COLORBAR's Death of a Nation Pt. 2

That's when everyone was talking, and I felt myself as Klei again, without any memories of what happened outside.

Then I saw Mei working on her book. That's when I called her. She stopped to come to me and told me how much she missed me, but before I could even let her speak. I held her tight. I held her tight because of the terrible nightmare I had about her last night. Where she was taken by someone else that inhabits my body, which isn't me at all.

Usually she would get extremely excited and hug me super close into her arms, but she awkwardly hugged me back and asked her what was the matter.

She told me I got her hoodie wet from my wet hoodie. We usually wear matching hoodies every day at work.

And I absolutely have no idea where I got this muddy water from. And I apologised in the most sincere and wimpy way possible, acting too empathically for what I accidentally do.

But she told me it was alright, then kissed me tenderly, saying how much she missed me because I was three hours late. I told her I had just slept on the wrong side of the bed. Then asked her if there is any coffee here because I'm having a bad headache, and feeling agitated. I felt agitated throughout the entire bus ride while dissociated, feeling as if I was super angry. Must be because I didn't get my caffeine fixed yet.

So, she surprised me with Starbucks coffee and gave it to me, where she had another cup of her own matching mine. She apologised dearly that it got cold. She bought this early in the morning because she knows I'm punctual. She waited all these three hours and never touched her coffee just to wait for me and have a small coffee date inside the Newbie lounge before we work.

That's when my colleagues called me and I went with them. I asked her, "Aren't you coming with me?"

"I… I don't want to come with them. I'd rather watch you from afar. I hate people. Lurk around and just… watch you, I don't want to look at these people. I just want to look at you. People are weird, and I know I am better than society."

"Is that why you never talk to them? You did tell me you only came here because you wanted to be like me. At first, you told me you saw my novel and decided to work here, not because you want to write. All because you want to be with me. Heck, I didn't know you at the time and you already stalked me. Just chill here, alright? I'm coming with them."

"Okay… go…"

"Ciao!"

I came with my friends and we started to talk a lot, I was the centre of attention as usual. They all love my personality, despite my ego trips. And my crazy moments. And also, my borderline narcissism that I can't control and as if someone else was controlling me those times.

It does sort of remind me of Fear. I know he's always wrathful inside, but he knows how to control it outside and he acts appealing towards everyone, even to the people he hates. He knows how to stay calm, no matter how close he is at the verge of snapping.

Although, the Newbie lounge is actually just any normal office. But the thing is, if you get promoted after reviewing your book, you can hang out with the cool guys at the upper floors. A lot of people rumoured that it looks like paradise. There are waterfalls, convenience stores, a hotel, a rentable luxury apartment, a pet shop, a food-court with all the most famous food franchises, restaurants, cafes, cyber shops where you pay $1 for an hour to rent a gaming PC to play the latest games, all updated to their latest versions where all the best games are available each computer, and not only that, they also have all the latest consoles up to date and can play literally all the games, there is a giant library where literally all the books in the world in all history has ever seen and all you can read there for free so you can have material and inspiration, and the best thing is, WebNovel itself have their own coffee shop that people claim to be better than Starbucks and all coffees in the world combined and it is only exclusive for the ascended writers that work here, and it is FREE!

And there are so much more. It is like an exclusive private school for millionaires! Like the ones you see in Anime.

A lot of contractors, staffs, editors, and moderators of the building have been begging Aries the Monk, a professional contracted author to be an ascended writer with the cool guys above but he prefers to be stuck in the Newbie lounge for mysterious reasons he refuse to tell. But he is encouraging everyone, especially me, to ascend because of how he saw my talent. Despite my one decade and a year of writing experience, I still think I'm not even that good in writing at all. I still think I'm an amateur and a 'tryhard' to become at the top.

No matter how many people tell me that I'm the best writer that deserves more recognition than I think? I still think I'm the worst writer, and even Mei thinks I'm a bigshot just for writing 110,000 words within a week and getting almost 70,000 views within the first month. I just think that's not enough to make me great.

I've been thinking of these thoughts deeply as I procrastinated at work, well it's totally up to you if you want to work or just chill, as long as you have attendance. But if you ascend to the upper floors, you have to work hard. Otherwise you're stuck here. But I've been warned that if you go to the Contracted lounge, where the best authors of the building are in. You'll become a slave to the superiors and will be treated badly.

Then, I heard the elevator rang as a lady came out. It was Aella.

And everyone started greeting her, and I was happy she was here. But a bit gutted because she usually warns me not to cause any trouble because I usually do.

But she was not here to moderate. She came here for me.

"What's up?" I asked, finally this time, I'm completely myself speaking in Filipino mixed with American accent, yet still in English of course. Just not British anymore.

"Congratulations!" She celebrated me, "You've ascended. And you earned your contract. Please read the contract twice and very carefully and sign. It is up to you, now or never."

And everyone went silent, then cheered for me as they surrounded me and rooted for me. However, Aries glared at me from the distance, shaking his head as a gesture of a warning not to take it. But due to my friends hyping me up so much, and the other person was shaking my shoulders happily in excitement and ecstasy.

But this encouraged me to sign it. But Aella warned me one last thing, "You don't have to take it if you don't want to, however, you can still ascend. If you ascend to the upper floors. You can never come back to the Newbie lounge again. Is that clear?"

"Hell! I'll take all of it! Give me the Royalty Contract and ascend me!" I signed the contract with my signature and she gave me a different ID this time. It is the ID to get through the upper floors, but I can never return here. My previous ID was meant to open the Newbie Lounge. And I am ready to take that away.

I called in for a group hug for everyone. Then went to Mei.

"Well, this is it… I must go, my love."

I kissed her, and I left. And that's when I entered the upper floors where they called it "Elysium". That's when I felt so much joy after seeing everything not looking like a dirty office but now a true paradise indeed!