"Phew, well, here we are, Latin America," were the first words of a young man, around 21 years old, as he stepped off the plane. Stretching his arms, he relaxed the tension of sitting for several hours; carrying his suitcases, he started walking toward the airport exit.
"Let's see, I think there was a supermarket nearby. I should buy a few things and some candy to make a good impression," he nodded to himself, leaving his bags at a luggage storage facility that cost almost $15. "That's expensive!"
After leaving his bags, the young man left the airport looking at the map on his phone, searching for a nearby supermarket.
"Let's see, this one is far away, I don't like this one, this one is too expensive... Ah, this one, they're not close, but I can walk there, plus if I pay with an app I can get a discount," he smiled, looking around to cross the street, but he stopped short when he saw a shadow behind him, reflected in the window of a parked car.
"What the hell?" The young man turned around as soon as he noticed it, only to find a crowd of people walking, entering, or leaving the airport, but no sign of that shadow he'd seen.
"I think, I think I'd better take a taxi; that nightmare on the plane gave me insomnia, so I'd better hurry home and get a good nap, since I'm starting to hallucinate."
An hour later
"The prices are really cheap now, I'm so grateful I went to work abroad for almost five years," smiling, he grabbed a shopping cart and in just a few minutes it was full of treats, sweets, snacks, and drinks.
"Well, this will last me a month... No, knowing my gluttonous sister and brother, they'd finish it in a week," shaking his head slightly, the amount of products increasing.
"This should be enough," the young man thought, his cart overflowing with groceries. He headed toward one of the less busy checkout lines to avoid wasting time.
As he walked through the aisles, something caught his eye in the security mirrors on the ceiling. A dark shadow, becoming more defined as a woman dressed in black. Motionless. Watching him.
"Uh," he muttered, turning around, but she wasn't there. "Okay, I officially need to sleep badly," he muttered, quickening his pace. He looked for a less crowded checkout until he came across a young man who looked slightly his age.
When he reached the checkout, the cashier smiled mechanically as he scanned the items. "Twenty, fifty, seventy... Did I go over the limit?"
"Help him."
"Sorry?" the young man turned to the cashier, bewildered.
"Yes, sir?" the cashier returned the same question with the same bewilderment.
"Oh, it's nothing, I think I'm imagining things," he said, smiling nervously, and turned to look around for the source of the voice.
"I love you so much."
The young man quickly scanned the nearly empty checkout area. "I swear I heard you clearly this time."
"Are you alright, sir?" the cashier asked, giving him a strange look.
The young man didn't answer. He paid hurriedly, stuffed his things into large bags, and practically ran toward the taxi stand. "Damn, am I really going crazy?"
"Possibly."
Hearing a voice behind him, the young man turned quickly and found himself facing two men dressed in black. "Uh," he said, slightly nervous, before a black vehicle pulled up in front of him, with a driver who looked suspicious.
"Uh, I think you've got the wrong person; "I just got back from abroad."
"Indeed, your boss asked us to pick you up; after all, you're one of his best employees." The young man eyed the man suspiciously, his arms ready to throw the bags and his legs ready to run toward a nearby police station.
Vibration
He stopped dead in his tracks when he felt his phone vibrate and, pulling it out without taking his eyes off the men, he saw it was his boss from abroad calling. "Hey, boss."
"Kid, sorry for not letting you know sooner; it turns out I hired a driver to take you home and save you money on a bus fare."
"Oh, really?" The young man's suspicion vanished in an instant. "You should have told me sooner; I was getting scared."
"Yeah, sorry, kid, for not letting you know; actually, I need you to deliver a package somewhere, do you think you can do it?"
"Of course, it's the least I can do," the young man said with a confident smile. He climbed into the vehicle without hesitation and, signaling to the driver, headed to the airport to retrieve his belongings.
"Poor fool."
"So naive. I guess that's why idiots don't die of old age."
...
"Scammers," he muttered the last part as he gathered his suitcases from the daycare.
"I've got them," he said, walking to the trunk. Opening it, he noticed a large wooden box. "This is what I have to deliver... I hope it's not too heavy." Ignoring the box, he placed his suitcases to one side and, getting into the back seat, put his shopping bags on the seats. "Let's go."
...
The young man gazed out the open window at the landscape of his homeland, feeling the strong breeze on his face. "Hey, buddy, where are we delivering this order?" he asked, trying to break the silence.
"To some friends near the jungle," the driver replied mechanically. "So far? Damn, I really wanted to see my family again." At that, the driver let out a dry laugh.
"Hey, is something wrong?" the young man asked curiously. "You don't realize what you're in, do you?" the driver asked coldly.
"Well, I spent five years picking fruit, but obviously I worked my way up to become my supervisor's supervisor," the young man answered without hesitation.
"Idiot, a complete and utter idiot. Do yourself a favor and call your 'boss,' ask what's in the box." Feeling nervous about the driver's attitude and the box behind him, he took out his cell phone and called his boss.
"Hello, boss."
"Yes, is something wrong?" The young man felt the coldness in his voice, which made him even more nervous.
"Well, I just wanted to know what was in the box and who I'm delivering it to, I mean, so I know how to talk to the customers," the young man said, trying to stay calm.
"..."
"Hey, boss?"
"..."
"Hello?"
"Ha, hahahahahahahahahaha," the young man had to pull the phone away from his ear when he heard his boss's loud, almost manic laughter.
"Hey, Boss?"
"Shut up, you idiot."
"..." the young man remained silent at his boss's cruel tone.
"Listen carefully, I'm not going to waste my time with disposable trash like you; ask your driver to explain the situation. Besides, if the merchandise disappears, you'd better disappear too and never be found, because if I find you, I'll kill you and find your family and have them executed." The young man remained silent as his cell phone and the call ended.
"Turns out your 'boss' is one of the biggest drug lords in the country. And now that you're back... you have two options: work for us trafficking this," he pointed at the box with his thumb. "Or we'll put a bullet in your head and leave you in a ditch." "Understood?" he said, emphasizing his words as he pulled a 9mm pistol from his waistband.
The young man remained silent; he had known his boss for five years. The same man who had paid for his studies, the one who had sent him abroad "to get an education." It had all been a fucking lie.
"At least, can I say goodbye to my family? I don't want them to get involved in this," the young man said, his voice weak as he looked at his cell phone.
"Okay, go ahead, but remember, if you call the police..." "Not even a bunker will protect your family." Swallowing hard, the young man unlocked his phone. He opened his bank's app and looked at the savings from five years of working like a slave, barely sleeping or eating properly.
Clenching his teeth in frustration, he could feel how his efforts had been in vain; all that money in his hands would be useless. "This is the only thing your son can do, Mom." He entered his mother's bank code and sent all that money to her account, along with a message.
"I love you, Mom. Tell my sister I love her, and tell the little elf I love him too... I'm sorry your son can't come home, but I'll be watching over you from somewhere... Love, your son... I'm sorry I couldn't make you proud."
Looking at his empty account, he went to his photo gallery and silently stared at the picture of his family, their last Christmas. "So, what are we trafficking?" "What's in the box?" he said, his fury barely contained.
"You'd better watch your tone, brat. I might be nice, but the others won't hesitate to leave you half-dead." The young man remained silent, clenching his fists helplessly.
"Weapons. We're trafficking weapons to terrorists. Exciting, isn't it?" "Now you know how dangerous it is. You can forget about running away." The young man froze at the news. If he even had contacts with terrorists, the only way out was death.
The journey continued in silence. The only sounds were the purr of the engine and the scraping of weapons in the truck bed as the vehicle hit a bump.
"Help him."
Hearing that voice again, his body tensed instantly as he looked around.
"What's wrong with you now?" "Playing dumb won't save you." The young man ignored the driver as he pulled over and relaxed back in his seat.
"Uh," he felt his soul leave his body as he saw in the rearview mirror the shadow of a woman behind him, or more specifically, in the trunk.
"Help my beloved."
"What?"
"I love him... I love him... I love him..."
"Wait."
"I love him so much."
"Shut up!" the young man yelled, clutching his head and closing his eyes, trying to block out that voice.
"Idiot, what's wrong with you?" the driver's shouts faded into the distance as that voice screamed and pleaded inside his head.
"Help him... Help him."
"Help him... Help him."
"Help my beloved."
"Help him... Help him."
"I love him so much."
"I love him... I love him... I love him..."
"I love him... I love him... I love him..."
"Help him... Help him."
"Help him, please."
"HELP MY BELOVED!!!"
Over and over again. Like a broken record. Each repetition was louder, more desperate. It drilled into his skull. The young man shook his head.
"Shut up, shut up, damn it!!!" His world shrank to that endless plea. He felt like his head was going to explode at any moment.
"Okay!" "Damn it, just shut up for God's sake!!!!" he shouted desperately, but the moment he opened his eyes, he saw the road stopped, the driver stopped in the middle of an angry shout, like a Statue.
The black shadow floated toward him, passing through the seats as if they weren't there. Her pale, beautiful face drew near until it was inches from his. "Thank you," her words and expression caused the young man's eyes to widen in shock.
"Sa, Satella…?"
The name escaped his lips before he could even think. It was impossible. An anime girl. A fictional character. In real life. Smiling at him with infinite sadness. That witch of sin. That envious witch.
And then the pain arrived, an unbearable pain. A white beam pierced his brain. Images, scenes, dialogues, openings—all erased as if someone were tearing pages from a book with their bare hands. Names, faces, plots… vanished. Everything he knew about that anime… That… That…
"Ha, ha, what, what the hell was that?" he asked, looking up, but he didn't see the driver. "Yes, sir?" Wait, where, where's the road?" The truck was still moving, but now it was alone in the middle of a denser, darker forest. The trees were gigantic, like something out of a fairy tale.
"Ah, what the hell is happening!!!" Seeing the truck hurtling toward a tree, without hesitation, he threw himself forward, weaving between the front seats. He grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and swerved with all his might to avoid the tree hurtling toward them.
CRACK
The young man stared in astonishment at the steering wheel in his hands, which had ripped off as if it were made of cardboard.
"What the hell," he didn't have time to think as he watched the tree grow larger, his panic intensifying. "Shit! Shit!" "Shit!" The young man slammed on the brakes, trying to stop, but his foot pierced the pedal and the floor of the truck, leaving a clean hole.
"What's happening?!" he exclaimed, bewildered as the car fell apart. He tried to think of another way out as his death drew near. Considering all the possibilities, his gaze fell on the car door. "Fuck it," he muttered, grabbing the door handle and trying to open it, but it too ripped off the door, leaving him staring silently at the handle. "Holy shit," he thought, without hesitation, kicking the door so hard it flew off and slammed into a tree.
"It's this or the tree." The young man swallowed hard as he watched the road rush by at nearly 80 km/h, then the tree, which was now almost upon him; the road, the tree, then the road again, then the tree again. Clenching his fists, he wrapped his arms around his head and jumped out of the car. vehicle; it rolled violently across the ground at high speed while the pickup truck continued straight ahead and crashed into a huge tree, exploding in an orange fireball that lit up the entire forest.
"Ah, the world turns," he staggered to his feet, shaking his head and looking at the burning car. "Well, there goes my only vehicle home," he sighed, his hands going down to his injuries... "Injuries?" The young man looked at his body in disbelief; his clothes were in tatters, ripped and torn... but his body had no wounds, no scratches or bruises.
"This is feeling more and more unreal." The young man looked at his hands. He opened and closed them. He remembered how easily he had ripped the steering wheel off, the hole he had easily made in the car, and how he had jumped from the moving vehicle without breaking a bone, not even getting a scratch.
The young man walked toward the burning pickup truck, trying to salvage something, anything, whether it was clothes, food, anything... Before
Explosion!!!
The young man managed to throw himself to the ground and covered his head as valuable pieces of metal flew through the air. "I forgot the weapons in that box." After lying on the ground for a few minutes, when he felt that nothing else was falling, he got up and walked to the wrecked car. "There's nothing left," he murmured, watching his suitcases burn. "Oh, hello, sweetheart, you're lucky, it seems," he said, approaching a pistol that was almost engulfed by the flames.
"Now, where are we?" The young man walked for a few minutes through the woods until he noticed, in the distance, a walled city among the trees. Stone towers, red-tiled roofs, flags waving with emblems he didn't recognize. People dressed in medieval clothing walking along a dirt road.
"I'm dead... Or I've already lost my mind," the young man said, running his hands through his hair, laughing weakly. A broken, hysterical laugh, as smoke from the burning truck rose into the sky.
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If you're asking about DXD: The Beast of Chaos, I put it on hold simply because I realized I was working on it too quickly; honestly, I plan to rewrite all the chapters and upload the last one, which is almost finished.
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( ̳• · • ̳) ~ ♡ Thanks for reading ♡
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