Suffocating, relentless rain fell on a cold winter night. The city was bright, but the atmosphere devoured the light. An eerie sensation blurred the lines between a dream and reality. His eyes strained, fixed on nothing in particular. A sharp pulsing pain split through his head. The area around him stretched—it warped. His vision blurred, color drained from the world, people walking slower and slower… Until they stopped.
Hm…?
He grasped the left side of his head, closing his eyes, unable to move. The hellish pain would not subside. It felt as if the world was trying to split him apart—into millions of tiny threads. Suddenly the pain faded—the colors returned. His eyelids lifted slowly to reveal a pair of hollow white eyes. String-like light stretched endlessly, weaving through those nearby—an unsettling feeling followed each thread.
"...Energy?"
He reached his hand out to the drifting threads. They reacted instantly. The moment his fingers came close, the strands warped away from his touch as if it was being pulled by an unseen force. It felt as if the energy was avoiding him.
His hand was left there, suspended in the air.
The threads kept moving, weaving around him—but never once making contact.
"..."
A sharp pulse of pain shot through his head. Time resumed. He hit the ground hard. The threads...
They had completely changed.
They had once avoided him, but now they turned towards him. People walked away. Some shot glances. The rain fell against his collapsed body. Head still throbbing, he stayed there, letting the cold rain hit him. The threads vanished along with his focus.
He let out a tired exhale as he stared up into the dark sky with a listless expression. Not many thoughts were present in his mind; he observed everything but didn't think much.
After lying there for a few solid minutes, he began to get up. His clothes were worn, loose, and soaking wet from the rain. A strap ran across his chest down to his hip where a small parcel was securely attached to his belt.
I'm late.
He pulled the strap closer to his body and started walking on the uneven pavement. Wet signs, cramped tall buildings. Worn-out security cameras all around.
Broken lighting flickered throughout the night as people rushed by him. Snapping out of his dazed state, he picked up his pace into a light jog and ran into a dark alley.
Having been a delivery boy his entire life, he had picked up on some dexterous skills. He vaulted over a fence easily with a sign that read,
NO ENTRY.
He kept moving until he got to a dead end between a few buildings. Around eight people were near a campfire, some sharpening their weapons, some playing cards and one person who stood out from the rest. A tall muscular man wearing a vest and baggy pants. He had brown hair and a horizontal scar over his left eye.
He looked up with an intimidating glare.
"You're pushing it, Vayne. I said to be on time—not whenever you feel like showing up."
He stood and walked toward Vayne until he was close enough to look down at him.
"Sorry."
Vayne's expression remained the same. He simply looked up for a moment, then reached for the parcel at his side. Sliding the strap off his shoulder, he held it out.
The man took it, his eyes still fixed on Vayne. He grabbed the parcel angrily and looked at his own wrist. There was a worn watch with a digital screen. He slid his fingers across the display and turned around.
Bzeep
Vayne looked at his own wrist—a similar-looking watch buzzed, the numbers on it flickered before stabilizing.
[ +3 UNITS ]
He looked up.
"You said four Units."
The people around them looked startled and focused their attention on the two. The man stopped and turned his neck to look back at Vayne.
"You'll cover the difference."
Vayne let out a sigh and turned around. He picked up his pace as he left the alley.
He knew he had no chance of fighting them.
Vayne was able to traverse through the darkness easily; after all, he had been doing this his entire life. The whirring noises of broken tech filled his ears as he moved through narrow roads.
His pale eyes matched with his uneven white hair, swaying slightly as he moved. The cold rain hit his head.
He took a quick peek at his watch's screen.
[ 23 UNITS ]
His stomach growled.
Ah… I'm hungry.
Up ahead, something caught the corner of his eye. Near a pawn shop with dim neon lights. A cloaked individual stood still, watching him pass. They made eye contact for a split second—or at least, Vayne looked at where the eyes would be under that figure's mask.
Vayne turned his gaze away and kept moving—but something about it remained in his mind.
The rain didn't seem like it was gonna ease up.
A flickering sign buzzed faintly above Vayne's head.
LOWLINE DISTRICT
Half of the letters were dim. The rest flickered unevenly.
Around the narrow pathways, loose wires sparked occasionally—brief flashes cutting through the dark. Most of the lights didn't hold steady—ready to go out at any moment.
A small mobile foodstall was along the road.
Vayne slowed.
The scent of the skewered meat was simply divine. His eyes lit up and he almost started drooling. The vendor glanced up, adjusting his umbrella.
"Are you buying, or just staring?"
Vayne didn't answer right away. His gaze lingered on the food.
"...How much?"
"16 Units per skewer."
Vayne looked back at his watch
[ 23 UNITS ]
He stared at it for a moment. His grip tightened slightly.
"..One."
He slid his fingers on the display. The vendor handed over one skewer.
Bzeep
[ -16 UNITS ]
[...]
[NEW BALANCE]
[ 7 UNITS ]
Vayne took it and bit into it without hesitation. It was warm. He kept walking.
Bzeep
Vayne glanced at his watch—
[DELIVERY INCOMPLETE]
[...]
[TIME EXPIRED]
[...]
[SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY]
He stopped moving.
"Delivery incomplete..."
That wasn't right. Partial payment wouldn't flag it as incomplete. The payment would have gone through as long as there was enough money in his account. He finished his skewer quickly, dropped the stick, and headed back toward the alley.
He turned into the alley. Midway over the fence, his foot got caught in the jagged wire—and he fell onto the ground face first.
Perhaps it was fatigue.
He should've been able to get over.
He slowly pushed himself back up.
He groaned quietly.
His face felt warm and wet—his nose was bleeding. He wiped the blood and looked ahead. The campfire still burned. The men were there. None of them moved. One of them still had cards in his hand. Another one had a half-drawn sword.
Vayne's eyes widened.
Something wasn't right.
They weren't breathing.