“Yo!” a masked figure suddenly shouted from over the tree as Zeke found himself standing on the edge of the cliff once more.
“How can this be?” Zeke thought to himself. “I’m sure I jumped off just moments ago,” he pondered as he slowly approached the edge, ignoring the masked figure looking down at him from over the tree.
“Oh, no you don’t!” The figure suddenly appeared, standing behind his back and grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping Zeke’s movements.
“What do you want from me?!” Zeke shouted, shoving the masked figure away.
“What do I want from you? Why are you so eager to die?” The figure laughed as he took off his mask, revealing his face.
The young man was of average height and appeared to be in his late teens. He was wearing a black bomber jacket, a red hoodie, cargo pants, and high combat boots. His face appeared too handsome to belong to a regular teenager. There was something about it, it was too taken care of and groomed. His golden eyes rested relaxed on his face, covered by a pair of hooded eyelids. His expression was calm and welcoming, like a warm autumn breeze. The mask currently residing within his grasp was made out of a substance resembling porcelain. It was white with several blue lines drawn on it, constructing the insignia of a fox.
Zeke stood motionless, captivated by the easy-going appearance of this mysterious stranger.
“Why do you care?” Zeke pushed the stranger’s hand away and continued walking towards the edge.
“Because I think I can help you.” The stranger approached Zeke yet again, grabbing and pushing him straight off the edge of the cliff. Just as he was about to hit the ground, subsequently losing his life, Zeke found himself softly seated on the ground below, with no sign of an impact, with the stranger seated opposite to him with his legs crossed.
“Now explain. Why are you so eager to off yourself?” the stranger asked while grabbing his chin.
“Because…” Zeke timidly trembled, “I have nothing to live for!” he punched the ground, “My father died when I was young, leaving my mother with an insane amount of debt. My mother, my poor mother, worked herself to death trying to make ends meet. She never once gave up while her idiot son did nothing for her!” The boy wept.
“Let me guess, you were trying to become a contractor. Training day and night, knowing that if you were to get offered a contract, you could support your mother and she wouldn’t need to push herself anymore.” The stranger sighed, “and no matter what you did, no matter how much you tried, you could not become one.”
“How did you know?” Zeke asked, seemingly still in a state of shock.
“A story like yours is a dime a dozen. You put your heart into something only for the world to reject your efforts and dreams trampling over them. That’s just how the world works. You go on thinking that you are the main character in your own story only to end up as a secondary character in someone else’s…” the stranger explained as he scratched his head.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Why are you telling me this?” Zeke asked with a sad expression.
“Because I used to be just like you. The way you are, how you act and think goes in line with what I seek,” the figure briefly closed his eyes, “I seek the azure king,” he remarked, slamming his eyes wide open and gazing directly at Zeke.
“How is that even possible?” Zeke wondered, stumbling over his words.
“I wish to see it with my own eyes, the nature of the demon who destroyed humanity.” The mysterious stranger explained, peering into the panoramic view of the city.
Zeke sighed, pondering how minuscule his existence really was, how small and inconsequential he was on the grand stage of the world. “I guess we all have dreams and aspirations irrelevant if we’re the main character or not,” he muttered.
“Then what is your dream?” the stranger wondered.
“To become the main character of my story.” Zeke clenched his fist.
“Well, it’s your lucky day! I can easily help you with that much,” the stranger smiled.
“What?! How?!” Zeke exclaimed in surprise.
“Have you heard of the contractor king?” The stranger asked.
“An urban legend about a demon capable of granting contracts to humans residing within the city of Lower Babel,” Zeke muttered.
“Oh, it’s more than a simple urban legend. The contractor king is real. And he can help you.” The stranger peered deeply into Zeke’s gray eyes. A strange sensation filled Zeke up from the inside, a feeling of hope, yet he could not cease to be wary of the stranger. There was something about him, something unexplainable that made Zeke feel uneasy.
“Before Babel was built here, this place was home to another city, Berlin. When the demons escaped hell, the earth shifted, causing violent tremors to go rampant all over the world. Parts of the city became submerged underground. These parts were later discovered, tunnels were dug and connected into a secret underground system of what later became known as the Undercity. The contractor king is the leader of the Undercity. Every year, a competition is hosted for the opportunity to meet this mysterious figure. We, guardians, are tasked with assembling teams to take part in this competition,” the stranger explained.
“And you’re inviting me, a teenager? Doesn’t make much sense,” Zeke frowned.
“Well, to be honest, there’s only one day left, and I have to fill the quota. But what may later become a liability for me might also become an advantage for you, that is, if you can survive the ordeal.” The stranger stood up. “Well, what do you say?” he asked, extending his hand.
Zeke firmly grabbed his hand and used it to pull himself up off the ground.
“Oh, and by the way, when did you get that injury?” the stranger wondered, alluding to the large gash on Zeke’s shoulder.
“What?” Zeke asked in confusion.
“How many hours has it been since you got hurt?” The stranger inquired again.
“I don’t know, maybe six?” Zeke replied in an unsure tone.
“Six eich, I’ll do 8 just to be sure,” the stranger said as he placed his hand on top of the wound. “That should do it,” he moved his hand away, revealing the injury to be completely healed.
“How did you do that?” Zeke flinched.
The mysterious stranger positioned his index finger in front of his mouth. “It’s a secret,” he said with a wide smile.
Zeke stared at him with a strange fascination, a complex emotion he himself could not yet comprehend.
“So, what now?” He asked in a shaking tone.
“You should head home for now. Meet me at the central monorail station tomorrow at 10 pm. You’ll meet your new teammates,” the stranger explained while scratching the back of his head.
“Oh, and by the way, call me Fox,” he smiled with a warm, welcoming expression.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/Jz3t7cyL/Name-Alias-X-Species-Demon-Age-80-Height-182cm-Affiliation-Knights-Rank-Special-grade-investigator.png]