✦ Prologue ✦
An object in Zekai's pocket vibrated. He crushed it without even pulling his hand out.
Zzzzsup!
A blood-red interface materialized right before his eyes, black-and-white letters flashing across it.
[THE XXXX HAS DRAWN A PATH]
[CONDITION LOCKED]
Next Activation: Pending
Timeframe: Unstable
Failure Penalty: [ xxxx xx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx ]
[FINAL WARNING]
DO OR DIE
Something was hiding this from him, waiting for the right moment to show itself.
He had been trapped with this damn thing for the last three weeks, suffering through it. He'd thrown it into a pond, burned it in a fire, even buried it deep in the dirt. No matter what he did, it kept coming back.
Zekai could only let out a heavy sigh. Should he be bitter that his life had gone off the rails the moment he got this, or should he use it to fix his life?
If there was one good thing about it, it was that even in the most dangerous situations, it gave him the opportunities he needed.
And ever since he got it, one thing had become crystal clear to him: this system had never lied to him.
As useful as it was, it came with a lot of danger. It was trying to scare him into submission, to make him kneel.
Looking at it, Zekai couldn't help but laugh. "...Pathetic."
"Let's see how far you can actually push."
✦ Chapter 1 — The One Who Watches the World ✦
Three weeks before all this.
Zekai stood in front of a convenience store shelf, holding a small bouquet of white flowers he had made himself for his parents' second death anniversary. He was trying to figure out the cheapest thing he could eat for breakfast and lunch.
"Bread for breakfast. Rice ball for lunch." He picked up the food, checked the price, and sighed. "If I still had a job, I wouldn't have to do math over bread."
Grabbing the food, Zekai walked toward the checkout counter. Suddenly, a little girl bumped into his hip, lost her balance, and fell.
He reached out to pick her up. "Hey! Careful!" But she jumped up immediately and ran off toward her mom, who stood behind him.
"Mommy!?"
Only then did Zekai notice the old X-shaped scar on his hand. It triggered an ache in his chest that he couldn't share with anyone. He pulled his sleeve down right away to hide it.
He glanced back at the little girl once more. 'She was alright.'
Moving toward the counter again, he saw a 19-year-old kid named Aron Lexi working behind the register. Hearing Zekai approach, Aron turned his way, and his face instantly lit up. Aron raised his hands. "M-Mr. Zekai! Morning... ah, sorry. Good morning."
Zekai replied in turn, "...Morning."
He placed the food on the counter. As Aron picked it up to scan it, he caught sight of the flowers in Zekai's hand, but he quickly looked away so he wouldn't have to ask about them.
Beep. Beep.
"Haven't seen Grandpa Marcus lately. Is he doing okay?"
"He's in Sanctum Grace. Circus gig."
"Huh." Aron nodded. "Sounds like him."
"Fifty Ryn!"
Zekai shoved his hand into his pocket to get the money out, but his fingers brushed against something else instead. When he pulled it out to look, it was a black tarot box covered in weird red writing.
He looked down at the coat he was wearing. It was too big. "Ah, damn it. I grabbed the old man's coat by mistake."
Grandpa Marcus was a circus performer. His pockets were always stuffed with strange props and junk. But Zekai had never seen this box before.
Zekai set it on the counter. The moment he put it down, the glass of water sitting next to the register started to ripple.
Zekai stood there, not knowing what to do. "Aron!"
Realizing his situation, Aron said, "I know." He pulled out his card and tapped it against the reader before Zekai could stop him.
Zekai wasn't expecting that. "...What are you doing?"
Aron gave a small smile. "Don't worry about it."
Zekai hesitated, his ego fighting the offer. But looking at Aron's genuine smile, he just couldn't turn him down. "Fine, fine. Give it here. Next time I'll pay you back."
"Sure. Eventually," Aron said, bagging the food. "Um. Thanks... Mr. Zekai."
Reluctantly, Zekai took the food. "Ahhh. You're hopeless." Wanting to mess with him a bit, Zekai asked, "How's Sara?"
Aron's ears went red instantly. "Really well! We went to the theater yesterday. And, and... she kissed me." He pressed a hand to his chest. "Hm. I thought my heart was going to explode."
"Look at you. You're nineteen, not twelve," Zekai laughed, but the sound died in his throat as Aron's eyes caught the wilting white flowers.
Aron's smile faded. "Mr. Zekai. Are you fine? Today's your parents' anniversary, right?"
Zekai's laugh caught halfway down his throat. He looked into Aron's eyes. "I'm fine." He looked down at the white petals. They were already beginning to wilt. "See! They won't last forever!"
Aron nodded as if he got his answer. He didn't want to push it any further. "Eat something after, alright?"
"You just paid for my breakfast."
"Exactly. Don't waste my money."
Zekai stepped out of the store and started walking down the pedestrian platform. Further off, near the Minutes area traffic signal, a large crowd of people had gathered. Standing out from the rest, a few guys dressed in black stood off to the side without bothering anyone.
They checked their smartwatches in unison, an orange display blinking a warning across each screen. One of them, wearing sunglasses despite the overcast sky, glanced back up. "Countdown started," he said flatly.
"Be ready," another answered.
There were so many people around, yet nobody paid them any attention. Zekai wondered why. "...Guess I'm not the only one without a job."
"Mr. Zekai!"
The voice was unmistakable. Zekai turned right away to find Aron shoving through the crowd, the tarot box held high over his head. "You forgot this!"
Just looking at it annoyed Zekai. "Aron, don't. That thing's no use to me."
Before Zekai could even finish, his phone rang. Marcus's name lit up the screen. 'Why is he calling me?'
Grandpa Marcus was supposed to be in rehearsals at this hour. He rarely called around this time, and even if he did, it was just to nag Zekai about something. 'Is he calling because of that tarot box in his coat?'
Zekai hesitated, unsure if he should answer or not. He decided to answer and reached for it, but someone bumped right into him. Stumbling, he spun around, feeling something slide out of his coat pocket and fall.
Tick.
He whipped around toward the guy who bumped him. "Are you blind?" But whoever it was had already vanished into the crowd.
Aron reached him a second later. "You okay?"
"Ah!!!"
Only then did Zekai look down at his feet. A black cube was lying on the ground. It was the same size as the tarot box, but the markings on it were completely different. He picked it up, but his gut immediately told him to leave it right where it was.
That was when he noticed the air had gone dead still. Except for Aron, the crowd that had just been surrounding them had completely vanished. Before they could even blink, the world around them ripped apart, layer by layer, like sheets of paper tearing loose, and something new was already forming behind it.
Aron froze. "Mr. Zekai, what is this?!"
'Grandpa... just like you said. I am the one who watches the world. Is this really happening to me?'
"Holy shit..." Zekai muttered. "Great. Just great."
✦ End of Chapter 1 — The One Who Watches the World ✦