On his way home from the meeting with Serenity, Leuliang was haunted. One question nagged at the back of his mind.
Who exactly is Serenity? And why did the Observer of the World give me something I don’t even understand?
Before he knew it, he had reached his small, cramped rental. He stumbled into the room, threw his bag into a corner, and collapsed onto the bed.
"Why did she... choose me?" Leuliang muttered into the mattress.
He opened his palms, staring at them in the dim light. There was no reaction. The strange sensation had faded, leaving only a lingering coldness in his mind.
He glanced at the clock on the bedside table: 2:00 AM. He hadn’t realized how many hours had slipped through his fingers.
Leuliang tried to sleep, but his eyes refused to stay shut. His thoughts were a chaotic whirlpool of a lost job, a shrinking future, and the bizarre symbol that had manifested on his palm. Finally, he sat up with a frustrated groan.
"I have to find work... and I have to know what this is," he whispered.
He stared at his right palm again. It looked normal—devoid of any mark or sensation, as if the encounter had been nothing more than a fever dream. He grabbed his phone and began scrolling through job vacancies. One page bled into the next.
Rejected. Not qualified. Position filled.
"If I fail this month... it's over," he confessed to the empty room. His stomach twisted; he wasn't even sure where his next meal would come from.
After hours of searching, he found a single opening. The pay was insulting—barely enough to cover rent—but he had no choice. He hit 'Apply' with a trembling thumb. Then, he pivoted his search to Serenity and the strange symbol.
"Nothing," he sighed.
The internet was silent. No myths, no forum posts, no historical records matched what he had seen. It was as if reality had been edited to erase the truth.
As the first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, exhaustion finally won. He drifted off, the last word on his lips a weary plea.
"Serenity..."
***
He woke with tears streaming down his cheeks. The room was bathed in the orange hue of dusk.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Why... why did I dream about her?"
A sharp cramp in his stomach interrupted his thoughts. He hadn't eaten since yesterday. Shaking off the lethargy, he took a quick, cold shower and headed to the supermarket. Every step felt heavy, his joints aching with a budding fever.
He grabbed the cheapest loaf of bread he could find, checking the expiration date three times to ensure he wasn't wasting his last few coins on mold.
On the walk back, the world began to tilt. His skin felt like it was on fire, yet he was shivering.
Damn... I have to get home quickly...
Suddenly, his feet rooted to the pavement.
There was something in the middle of the busy street. It was a void—a tall, pitch-black silhouette with no face, save for a pair of piercing, pure white eyes. The air around the entity seemed to crack and splinter like glass under pressure.
Pedestrians walked past it without a second glance. To them, the street was empty. To Leuliang, it was the end of the world.
The creature grinned. It was a wide, impossible smile, revealing rows of jagged teeth that defied logic.
"Wh—what are you..." Leuliang tried to move, but his nervous system was paralyzed with terror.
The creature stepped forward. A piercing cold emanated from it, smelling of ozone and the void. When it spoke, the voice didn't come from its mouth. It vibrated within Leuliang's very bones.
"LORD ESCULENTA."
The world around them came to a dead halt.
"WE HAVEN'T MET FOR A LONG TIME."
Hunger, fever, and cosmic horror collided. Leuliang’s vision fractured into black spots. The name Esculenta echoed in his mind like a funeral bell. Before he could scream, the darkness claimed him.
***
Meanwhile, in Ipsix, Serenity’s Realm. A few hours earlier, Serenity walked briskly through the Peaceraft Manor. The Manor was less of a home and more of a sprawling expanse of light—pure white marble, white granite, and gardens of white flowers. It was a whiteness that didn't offer peace. It offered a reminder of cold, rigid rules.
She entered her private room, only to find someone waiting. The young maid smoothed her uniform, her blonde hair tucked neatly behind her ears.
"Miss, you’ve returned," Rhea said, her smile failing to mask the anxiety in her eyes.
"I just stepped out for a moment," Serenity replied, her voice clipped.
"Miss... I know you. You met him, didn't you?"
Serenity went still.
Rhea bowed deeply, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Please, stay away from the experimental subject."
"Don't call him that. You know who Lian really is," Serenity snapped, her composure slipping.
Rhea’s head stayed low. "Forgive me, Miss. I am only following Master Avalon’s orders."
She bit her lip, her voice trembling. "Don't you remember your last punishment? Two years in the Oblivion Tower... you've only just been freed."
Serenity placed a hand on Rhea’s shoulder, a rare moment of softness. "I was simply conveying my wishes. This is the last time I will meet him."
A sharp knock at the door cut the tension. Ashil, the sturdy, white-haired bodyguard, stood at the entrance.
"Master Avalon summons Miss Serenity."
Father knew the moment I returned home, Serenity thought bitterly.
She left Rhea and followed the marble hallways toward her father’s office. In front of the door, Ashil’s twin, Vashil, bowed. "Master Avalon is waiting."
Serenity stepped inside and offered a formal salute. "Father."
Avalon Peaceraft did not look up from the documents on his desk. The silence in the room was heavy—the kind of silence that precedes a tragedy.
"What do you think about the subject of Esculenta?" Avalon asked quietly.
Serenity remained silent. It was a simple question, but now, his tone held a lethal blade.
Avalon finally turned, his gaze as cold as the marble floors. "How do you see him... as a biological weapon? Or something more?"
To be continued...
