Someone Wants a Game

Ru had a week of peace. Plenty of time to think and rest. He thought, but couldn't rest. Instead, he kept cleaning the house non-stop.

"Oh, boy! Vaelan is right. I can't help but want everything to be clean and tidy," Ru said quietly. He decided to get help from Claude.

He picked up the phone that Vaelan had given him right away. It was at least three models newer than the one the fiend had broken.

"I've got a rich bro, I don't need anyone else," he said, examining the phone.

His eyes widened suddenly. The phone had 791 missed calls—six from Aunt Chunhua, and eight from Dr. Claude. The rest were from a VIP number.

"Vaelan must be in trouble," he thought, ready to spring into action, but then he started to itch. Then he itched some more. "Am I getting a rash? An allergy?" he wondered as he headed to the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror, noticed small red spots on his skin, and thought, "I think I have measles."

He checked his temperature. It was normal. He revised his diagnosis: "The rash is probably caused by dirt or bedbugs."

He started washing.

If he's not mistaken, the red spots on his skin were removed with water.

"What spilled on me?" he wondered.

He scrubbed his skin with soap and a sponge.

Within a minute, he noticed new spots where the old ones had washed away.

"Damn it!"

He scrubbed his skin harder.

Three minutes later, he heard the phone vibrating. But he ignored it.

"Why do they keep coming back? Why?"

Five minutes later, the phone rang again. But Ru was too busy trying to clean himself.

"Yuck! Get off! Get off me, dirt!"

Eight minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Ru heard it but didn't bother to get up. He was still in the tub, scrubbing his skin. He was starting to feel more and more tired.

"Why am I like this?"

After ten minutes, the door to his room opened.

"Rui, are you in there?" Vaelan called.

Then the bathroom door opened.

"Lirui!" the Clockmaker shouted.

When Ru came to, he was lying in bed. He woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. When he picked it up, there were 776 missed calls from the VIP number.

"This... this..."

As he held the phone, the screen lit up. There was another call from the VIP number.

Even though his hands were shaking, Ru put the phone to his ear and answered the call.

"Hello?"

A soft voice with a chilling tone said, "At last, you've answered my call, coy thing."

Ru swallowed hard. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice betraying his weakness.

"What's up, Lulu? Are you playing hard to get? You must remember me. I've never forgotten you," the person said with a childlike voice that was a little sinister and sweet.

"Lulu?" Ru asked.

"Oh yes. You hate being called that. Do you still hate it, Lulu?"

"Not really," Ru said, swallowing and clutching a pillow. "What... what do you want from me?"

The voice on the other end tried to suppress a laugh. "Ah, you still don't understand? You're so innocent, so... lost."

Ru took a deep breath. "What are you accusing me of? I didn't do anything!" he protested, but the fear in his voice was unmistakable.

The voice grew colder, more mocking. "Of course, you didn't. You don't know anything right now. But soon, you'll have to learn everything, my flower. I just want to have some fun... with you."

While Ru struggled to control the panic that swept over him, he asked, "What did you do to me?"

The voice, as if sharing a secret, spoke in a low tone, "I just left something to remind you of me. A mark... a memory that can never be erased. But when you'll understand this, well, that's what I'm curious about. For now, just keep playing, because I'll be watching you."

Ru didn't know what to do. "What do you mean? Why... why are you watching me?"

"Because I'm bored, and time passes faster when I play with you. I'm eager to see what your fate will be. See you soon, Lulu," said the voice, followed by a sharp click, ending the call.

Ru felt his heart's erratic rhythm as the phone's screen closed. "That scared me," he thought, trying to calm himself. "It'll pass soon, I just need to stay calm."

He remained where he was.

"I can handle this. I've faced more challenging situations," he told himself, trying to calm down.

Shortly after, "I'll ask Clockmaker. She'll know," he said, yawning as he lay in bed.

At that moment, an abyss opened within his chest, a void filled with ancient, consuming fire. A foreign rhythm pounded in his veins, a chaotic symphony of pain and power. A monstrous heart thrashed against his ribs, a captive beast yearning for freedom.

Fear, cold and sharp, clawed at him. He reached for the nightstand, his fingers trembling. "Panic attack... pill," he muttered, but the words were lost in the maelstrom within him. The pressure intensified, a crushing force that threatened to shatter his ribs.

Terror seized him as he tried to dial 911, his hands slick with sweat. The phone slipped from his grasp. Tears streamed down his face, a silent plea for mercy.

"Vaelan!" he shouted, his voice a desperate cry against the storm raging within.

That shout brought him back to reality.

"Enough already! Enough!" he shouted angrily and got out of bed. He still had the phone in his hand. He was about to throw it when he stopped.

He quickly checked the last calls. There were 792 missed calls. The last one was a brief conversation with the VIP number.

"I'm going through delirium, but that's okay," he muttered, a forced laugh escaping his lips. He dialed Dr. Claude's number. The line rang endlessly, a mocking echo of his confusion. "Oh well, he's busy."

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Something was wrong. Very wrong. His gaze fell on the phone again. VIP number. Once his heart went crazy he tossed the phone onto the bed.

He tried not to look in the mirror but couldn't resist his curiosity. There were no red spots, but his skin was severely irritated.

"Was that real?" he asked.

He did a quick reality check. Someone had taken a bath, and judging by the robe he was wearing, it was him.

"Alright, I need to talk to the Clockmaker. Right now," he told his reflection in the mirror and left the room without touching anything else.

He was on his way downstairs when he paused halfway down the stairs. In the living room, Vaelan and the witch—transformed into an old lady—were chatting.

"I'll tear into her," Ru murmured, a step forward, but stopped. He wasn't sure he could face the witch, given that he was still in his bathrobe. The mere idea of a witch was sexually stimulating for him.

Ru returned to his room, got a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, and quickly dressed. He got the knife from the chest of drawers and went to Velan's room.

"Look at this, the mess he's made," he said. He was about to get caught up in cleaning when he remembered that the Clockmaker was wary of confronting the witch.

"He must be in a tight spot."

Baseball bat, gun, pepper spray...

He grabbed the spray and gun and headed to the living room.

"Oh, Auntie, welcome," he said.

"Thank you, dear. How are you?" the woman asked with a kind smile.

"I'm fine, Auntie," Ru said half-heartedly. He was more focused on Vaelan than the woman. To Vaelan, who was eating cookies. To those cookies...

"Is your health good, sweetie?" the old woman asked.

"I'm okay, thanks," Ru replied, taking the cookie Vaelan was about to put in his mouth. "Is this a fortune cookie? Did you bake it, Auntie?" he asked, breaking the cookie.

"No, I got them from Chinatown," the old woman said with a smile.

"Can these be eaten without tea? Come on, Vaelan, get up. Go brew some tea for Auntie," Ru said seriously.

"You do it," Vaelan said, grabbing another cookie.

"I want to talk to Auntie privately, dude!"

"Oh, okay," Vaelan said, finally moving.

As soon as Vaelan left, the old woman transformed.

"Sweetheart, can I ask where you disappeared after the explosion?" asked Anaxarete, slowly crossing her legs.

Ru sat down casually on the opposite couch. He locked eyes with her in a defiant stare. "After you took my djinn, you must've forgotten about me, sweetheart. I was found by a friend and taken to the hospital. After my treatment, Vaelan took me in."

"I saved you from that djinn sultan, what more do you want?" Anaxarete said, resting her elbow on the armrest and quickly rubbing her nails with her thumb.

"Ah, so he's a sultan. Thanks for the info. Whatever! I wanna stay here with Vaelan," Ru said quickly.

"A simple request, and why not," Anaxarete replied.

"Good," Ru said and immediately stood up. "Let me show you the door."

"Are you kicking me out, sweetheart?" asked Anaxarete, transforming back into the old woman.

"Yes."

"We were going to have tea and cookies together," said the old woman, looking genuinely hurt.

"And get bewitched in the process, right, Auntie?"

The old woman stood up and took a few determined steps toward Ru. She locked eyes with him and said, "You're making a mistake by pushing me away, child."

"That's my business," Ru said, guiding her towards the door.

"And what about the deal?" Anaxarete asked suspiciously.

"The deal's on as long as your cookies aren't magical," Ru said as he opened the door.

As the door opened, beams entered the room, revealing an unexpected face. For a moment, Ru held his breath and quickly shut the door.