Chapter 6: Fear of the Unknown

Growing up, I was what some people called a really tough cookie. Gritty, resilient, determined but most importantly... fearless.

You could best describe me as something akin to what is probably one of, if not your worst, nightmare.

Cockroaches.

I personally despised mosquitoes far more and thought they were the bigger nightmare, but I could easily understand why people were so afraid of cockroaches.

Roaches were big, disgusting, unexpectedly fast, and were damn good at hiding in places where you least expected it.

They looked especially terrifying in real life, and the fact that only a small group of them could actually fly did not help at all.

I remember encountering these formidable creatures numerous times as a kid.

And not once did I think they were anything genuinely frightening. Sure, they may have looked intimidating, but I had gotten so used to being with them that eventually, I started welcoming their presence with open arms, treating them as if they were my friends.

If anything, I was really into the idea that such small creatures, at least when compared to humans, could ever exist.

Creatures that couldn't be killed so easily through conventional methods and had to be put down with ungodly amounts of effort.

It was like the concept of seeing humans going up against Gods with almighty powers.

People loved to root for the underdog, even if they knew their chances of winning were next to nothing.

And although I had a reputation for being a fearless cockroach, I wasn't arrogant enough to believe I was afraid of nothing.

It was practically impossible unless you were just diagnosed with the literal inability to feel fear.

And the only other people who claim to be not afraid of anything are only lying to you and deluding themselves.

It's just in the nature of humans to feel fear.

In my case, the thing that I was most afraid of was something I didn't really have a particular word for.

The fear of the unknown.

I was quite a meticulous person, surprisingly so.

And I was somewhat obsessed with the idea of learning whatever was necessary about anything uncertain and worrying to me.

As I met Irene for the first time and he gazed at me with those eyes, I could feel that innate emotion dwell up from within.

I had never struggled so hard to stay calm, not even when I was already struggling daily in the slums.

Those cold and petrifying eyes of his... I had no clue as to how he was able to do it.

And for the longest time, I thought nothing could ever disturb me like Irene once did.

Even when experiencing new situations that I couldn't quite put my finger on, I could not feel that same level of dread. It all paled in comparison, so much so that I couldn't even fully remember the times when I had only been slightly fearful at worst.

But all of that changed the moment I saw 'his' eyes. I thought Irene could never be surpassed in that regard. I had never been more wrong in my life.

To think Irene's glare was never gonna be the most frightening experience of my life...

It was all thanks to 'him'.

An unprecedented magnitude of absolute fear struck me. As I struggled to breathe, I could feel my spirit rapidly submitting and losing all of its momenta, as if my will was suddenly being broken.

I was slowly losing my sanity, and many unfamiliar questions popped up inside my head.

'Just what is he!?'

'Why am I feeling this scared?'

'What the hell is going on?'

The figure before me was far, far more terrifying than I had expected. If he was already incredibly bizarre and had a presence comparable to Irene's eyes, the figure was now terror incarnate.

His very presence made me feel as insignificant as an ant-- a bitter feeling that I had never once experienced. I could only listen in acquiescence as to what the man before me had to say next.

"The Great One. It is about time we met again. It's good to see you."

A smile formed on his face as he said those words. Somehow, I felt slightly relieved after hearing them despite my aforementioned grudge against the man before me. Unfortunately, it did nothing to put me out of the state of current shock I was in.

It seemed as though no amount of reassurance could take me out of it.

The man before me had been slowly walking back and forth with his arms crossed, the side opposite to where I was still facing him. As I looked into the figure with eyes wide open and a mouth shut tight, I could only move my head and embrace everything being said without so much as a word in retaliation.

But even just trying to open my mouth was painfully hard. It really felt as if I had actually been frozen in place.

The only thing I could really do besides stare was be confused and inwardly question everything being said almost the entire time.

"Again, I apologize for what I'm currently putting you through as well as the pain that I indirectly inflicted upon you a few weeks prior. Time is running out, however, so we'll have to keep this meeting brief."

As the individual before me spoke, a casual look was attached to his face. It seemed as though he was very comfortable talking to me.

"Since you have not taken the test I have made for you, you are unfortunately still not awakened, so I can only say with regret that you have yet to be made aware of how to use your powers and what lies dormant within you...

…But make no mistake. This was merely a part of the plan that had already been set in motion. We weren't expecting you to succeed, though it seems my expectations of you were a little too high. For that, I humbly apologize. Not only to you but to my assistant, whom you've already met."

'Who?'

"Anyhow, what is happening now is that time itself is paused. Or, to put it in a way you could hopefully understand better, I have triggered what you might call a JoJo reference. The World, if you will? Or was it Za Warudo? I guess it doesn't matter."

'...'

"..."

"Anyway, this was the only method I could think of when it came to meeting you in person. It seems we still could not formally meet without great consequences and unfortunate misunderstandings. And if I had met you again at your resting place instead of at the police station, you would have been in a world of trouble."

The figure took a moment to clear his throat before resuming.

"Simply put, we want you to do something for us. And before you ask me what I want of you, I want you first to understand that I cannot reveal too much information regarding such esoteric matters. Therefore, it should be in your best interest to remain obligated and continue listening with open ears."

The figure finally stopped walking and turned to look at me solemnly before firmly planting his hands on the wooden table, shoulder-width apart.

But before he could say anything, I had already paused to think about what was happening. It seemed as though I would be unable to ask him any of my questions.

My grudge against the man that persisted until now was being challenged. I was initially really infuriated, but now I was as scared as a puppy. I couldn't muster up the courage to stand up for myself in the face of what looked to be the pure embodiment of fear, nor could I even think of wanting to stay mad.

To think that I would get pushed back by someone who I thought was never gonna treat me in such a way again after I got my revenge.

'Revenge? Against someone like him? Yeah, right.'

To be reduced to such a state...

Doubt crept into my mind, as what replaced my brazen confidence from earlier was that of shame.

'I'm not actually as tough as I thought.'

'Am I really... this spineless?'

Soon enough, the figure in front of me spoke.

"This will be very important from now on, so I want you to get rid of any questions you might have about me and listen very carefully."

The figure paused for a few seconds and spoke again, his voice staid this time, matching the solid look he had just a moment ago.

"Since this is a necessary precaution and because you have yet to follow the proper procedures leading up to your awakening, I will ask you to do only one thing for now."

Staring at the figure with obedient eyes, I inwardly prayed. If this man before me was treating this as though it was the most important thing in the world, then I could only hope it wasn't anything that would put me in severe danger.

"I ask of you to go to a certain somewhere-- a specific place, to be precise. For your information, it is not just any normal place. I will even go so far as to say that it will ultimately change how you perceive this world. I can't disclose many such details regarding the place aside from a few exceptions. You aren't awakened, after all."

The figure then returned to his previous casual demeanor, walking to and fro with crossed arms and an innocent smile on his face.

"That being said, it is far from where this place is, though it should not be too far away. It is only a continent's distance from here, but knowing your kind, that might indeed be too far away."

'A continent away? Does he mean..?'

"You can fly over there by plane, but that would cut up from the time needed for enlightenment before you arrive there."

"Oh, enlightenment is different from an awakening, mind you. But you'll figure that out in due time."

The figure then looked at me with bright eyes. "There is more I need to say to you, but I've no choice but to compress everything. In short, you could very well say that you're going on an adventure!"

'On an adventure? But where? And what kind?'

The more time the figure spent talking to me, the more excited he became. It was like listening to a child's voice about his favorite toys and how he was only going to add to his collection. I was becoming more bewildered and flustered at all the new information being bombarded into my now fragile state of mind.

I didn't know what to make of any of it, but this was something that I was also paying extreme attention to, so even if I wanted to forget about it, that was probably not gonna happen.

"Did I say adventure now? Or was it a quest? Maybe a journey? But a journey is when the trip is more important than the destination... Then again, you are going somewhere to accomplish a specific task. So, a quest? Not that I have already told you exactly what you must do, assuming you arrive there successfully."

"On the other hand, an adventure is merely a trip without a proper destination. With that in mind, you could even think of it as being a combination of all three since your first stop isn't necessarily going to be the place I'll have you wandering to. Or is it perhaps something similar to those three and--"

I looked at the man in front of me with a bewildered face, except that I was already in such a state, so my face didn't exactly change.

I was beginning to wonder if the man was actually as scary as I considered him to be. Who would've thought that someone who could shake me to the core with a mere glance be this... goofy?

"Ahh, hahaha. It seems I've been rambling too much. Well then. I think I've wasted enough time as it is. It's time I told you where the place might be."

"As I said before, I can't specify its coordinates, but I can specify the continent and city where it could be, as well as its name."

"It is to be located in a continent called Asia, and the city is China. Ahh, but that is a country. What I meant to say was Beijing. Or was it Xi'an? Shanghai? Handan? From what I remember, it was from a very populace city somewhere in China, which of course, is in Asia."

I inwardly facepalmed.

"Sorry if I don't sound trustworthy, but it has been a long time since I've remembered where it was, as the only thing I could properly recall from such a place were its coordinates. For that, I once again apologize in earnest."

"As for the designation, it is still mostly shrouded in mystery, but it is most commonly referred to as New Halloween."

'New Halloween? That's certainly a weird name.'

"Other than that, however, you're on your own. And as for the test I mentioned earlier, all you're supposed to do is... well, awaken. It doesn't matter how or when you do it, as long as you don't take too much time, hahaha."

The figure lightly chuckled. His current demeanor had replaced the terrifying one he had just minutes ago, or from what I perceived to be minutes. Time had stopped after all, and I wasn't ignorant enough to not know how this worked, even if only slightly.

Attempting to move in stopped time was rather painful as I struggled to open my mouth to speak, let alone lift a finger. Surprisingly, I could move my head without as much pain, but even that still hurt.

Pain aside, I could also hear a faint sound in the distance. It sounded akin to a heap of sand filling up a container. What coincided with the soft and continuous tone of the sand was a more distinct rhythm of a relaxing heartbeat.

It was clearer and easier to make out than the gentler falling sand, which took me even longer to identify.

At first, I thought the sound of the heartbeats may have belonged to myself, but I could feel my heart beating much faster than what was audible.

I then attributed it to the sound of the man's heartbeat before me, though that was only a conjecture.

And if it were true, it would perfectly explain the man's demeanor. He was neither nervous nor fidgety and was oozing with confidence, which I thought may have been a sign of his experience. While I was still utterly baffled and shocked, I was seriously beginning to question reality at this point.

I wanted to hate this 'clown' in front of me, but I just couldn't for a reason unexplained.

"There might be other things I'm forgetting to mention, but I think I've already shared the most crucial pieces. Oh, and when you wake up or awaken, rather, we should be able to--"

'...'

Silence ensued for the next few seconds as I was once again confused for the umpteenth time today.

'Huh? What in the? Where the hell did he go!? I blinked for just a second, and he suddenly disappeared!'

Before the mysterious man could say anything else, his presence mysteriously vanished before my very eyes. What quickly followed after the man's sudden disappearance was a tranquil silence.

Gone were the sounds of the plummeting sand and the heartbeats that had seemingly belonged to the man before me, and what replaced those unusual sounds were the ambient noises that I was much more familiar with.

The silence that ensued was accompanied by the quiet howling of the electric fan in the short distance, as well as the ticking of the clock, which confirmed to me that time was once again moving. The bone-chilling atmosphere instantly evaporated and what followed it in its stead was the calmer, more stable mood prior to when time came to an immediate halt.

I thought I may have completely lost it.

The fact that he left without giving me a proper explanation, this time on how the hell he was able to just disappear in the blink of an eye.

It was as if the figure was somehow able to use Instant Transmission.

'Could it be magic or some form of superpowers? Shit! Then does that mean...?'

Before I could start panicking over the future, I quietly forced myself to calm down, just enough to think over the situation clearly. I quickly noticed that I could now move normally, as after the man disappeared, I attempted to flail my arms around. I was hoping to see if anything changed once time resumed.

Everything was back to normal, but unfortunately, I had only one thing in mind that I could not stop thinking about.

If what the man said was true, it only meant one thing.

'I'll really have to travel, huh? But where do I start, and what the hell should I do to get there?'

However, before I could ask any more questions, I suddenly felt a warm and moist sensation coming from my crotch.

Because I was wearing beige pants at the moment and because the liquid had spread even further than just my pants, I suddenly felt an ominous premonition over what was to come next.

But before I could worry more about that, I noticed my consciousness slowly fading and my senses growing duller. In no time, my face firmly planted itself on the hard, cold wooden desk in front of me.

A similar situation played out, but I had no time to think over the matter as my eyes and brain decided it wanted to snooze for the time being.

I had fainted once again.