"do you think this is the right one, hide?" I jolted again to see kiyoshi behind me.
"S-stop that! What the hell?!!" I bursted out as I took a deep breath. "Jeez, your footsteps don't even make a sound!"
Kiyoshi looked at me in a silly manner, rubbing the back of his neck, while I have my insides experiencing a mental attack after that.
I stepped towards the door and planned to go in first, but kiyoshi placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from going in.
"I'll go in." He reassured me. I wanted to stop him but I don't insist myself, and let him move forward with slight guilt.
Kiyoshi stood in front of me, holding the door handle and opening the door.
There was a gleeming white space behind the door, which looked different from others. He stepped in first, and looked perfectly fine instead of falling into somewhere endlessly.
"Look, I'm alright! It's safe to come in." He exclaimed from a distance. I scoffed in a happy manner and was about to move forward, but I wanted to check the remaining time.
[Time remaining: 0 min]
What the hell..?
Wasn't it around 38 minutes the last time I checked?
[ Escape. ]
The text started flickering away and back, like a warning. I looked behind me and saw a black hole, destroying everything in its path in second.
Having fear engulfed, I ran into the house as it neared me in a second, and shut the door with full force. The room started shaking vigorously, and settled after a while.
I breathed a sigh of relief, and saw a seemingly endless path behind me. I went forward walking towards the path without hesitation.
Then kiyoshi spoke up, "aren't you forgetting something?"
I looked at him in a questioning manner. "What did I forget?"
"Those stuff you packed saying it's a week long trip!" He corrected me.
I laughed and scoffed at him. "I did that just to bring you here." Kiyoshi's expression changed to a slightly angry one.
"Huh?!! I I fell to that dumb trick again, damn it! I'm never coming wherever you ask me to anymore!" He blurred.
I rubbed the back of my head and explained him. "You know you can't just say that plainely, people can tell that you are a reanimated person, and it's not safe. I need you to atleast get involved in this, so I could try to change your fate." I muttered the last part in an inaudible voice.
That's my unimaginable goal now.
I thought.
"So you escaped the first realm, hideyoshi izumi." A voice talked in my head.
I stopped in my tracks and kept myself on guard, "Who are you?" I said calmly.
"This isn't the end, you will have many realms coming up sooner."
"Are you behind all this?!!"
"Until then, farewell."
I heard the sound of cracking, and looked down to see the room about to break.
i closed my eyes shut and was prepared if anything fell on me. There was no sound. I opened my eyes to see that we were back into the facility.
soemthing felt off though— the area which used to be full of banters is now a quiet place.
"Are sessions going on?" I muttered.
I walked around the porch, into the quiet hallways, looking at each rooms, but all of them were empty.
I turned around, and kiyoshi wasn't behind me.
What the hell is going on here...?
I clutched onto my head, trying to figure out this maniac.
"Just stop playing with my life already..."
I pleaded to myself.
A voice came out, "are you okay, hide?"
I widened my eyes and looked up, seeing kiyoshi in front of me. I looked around, and I was in bed.
"You good?" He called out again. I was silent for a while, running a hand through my hair.
"What happened...?" I asked in a groggy voice. Kiyoshi just rubbed the back of his head before speaking.
"Well, we returned to the dorm after coming back, and slept for a while. I saw you stressed out while sleeping so I woke you up."
"So I was asleep?" I responded. Kiyoshi nodded back with relief.
I blew a deep sigh and leaned with my hand supporting behind me. I looked at my attire and realized I laid on bed as soon as I reached back here.
I placed a hand on kiyoshi's shoulder, "I'm alright now, don't worry about me."
I got up from bed and went to change my attire, wearing a normal shirt and pant and sitting in the chair. I gazed around and looked at my desk, seeing an envelope which looked like an invitation card.
I picked it up, gazing at the front title.
"A banquet? Isn't it too early for one?" I thought to myself before opening the card, reading it's contents.
I didn't consider much of it, just read it briefly and closed the invite as soon as I got fed up. I kept it aside the table and got up, pausing my steps as I felt my phone vibrate.
My hands reached the pockets, the phone in my hand stopped vibrating as I held it. I turned it on, and was met with this message.
[Attend the banquet.]
I stared at it for a good amount of time. 'Should I be serious with my invite?' my mind wandered about. My fingers clicked the power button, but the phone wasn't turned off — just yet.
[I want to meet you.]
[Follow my orders.]
The message flickered, each word giving an uncertain chill down my spine. But I had the rare opportunity to change mine and kiyoshi's fates, even if it feels fictional.
My eyes narrowed at the message. There was no reconsideration, maybe a spark of sheer desire, that I can change my own life in my fingertips, in this mere phone I had binged uselessly in.
A wave of these thoughts rushed into my mind, and I quickly snapped. I can make this a reality, I just need to attend the banquet, that's all.
I turned back to the table I left the invite, and opened it again. But I find only one thing strange– this building does not have a designated name.
Wasn't this place supposed to be with people who have strange abnormalities which make them stand out of the crowd, or was I just dreaming? What if I'm being simulated?
Questions popped into my mind, one by one, none of them having a single hint, let alone a short answer.
like any normal person, i wrote my thoughts in a diary i had maintained since i came here, everytime i read it seemed like i'm living some wicked fantasy story. I'll be honest― I couldn't understand what i even wrote myself.
i fell asleep on bed after i updated myself.