An Intriguing Contradiction

"Are you aware of what you just said?" Ludic winced his brows and rebuked Fein.

"Don't wrinkle your forehead skin too much, mister. You will age faster."

"Silence!"

"Hahaha." Yulia's laughter echoed in the room, astonishing her assistant warden.

"M.. ma'am Orks??"

"Pardon me." She wiped her laughter tears while her right arm touched her stomach. "He's just too amusing. Haha."

"But ma'am! He probably has a few screws loose up in his head!"

"Exactly. In this world we needed some people with loose screws, just like him."

Why? Just what part about him makes her so amused?! To me he looks nothing less than an arrogant brat!

Ludic visibly clicked his tongue.

Yulia increased the range of her voice and asked Fein. "While I'm amused that you suggested this suicidal plan, who are you willing to bait?"

"That comes later Ms Yulia Orks. First we need to decide our formation. A proper layout to implant the bait."

"Yes. You are right." She raised her right hand in the air and declared. "We shall conclude the meeting for now. Another meeting will be conducted tomorrow with enough information after I plan a proper layout of the strategy." Her arm swiped through the air and came down to her chest level. "You all are dismissed today."

Fein walked across the corridor. His shoes frictioned with the grey carpet making a shh-shh sound. As alone he was walking, he paused and grabbed the metal handle attached on both sides of the wall. His body collided with it, right shoulder touched the wall. He lowered his head, gritting his teeth together.

His stomach impaled, he died. 1.

His head shot, he died. 2.

He dodged the attack and still died. 3.

Got interrupted amidst a fight and died. 4.

….

Didn't go at all, death. 17.

Drowning in water dead. 18.

Eyes flipped over, dead. 19.

It was all his visions in one second. He counted all, not missing out a single one. The process continued for 3 seconds. The total number of visions were 57.

This time… my count of visions is more than before. 19 per second. Though the pain has reduced a lot, it still leaves a lasting headache.

His brain throbbed in its attempt to process all the visions thus making his body weak. He glided his fingers on his scalp and clenched his hair.

"My percentage of survival this time… is only 13%." He mumbled.

"Fein. Rasmond."

Sweating, Fein turned his head towards his left shoulder. "You are.."

"Ludic Boseman." The man walked closer to him so that they could see each other's faces.

Fein looked up at his build from his slouched position. He wasn't too tall, an average height. His biceps were visible on top of his uniform. He had a strong build.

His face had already formed wrinkles but that didn't lessen his beauty. He must've been really handsome in his youth.

"Upon a closer look, you actually do look old without frowning your brows. Are you perhaps in your early 40s?"

Ludic sighed. "I'll leave my age a mystery to you. It isn't necessary for you to know."

"Then… were you looking for me?"

"I've no need for you either. Its simply that our room allocations are close by."

"I didn't know."

"Well.." Ludic scanned him from his toes to his head. "You look fine now. I'll take my leave."

He turned around and proceeded ahead.

Fein, while he saw him walking away, thought.

This guy must be a rank lower than Yulia Orks. Still he's among the higher ups. I should maintain a good relationship with him.

"Excuse me Mr Ludic Boseman."

The man halted.

"I think I'm a little lost in this huge vessel. Can you help me find the restaurant here? I haven't eaten anything since last night."

"You know you can just ask the staff to bring you food in your room, right."

Of course i know.

"I'd hate to overwork them since this place is already packed. It won't kill you to help me, will it?"

Ludic fully turned over to face him. Eyes closed, a scoff slipped from his mouth. "Fancy coming from you who just suggested a sacrificial plan."

"So? Our current circumstances are like the riddle of the train with a number of people tied on both tracks. One has 8 people and the other has 2. What'd you have chosen?"

His smiling lips straightened as Ludic started to walk towards Fein. "Where did you say you wanted to go?"

Fein smiled. "A restaurant."

They walked alongside each other in silence for 35 minutes. It was a long distance from their rooms.

"We've arrived. I'm going to part ways from here."

Fein stopped him. "Would you like to eat together with me?"

"No thanks. I don't want to regret eating someone else's destined meal. "

"Why? Do meals come in certain quantities? 1 meal each time per person?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I didn't eat last night. It should've remained as excess. You can have that share."

Ludic's jaws clenched, wondering.

Why is he so persistent?!

He gave up on resisting and entered the restaurant together anyway.

"Its fine. I'll just sit." Ludic sat in front of Fein with his arms crossed under his chest muscles.

"At the meeting, it seemed like not many people agreed with my plan. Do you think you have a better strategy, Mr Ludic?"

"I hate to admit it but i really don't. For the past few months we've applied every strategy we could think of. We even fought against them and lost so many of our comrades." While Ludic talked, Fein had already glanced through the menu book and placed his order. "We of course don't want to lose anymore than we already have. That's why the idea of bait wasn't even dared to be mentioned."

The meal came as soon as he finished talking. Silence befell between them, letting the noise of forks and knives take reign.

"Sad. It truly is." Fein spoke in the intervals he scooped food on his spoon. "However, it is not the time we can let our emotions control us, is it." He pointed his round spoon at Ludic. "The more emotional we get, the less rational our mind gets."

Ludic gasped as if the statement was directed at him only.

"Haha. You're just a kid." Ludic began to ridicule him. "You haven't experienced enough to be lecturing me about emotions."

All of Fein's trauma flashed before his eyes. The thought irritated him that all the pain he felt, all the trauma that was burned into his mind, everything that tormented him might not be classified as a pain at all. His eyebrows relaxed, losing all his interest in talking with Ludic. He spoke with his monotone voice. "Oh yeah. Then I'd like to hear what you have experienced that allowed you to pass a judgement like that."

"Probably. Far worse than you."

Their eyes glaring at each other, the string of current colliding in the middle, an atmosphere of argument prevailed.

"I'm all ears."

Ludic slammed his hand with the table. "I didn't sign up to be a storyteller. You might be free, but I'm not." With that said, Ludic dashed out of the restaurant.

Fein was left all by himself again.

He sneered. "You say you're not a storyteller. But all of your facial expressions scream that you're itching to tell your story."

An intriguing contradiction.

Fein stood up leaving the handkerchief which he used to wipe his mouth and fingertips.

Let's see what made you like that and if it'll benefit me in any way, Ludic Boseman.