Rejection hurts. It stings like a hot knife into the sternum. I thought that I was used to it. That I was too far gone for myself to be hurt by it. But god fucking dammit. When she told me I couldn't want her like I did. I knew that, despite my lack of reaction, that I was gonna crack later.

It felt like the world was gonna end.

Sorry, correction, the world did end.

The best part about the world ending, was my view of it. I was sitting in my apartment room, my feet up on the western facing windowsill, watching the sun’s glorious orange set. I was fairly intoxicated, I had been nightly, it was close to habit now. It helped me fall asleep, helped me ignore the fact that I may never have her so close to again.

Fuck, it hurts. It really fucking hurts. Why did I have to say it? Why? The view was one of a street lined with 5-story college apartments, a car park and the distant lights of downtown. It was a pretty good view in all honesty. A nice spot to see the setting sun be blotted out.

Just darkness. Even the street lights around me, the windows of the nearby apartments, went black. I had thought for a moment, through my suicidal self, had I inadvertently died? Did the alcohol catch up to me? But I still felt myself to be present. Aware.

Slowly light returned. But it wasn’t the warm orange of the sunset, nor the bright blue of the sky. But a deep red, a crimson that hung with threatening anger above. It felt like the sky had enough of our shit.

Then the deep rumbling began. The sky crackled and roared. It was a sort of thunder I had only heard once. Hiking in northern Canada, the clouds cracked and tore. Sounds I couldn’t even think electricity could make. This was worse than that.

Then it began to rain down. Lightning, it began to rain lightning. Perhaps we had pissed off god, perhaps this was the great filter, ragnarok—-I don't know.

But man, did I have a good view.

I didn’t stop sipping my drink. The ice cubes in my Jack Coke clicked against the glass as it reached my lips. Each flash of lightning, each strike of the ground my face was illuminated. I could momentarily see my reflection each time.

Dark-puffy eyes from crying, black messy hair from grabbing and a banging jawline, from my father. The world was ending. I was sad, but damn did I still look good.

Eventually lightning hit nearby. The car park right in front of my window. It was empty save for a single Black Sedan, mine that is.

Phew I thought, the lightning missed. But as I was about to re-adjust myself into my world-ending first class seat I saw movement in the car park.

Did someone get fucking hit? A normal first reaction, but I remembered the car park being empty. Furthermore, I doubt that small figure down there was human. It looked more-so like a hideous globin. I couldn’t really tell since it was now edgy dark red everywhere, and the constant lightning had made my eyes adjust over and over.

But slowly I could see it. Yeah that's not human, no sir. I’d say goblin esque, but the hands and feet were too long. Not the usual game-like goblin. Its arms hung by its sides painfully dragging across the asphalt ground, its long slender legs were bent. Squatting position, that's how it walked. Wobbling with each step it took, its round body almost tipping it. It did have long goblin ears though. It was a little too far to make-out its face but I bet its ugly. I could make out its eyes though, since they glowed green. Black skin, long arms and legs, glowing green eyes.

Yikes. That thing is fucking disgusting.

It was just walking in circles, but after a few short moments it started to take in its surroundings. It was like a new-born baby, well, more-so animal I guess. What was it gonna do? Just waddle around the car park all ugly like that?

As if to answer my question it stopped and looked at my car.

No.

Its head tilted back slightly, as its long arms began to slowly raise up, all dangly like.

Please...not the fucking Mazda.

It pounced, it FUCKING POUNCED AT MY MAZDA.

The back window was immediately cracked as its claw like hands bashed into it. The goblin, No, the piece of shit then began to repeatedly smack it with its arms like a child swinging its arms at an older brother.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

This motherfucker. World ending be damned, no matter how fucking sad and depressed or drunk I am, no one, not even demon looking goblins, fucks with the Mazda. I immediately ran into my kitchen and grabbed my chef's knife. Now I know you’re not supposed to run with blades, but you have to think of the Mazda here.

I slammed my shoes onto my feet and with the fury of a thousand suns blasted down the stairs, the keys in my pocket jingled loudly with each stride. The stairwell exited out right next to the car park and so I was already pretty close. I couldn’t let my rage cloud my judgement, and as quickly yet silently and angrily as possible I opened the door and began to sneak up on the little fucker… who was a lot bigger now that I was on the same plane as him.

The cold air passed right through my beige-shirt and running pants but met resistance at the adrenaline in my veins. The rumbling and crackling lightning worked with me in letting me sneak up to the long armed fuck. He hadn’t stopped wailing on the car. Insurance better cover this. I thought of approaching its back.

It was just screeching, like some sort of high-pitched howler monkey. Its neck was surprisingly thin, I could see the ever-so slightly glowing blood. I had to be quick. I had knife training but not neck-slitting training.

Springing into action, the lightning around thundered as I wrapped my left arm around its neck and quickly pulled it close to me, there was an immediate force of resistance, a twitch of surprise. Before it could do anything else I strongly drove the blade into its neck making sure to cut as deep as possible. I met more resistance than I thought but the blade went in.

And before it could even scream more like a moron I pulled the blade back and dashed backwards, taking a stance. There was no way it was going to die right away, but I had its attention now. Normally, it's 30 seconds til death with cuts like that, or so I’m told. But judging by the fury in its eyes, it might hold on a little longer.

Our eyes met and I felt a slight shudder go down my back. What the hell am I doing, jesus christ. It threw its head back to howl again, but quickly found itself screaming in pain as the cut began to open more. Realising its impending doom it pounced at me.

I took a deep breath, it had been awhile but my body was still fit. I stepped forward with my left foot, my toes pointed to the right, immediately my body followed it as I spun, lifting my right knee almost to my chest. Spinning back kick. The white sole of my shoe slammed into the Mazda wrecker’s chest. I could feel something break underneath my shoe. It flew back onto the concrete hard, the sound of its fleshly head crushing against the hard ground was gruesome.

But so was the damage done to my Mazda.

It tried to get back up but immediately began to choke on the blood pouring down its throat. After a few moments it went still.

And thats what you get for fucking with the—

Before I could finish my thought the body jittered. I immediately took a stance ready for round two. To my surprise, it wasn’t coming back for round two. A deep green light began to seep out of its dark skin, like a soul rising up.

Thats, unusual…

I mean—I know all that was going on was fucking crazy, y’know with the sky being red, lightning, etc… I think the alcohol and rage of my Mazda being the target of abuse had to a degree, fogged my normally logical mind.

The sudden light had jumped my mind back to sobriety.

Its soul/essence/life juice—had risen just above its corpse, condensing into a deep green ball of light. I drew in a cold breath. The rumbling sky and flashes in the distance made everything begin to feel incredibly surreal.

I gotta touch it right? Like no way I don't touch it. I mean, look at it. It's just floating there, menacingly! I reached for it.

For a moment, I felt something solid touch my fingertips, it was warm. It seemingly reacted to my touch quickly dissolving into motes of light. Then it seeped into ME! I could feel it under my skin, crawling its way up my arm and towards my chest before reaching my heart and stabbing my heart. Incredibly unsettling, but not painful? Like rubbing a sheet of paper across recently dried skin.

My heart however lurched and sent me to my knees. I could feel it begin to pound, the thumping noise quickly matching the thundering around me.

Ba-Dum...Ba-Dum...Ba-Dum…

You have been Awakened…

* Human | Stage 0-1 | Average Potential

Words floating in my mind, a vivid image in my imagination. Too solid however to be my own. Awakened? AVERAGE? I’m for sure at least, if not minutely, just above average. My body felt good, akin to an after workout high. Had I just gotten stronger?

I got back to my feet and felt my body. No, I hadn’t gotten stronger, I could feel strength in my heart but it wasn’t distributed to my body. I could feel it, almost see the thin insignificant strand of light circulating around my heart. It wanted to move, wanted to be delivered somewhere. I subconsciously clenched my fists and the light bursted outwards.

It felt rough, like a metal straw being pushed through my flesh from my heart to my forearms. I could immediately tell that this was NOT what I was supposed to be doing but it was too late.

The pathways were made. The pain already passed.

* Human | Stage 0-1 | Average Potential

* Forced Pathways (incomplete)

The floating words changed again. It hadn’t gone away but kinda just lingered at the back of my mind. Ah I knew I fucked up.

But now I did actually feel stronger. My Heart seemed to pump a familiar green glow towards my arms. I could feel a significant increase in strength, what is this stuff it feels so… good~

Better than sex.

I looked around me, my newfound strength giving me an odd confidence. The Goblins corpse was still there, motionless behind my mazda. I walked over.

What I saw made my spine shudder.

What the fuck… it scratched the shit outta the Mazda!

As I looked at the devastating bumps and marks along the back of my car, debating whether or not my insurance covers attacks from demonic beings the air around me began to vibrate. Instinctually I looked up. Get the fuck outta here.

I dashed towards my apartment, knife still in hand arms filled with strength. The sky crackled and a flash of light illuminated my shadow across my apartment's walls. As I slowly peeked over my shoulder my heart dropped. Time seemed to have slowed as my eyes saw a bolt of lightning descending to where I was just standing.

No please… anything but the Mazda.