The Young, Old Man

Damon felt himself being thrown with a white, bright light engulfing him. He swung his arms desperately to cling on something, but the next thing he knew, his body fell into a hard, cold floor. 

"Ack!" Damon yelled in pain. He was thankful for the fatty tissues that saved him from the fall's extreme impact. 

"We did it! Our Hero finally arrives after 50 years of summoning ritual!" a scratchy voice yelled, followed by a series of cheers from the crowd. 

Damon rolled to the side to see what was going on. His vision was still blurry, but he saw several people surrounding him.

"But, Sir! The summon looks weird!" another voice spoke with hesitation. They looked at Damon and noticed he was practically naked. 

"That's true…" an old man walked before Damon, kneeling to see his features closer due to his poor eyesight. He slowly poked Damon with his cane, but to his surprise, it went through. 

"Ah… Ah!" the old man screamed in fear and crawled backwards. His minions aided his side while aiming their staffs toward Damon. 

"What's going on?" Damon spoke softly. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He didn't want to appear disrespectful, especially since he was new to that place. 

"You! You're not human! Where are you from!?" the old man shouted while pointing his cane at Damon's face. 

Damon frowned, disliking how he used the cane. He reached to grab it, but he saw his see-through arm.

"AH! What did you do to me!?" Damon screamed in dread. He looked at his entire body, and it was drawn to him that he was a spirit. He thought he would be alive after Wyverna yeeted him to the portal. 

"Sir, we should take it easy. He looks harmless," a man wearing a hood whispered at the old man while glaring at Damon.

"Seize him!" the old man shouted. He pointed at Damon with trembling hands as if looking at a monster.

"No! I meant no harm!" Damon reasoned, but no one listened to him. 

A group of Mages circled around Damon, enchanting a barrier to secure him inside. Their eyes showed a mix of anxiety and dismay.

"What is happening?" Damon muttered. He didn't leave his spot for suspicion they might harm him physically. 

The old man and his minions left after the barrier was made. Damon was left alone in the darkness with a single candle burning on the side. 

"I just got here, but I'm already treated like sh^t," Damon whispered. He sighed deeply while shaking his head in disappointment. 

Damon expected to wake up in a nice place to settle down after Wyverna stated that he had nothing to do in the new world he would live in.

"That Goddess! I should have known!" Damon exclaimed in annoyance. He stood up and touched the barrier, expecting to go through, but got burnt instead.

"Ouch! What the heck!" Damon was shocked that he could feel pain, even if he was only a spirit with no physical body. 

"Ah, what should I do now?" Damon mumbled before settling in the middle to avoid brushing the barrier. He wondered who were those people that summoned him to that place. 

"I guess I'll just have to wait," Damon shrugged and lay down as it was the only thing he could do. 

It had been three days, and Damon remained in the same room without seeing a glimpse of sunlight. That time, he became impatient. 

"HEY! ANYONE OUT THERE!?" Damon screamed at the top of his lungs. The candle left for him died long ago, and he had lived in darkness. 

"They haven't even fed me! Tsk!" Damon flicked his tongue while touching his belly. To his surprise, he didn't feel hungry, but he missed the taste of food in his mouth. 

After a few minutes, the door creaked open, and Damon expected to see another black-hooded man, but it was a child.

"H-hello, what's your name?" Damon asked softly and crouched down to appear small and harmless after seeing a child's head peeking through the door.

The child opened the entrance wider but remained outside. "I am Alfie!" he yelled shyly.

"Hi, my name is Damon. Nice to meet you, Alfie," Damon greeted with a broad smile, but Alfie grimaced. 

"You look creepy and big," Alfie muttered innocently and hid himself by the door. 

Damon felt like he was stabbed in the heart, and he couldn't even get angry since Alfie looked like a five-year-old kid. 

"I am a good person. Don't be afraid…" Damon whispered awkwardly, trying to cover his body. He wore nothing but his plain briefs from his past life. 

Alfie frowned, but because of his curiosity. He stepped inside and went closer to Damon. His tiny hands were about to touch the barrier when the old man appeared.

"ALFIE!" the old man screamed, yanking Alfie away before slapping his cheeks. "What do you think you're doing, you brat!" he added, pinching Alfie's ears. 

"Master Frederick! I'm just— Wah!" Alfie cried out in pain. He clung to Frederick's hand to stop him from pinching further.

"Hey, old man! Stop doing that!" Damon yelled in anger. He didn't like how Alfie was abused before his eyes. 

Frederick looked at Damon in horror. 

"Old man? Old man!? I am only 30 years old!" Frederick was offended by Damon's words. His neck veins pooped to his skin while suppressing his anger.

"Oh, wow. You aged terribly, like a box of milk left outside the refrigerator for a few hours," Damon stated in disbelief. 

Frederick looked 90 years old with thin, receding hair and a bald spot in the middle. His skin sagged like a rotten fruit. Overall, he looked horrendous. 

"How dare you use incomprehensible words on me!" Frederick screamed and pointed his cane at Damon again. 

"I'm just telling the truth…" Damon raised his arms in surrender, which made Frederick angrier. 

"For 50 years! My master and I use our life energy to summon a Hero, yet all we receive is a failure! You crushed our dreams to pieces!" Frederick shouted with rage. His emotions were so deep that it became hard for him to breathe. He staggered backwards while holding his chest and collapsed after a few seconds.