The Darkness in the Distance

The shop is well-groomed, with no dust and cobwebs, it is evident to Cleo that Castor is a meticulous person, from the arrangement of everything down to the interior look of the place. Her emerald eyes gazed at the different sizes of daggers, kinds of swords, grenades, and guns. Castor's shop was surprisingly big and prosperous. Cleo glanced at the man and then back to the wholeness of the place.

It's her first time to be in a weapon shop. She was uncomfortable but a sense of thrill made her alert and feel alive. Roaming her gaze at everything, she observed that the shop is well-lighted with the numbers of bulbs hanging in line at the ceiling, the black paint on the wall accompanied by the brown floor that is made of wood emphasizes the glowing bulbs in par with fireflies burning in flames.

Four shelves of various kinds of guns were facing each other making an aisle towards the counter, behind the counter is another shelf for daggers and swords.

As they walk a little further, Cleo's gaze landed on her left when she saw a human-size window pane just after the shelves, the glass is foggy from the temperature making the view outside blurred.

She glanced once again at the old man who is walking ahead of her.

'How did he manage to have all these kinds of stuff?'

In her vision, the system showed her a message.

[System reminder:]

[Mission: End Apricity]

"Listen, the first thing you'll do is undergo drills to prepare your agility and endurance. After that, I can teach you the basics and then, I will teach you how to shoot," Castor announced.

She focused her gaze on him while ignoring the message. In her eyes, it was like watching something on the phone with an unread notification that remains in the upper corner of the screen.

"Why not teach me the basics first?" She questioned, "You said there is no enough time?" Cleo mentioned arching her brows upward as if he can read her expression behind the mask.

"Yeah, I did say you don't have enough time," Castor seconded, "But if you cannot run while holding a weapon longer than your arm, heavier and deadly, you won't survive," Castor muttered in his usual rude tone.

Her eyes narrowed in irritation.

"What? Like it's heavy for me?" Cleo commented and shrugs her shoulders.

"Ha! Now you just prove to me you don't have any idea about this stuff," the old man responded and laugh at her absurdity.

"As I said, Mister Lee, I don't have any background about this stuff but I am willing to know," Cleo argued feeling insulted.

"Enough with this silly confabulation. We should move now," Castor muttered, "We are off to go to your drills this instance."

"In here?" Cleo questioned as she scanned the shop.

Cleo admitted that the shop was big for the weapons to display but for a drill. The space inside may not be enough.

"Kind of," Castor responded.

"But the shop is not wide enough—

"Not yet," he said not letting Cleo finish her words.

Castor walked past her and push a lever upward.

"Yuki, initiate the system for me," Castor called.

Inside the shop, green vertical lines appeared—not specifically lines but algorithm composed of letters and numbers that she cannot understand. Her background began to darkened as the green lights started to succumb them.

"System initiating…" A robotic female voice announced, "Good day, Castor Lee. How may the system help you?"

"Prepare training ground." She heard him demand when she closed her eyes because of too much brightness.

"Preparing training ground," the voice seconded, "By what level?" the voice added.

There was silent for a moment before Cleo heard him say, "Hard."

"Preparing training ground. Hard level," the system recalled while the green vertical lines begins to scattered everywhere in the room.

Soon, the interior façade of the shop changed into a bigger space, Cleo saw some training equipment, a shooting ground, and a space for cardio. It's like they are transported to another place. She glanced at her new environment with amusement.

'The system can do this?!' Cleo thought in astonishment.

"Did we just… teleported?" Cleo asked in great shock.

"No, Yuki just altered the codes. We are still in my shop."

"Mind if I ask but who's Yuki?" she asked as she eyed him.

"It's my system's name," Castor responded.

"…But you have a system? I thought—

"Everyone has their own leash, Cleo Sky." Castor muttered interrupting her words.

Cleo did not find any words to respond him, for a moment, it seems like she was slapped by his words. Finding the right footing, she managed to collect herself as she calmly gazed at him once more.

"You said your system altered the codes, doesn't it break the natural law of this world?" She questioned.

"No. It's not against the system because Yuki is also part of the system. Just think that the main system is the mother ship and Yuki is one of the baby ships," Castor explained, "Yuki cannot change the ultimatum of this world because if she did, the mother ship—the main system will see her as a threat and therefore will eradicate her," Castor explains.

"I see…"

Castor began to walk near the equipment, scans the weapons prepared by the system and glanced at her. She noticed him straightens his back while he points the training ground where there were old tires arranged in three columns and rows, she tried to count them and they were fifty in each line. Ahead are another obstacle courses—she could see some ropes and nets, and other stuff. Usually she saw them from a military training.

"Are you ready now? This will be the hard level, Cleo Sky. We cannot afford to put you in an easy mode because we have two enemies right now." Castor muttered giving her chills.

"—Two enemies? —I'm sorry I don't get you?" she replied feeling her stomach stiffen from anxiety and fear when she saw him chuckled.

"And that's why anyone can defeat you," Castor responded.

"Sorry?" Cleo responded feeling offended.

"You are too oblivious, Cleo Sky. If you cannot tell who your enemies are, then you are really in a worse situation," he answered, "Right now, you're not dealing with two, but three. And it's your fault for adding one."

Cleo didn't dare to comment anything and just waited for him to spill the answer she needed.

"There are three enemies at this crucial moment, the monsters, the time, and yourself, Cleo Sky. So are you ready for this?" Castor questioned as he gestured the whole place for the drill.

"…I think I am ready."

***

Sweats forming and dripping down her body and face, Cleo's training is more than she expected. She expects the intensity was bearable for her, but with its extremity she feels like she her remaining patience would be gone in a minute. To think that the day is not yet over but she feels like the day is going to end her.

The pressure from the training and her anxious thoughts collided she could not catch up from the time Castor set for her. And yet, Ron has not yet returned—she became more agitated.

'This is hell,' Cleo's muttered inwardly with heavy breaths.

"What are you doing you're getting slower!" Castor yelled.

Hearing his loud voice added the heat of frustration building inside her. She was too tired to keep up and she was stuck in a crazy world for unknown reason.

"I'm trying okay!?" Cleo answered in rage.

"I know that you are but you are not trying enough!"

When Cleo perceived his words, all the remaining rationality she has faded leaving her with her frustration and desperation. She could not easily fathom the idea of undergoing this extreme treatment—no particular reason that she can find to patch things up and could make her understand how she was chosen to be stranded in a crazy game.

"LOOK AT WHAT I AM DOING?! CRAWLING, RUNNING FOR HOURS, AND OTHER STUFFS MY BODY CANNOT HANDLE! AM I NOT ALLOWED TO GET TIRED?!" Cleo screamed in frustration, "Damn! I'm sorry… I'm just…tired. Can I take a break?"

Her voice we're in high pitch and trembling from exhaustion.

"Take a break now or it's over for you," Castor answered while approaching her with a stern expression.

"…I am a human, I need to rest," Cleo replied forcing herself to be as rational and as calm as she can.

Her heartbeat is erratic because of the cardio she endured for hours, her body is trembling from everything, and she knows that her body needs to rest or she'll die from exhaustion and dehydration.

"I know but you can't take a break," Castor responded.

"Are you insane?" Cleo commented in disbelief.

"I am not," he uttered with a bored expression making Cleo irritated.

With heavy breaths, she met his gaze. She was panting, and she is eager to remove her mask to wipe her sweat but she just can't and it was making her feel more frustrated how everything is not like everything she used to do.

She craves to go back! She wants to go back so badly to her normal life that she doesn't know how to console herself anymore.

Cleo remains silent while fighting back her tears.

"In the battlefield, Cleo Sky," Castor muttered in a low and deep voice making her reaction stiff, "In the battlefield, you just can't pull tantrums and say you are tired. You cannot just tell your enemies to stop because you are exhausted and you need to rest because you are a human. What makes you think you have other alternative option other than to fight?" he continued.

Cleo noticed him sigh before he opened his mouth again.

"No matter how much you beg, and what righteous reason you offer in the battlefield. Your enemies will never show you mercy. Your enemies will never be kind. Your enemies will choose to torment you because in a fight there's only one rule you need to remember," Castor said patting her shoulders to make her trembling body steady, "The moment you feel you want to give up, the tighter you should hold your weapon."

Cleo's mind began to get clearer hearing Castor Lee's encouragement. They we're harsh but there is no point in denying, Castor Lee is right, she cannot complain—she has no right to complain. Her existence in the current world—in wonderland, is a mistake. Everything is wrong. She was wrong to hope that she can have just a little rest to save her sanity from everything. Everything and the system are playing a role against her. She cannot just ignore what she had on the table right now. She is terrified to admit that the system holds her neck, her pride in believing she still has a choice crumbled down and it aches so much that she doesn't know how to contain her swelling emotions inside.

The system took everything she have, her freedom, her emotions, and her life. It's like this world she stepped into has stolen her rights to be a human.

She gritted her teeth in anger and hatred. Something is itching to emerge inside her, a feeling of discomfort and desperation.

Behind the mask, her expression darkened and after a few seconds, her expression changed in a twisted manner, it was an ugly and dark expression, both fear and intent to survive.

She was both haunted and haunting at the same time.

Once again, the system delivered another message to her.

[System reminder:]

[Mission: End Apricity]

[Remaining time: h15:m00: s00]

Her senses were back to reality when she heard Castor's long and heavy sigh before he walks back giving her space.

"It's currently 9 in the morning, we can make it. After the drills, I'll teach you the basic of guns, how to disassemble and assemble the parts, and then I'll teach you how to shoot from long to short distance," Castor continued, "…On the second part, I think it's very harsh of me not to listen on your part, maybe you should take a little rest."

"You are right. I have no choice. Let's continue," Cleo muttered without waiting for his response and started to do the drill again.