Memoirs of the Demon King Solomon), young man?" The old man glanced at Ryan who was still quiet after finishing the book.

"... it's quite complicated, I feel like this book should have a continuation?" Ryan spoke with a slight confusion, as though he quite couldn't catch on the strange feeling he got after having finished the book.

"Hmm. Anyway, it's already quite late. Help me to clean up my store, Ryan."

"Fine, fine. My words have its worth in gold, old man." Ryan began to tidy up his belongings first before he went on to clean up the old man's bookstore.

Tidying up the books on the shelf and the front display, cleaning the store inside out, taking out the trash, and finally closing the store. It was the series of odd tasks Ryan had to do as he'd promised earlier.

The old man looked at Ryan who was working on the cleaning up before he quietly rose from his wooden chair on the front desk, going into the inner section of the store.

Ryan only glanced at the old man for a bit before he continued on his work skillfully. It was of no surprise, after all these works had been almost a routine for him every time he went to the old man's bookstore. He loved to read the books in the old man's bookstore since he chanced upon this place when he studied in the college near it.

That was because most of the old man's collection of books was really suited to his taste. Gradually, due to his frequent visit to the old man's bookstore, the old man was slowly accustomed to Ryan. Ryan himself also occasionally helped the old man in managing and cleaning the bookstore which made the old man became friendlier to him.

Ryan had already finished tidying up the books and was going to close the shop when the old man came back from the inner section of the store, holding a book with icy blue-white cover on his hand and a familiar book Ryan had just finished reading that day; (Era of Dragons - Legend of Noir) and (Memoirs of Demon King Solomon).

"Old man, you're still going to read a book this night?" Ryan spoke casually as he closed the windows and the store's entrance, putting a close sign on the door.

"Nah, it's not for me, these ones are for you." The old man said.

"For real?? What gives?" Ryan was puzzled. He wouldn't certainly refuse such gift from the old man, but he was also curious of the reason why the old man did that.

"Think of it as a gift for accompanying this old man for so long, kid." The old man said while stroking his non-existent beard like usual. "If you don't want it, these books would probably land in some flea market anyway, so it really doesn't matter if I give them to you. Though, you can only get one though, so choose wisely."

'Since you want to gift me, why not just give them all to me? Just like you said, they would probably end up in the flea market anyway.' Ryan had such thought as he was looking at the two books given out by the old man. Even so Ryan still had a jovial smile on his face as he said, "Since you've said so, then I will just pick this one." Ryan chose the (Memoirs of the Demon King Solomon) over the other book.

Honestly, Ryan was quite tempted to choose the other book - (Era of Dragons - Legend of Noir). But he was still much attached to (Memoirs of Demon King Solomon) which he had just finished reading that day. Since the old man wouldn't likely to move away soon, Ryan thought he could read the other book at later chance, so he eventually chose the (Memoirs of Demon King Solomon) which he felt more attached to.

However... the moment Ryan picked the book, he felt a sudden pricking on his palm.

Ryan instinctively chose to drop the book, though it seemed to be strongly glued to his palm as though it was a part of his hand.

"What the...?!" Under Ryan's horrified eyes, he could see tentacle-like dark filaments started to grow from the book and rapidly latched on his hand, engulfing it crazily like a group of slithering snakes coiling upon their prey.

When Ryan looked at what was once his right arm, he couldn't help being fearful. His entire right arm was completely blackened with small spikes growing on his forearm, while there was also an exceptionally sharp blade-like spike on his elbow. It was as if his right arm had already turned into a demon's arm.

"What's is this, damn Old man?!" Ryan felt incomparable surge of pain throughout his body as though his skin and flesh being corroded by strong acid when those dark filaments spread on his body, gradually engulfing it like they did with his right arm.

However, those pain was still incomparable to the feeling of anger and disbelief he felt over the old man's action. Previously, he always felt that although the old man was rather reticent and slightly eccentric, but he could feel that the old man didn't have ill will to Ryan. He couldn't understand why the old man wanted to harm him now of all time… just when he felt that his life finally had a direction and something to look forward to…

"Why…?!" Ryan roared in pain and blazing fury as the dark filaments had reached his head after they completely covered his entire body. At that moment, Ryan really wanted nothing more than to rip the old man's flesh apart, but his body wouldn't budge an inch beside rooted on the spot. It was as if those dark filaments also robbed him of his control over his body and forced him to stay still waiting for the process to finish.

"Ha! This is going slightly beyond my expectation." The old man had a hideous grin on his face as he looked at Ryan's situation. "Looks like my choice isn't wrong, you're really highly compatible with that Seed. You will make a good vessel, young man."

"Arr...rgh!" Ryan's face soon was also covered by the dark filaments as he also gave out his final roar and turned quiet all of sudden. In his last glance at the old man, one could see Ryan's burning fury and hatred within them. However, if one were to carefully look at it, they might notice the hidden gleam within Ryan's gaze.

When Ryan's entire body had been completely covered by the dark filaments, the old man moved closer to the fully demonized Ryan as he put his hand over Ryan's head.

"I have been waiting so long for this day… how could I let mere mortal's emotion to distract me at the last moment. Using nine hundred-ninety-nine blood and soul of spiritualists, I have finally unlocked the seal of this Arcane Seed. If you want to blame someone, blame your rotten luck for meeting me, kid.

"Now, it's time to rid this old and dying flesh for the a better one. It's useless for you to resist. Earthly-Lock!" The old man muttered some strange, magical words, as his hand gripped strongly on Ryan's head.

There was a faint light coming out of the old man's entire body, gradually taking shape of the old man but with smaller scale. Without further nonsense, the old man's soul quickly darted into Ryan's head.

The old man immediately went toward Ryan's soul as he wanted to crush the last bit of Ryan's soul to finish his body-snatching. When he finally arrived in front of Ryan's soul, the old man went rigid as he realized something was not right.

Ryan's soul which was supposed to be shackled by his spell was not shackled at all, it was even glowing brightly as if it was a small star. The supposed chains were hovering around Ryan's soul, they were seemingly blocked by an invisible barrier around it.

"How...? You're supposed to be sealed!" The old man growled grimly.

The moment he felt something had gone wrong, being the cautious man as he was, the old man wanted to quickly rush back to his previous body. Though he was immediately trapped by multitudes of chains hovering around Ryan's soul which returned back at him, tying him down in place.

"Heh-eh, surprised aren't you, moth*rf*cker?!"