Paul

Paul went wide-eyed. His brain didn't seem to function and the knife plunged into his heart, his breath caught sharply as the blade made contact, the sensation of pressure followed by a searing pain radiating from the wound. His legs, however, operated independently and they kicked away the masked man, ripping him away from the weapon.

The wound, though shallow, sent a jolt of intense discomfort through their body, causing them to gasp in pain. The initial shock gave way to a throbbing ache, the area around the injury tingling and stinging as adrenaline surged through their veins.

"W-what the—" Paul's hand instinctively pressed against the wound and the embedded blade, his fingers coming away with a smear of crimson. Despite the shallowness of the wound, blood welled up, staining his clothes.

A shallow stab, nothing life-threatening.

In an instant, he locked onto the masked assailant. He was tall, strong, and recovering abnormally fast. Paul was an Amateur Knifeman, which meant he was given the Class Skill Super Speed Lv. 1, which was further upgraded into Super Speed Lv. 2 and 3 via the Knifeman skill tree. Speed was his forte, not strength or durability.

Paul's HP started to drop. His heart throbbed from the looming threat of metal ripping it into pieces.

"Haa, haa…." His heavy breathing wouldn't stop. Panic settled in the masked man took a step forward. Suddenly, he was reminded of the stories Kazi told of the Teke Teke—of the ghost train he was in. But then, above, he saw a name, a level, and an unknown class. This person…

"W-wait, wait! You're a player, right?" What could he say? Did he have anything of value? He was a slave. A nobody. Somebody whose life had wasted away. His family hated him and his friends—

"Paul? Is that your name? I'm Kazi. Are you afraid of trains maybe?"

"Ah, understandable! Don't be scared. It's a steam engine train. I think the model is post 1928 judging by the classification, so we should be fine. No explosions or huge bumps"

Kazi crossed his arms and joked, "She's from Seoul, she loves pollution. Right?"

"Mhm, gasoline is delicious. The worse the air quality, the better."

"Go Fish!"

"Paul, you have a natural poker face!"

"It's a date. No take backs."

"Are you, um…flirting…with me?"

"Yes, I am! I'm into the sleepy types, if you know what I mean."

"I'm sorry. Could we just…sleep?"

"Sure."

In a single instant, his life flashed before his very eyes, and what he remembered most were the past two days. The past two days of smiles and happiness. Of Kazi's dimples and of Ksenia's gracious eyes.

He had friends. Strong, powerful friends.

And then he was reminded of the darkness that chained his heart. He remembered the monster. If he died here, if his life ended, then he wouldn't have a chance to warn them. He had to! Even at the cost of his life, they needed to be made aware of HIM.

"I don't know who you are, but you have to listen to me! Listen to me! I can't die just yet! I have to warn about Da—" Paul's voice stopped in his throat. The command to not speak his name activated. He gagged, like a hand had grabbed his uvula. "The monster! Da—"

His voice choked as an inexplicable burn erupted in his heart. In that very same moment, the train entered the tunnel and whatever screams he had to give were muffled from the noise.

'M-my heart! My heart!' It was beating so damn hard! 'Why? What's happening to me!? Is it because I'm talking about—'

[ Contract of Obedience breached! ]

[ Contract of Obedience breached! ]

[ Contract of Obedience breached! ]

[ Warning! Death sentence applied! ]

Thump–! Thump—! Thump—!

"Gah!" Paul keeled over, hands clutching his precious nucleus, and begged. Tears were streaming down his face.

The man in the white mask…

"What the…?"

…stepped back as a faint luminescence shimmered from within Paul. His heart. His very heart was starting to—

Thump–! Thump—! Thump—!

His frantic attempts to communicate faltered as his breaths became shallow and laboured, his chest heaving with an inexplicable pressure building within. 'T-this light, where is it—'

No, it didn't matter. He needed to speak. He needed to tell someone, anyone!

"Y-you don't understand! That monster, he—mmmph! The monster in human hide! He'll kill you! All of you! Someday, maybe not today, but h-he will—raaaaaagh!"

Thump–! Thump—! Thump—! Thump–! Thump—! Thump—!

His heart was racing a hundred beats a second. The light grew and the knife slipped from his chest. A surge of raw energy rippled through his body, causing him to convulse.

"I don't wanna die. I have so much more to see. Ksenia…"

His heart reached a crescendo, the glow intensifying to a blinding brilliance. An anguished cry escaped his lips before an explosive burst echoed through the air.

THUMP–!

***

"I'm just using the computer." Rick Miller wore a small smile. "I used to be a student here. I promise, I won't cause any trouble."

"Of course, of course." The pretty lady smiled at him. His heart fluttered. "I can get you a library card too. Just come up with me to the front."

"Oh, no. I just need to check some stuff. Thank you though," Rick replied. The young brunette gave him a thin smile and left him alone after that. He went back to the computer and typed in his online banking information—

"Sir." The deep voice caught Rick off guard and he turned up to see two gruff security officers. The taller of the two frowned as he looked him up and down and said, "We just want to talk to you."

Rick didn't understand. But then out of the corner of his eye, he saw her: the young librarian. She had called the security on him.

Why? Why was his life like this? Why did everyone hate him?

He was humiliated, talked down, and kicked out. Without anything to do, he went home. A dirty, messy place with unwashed dishes and broken boxes of pizza. Like a trail, the mess led to one place: his mom's room.

"Hey, Mom," Rick greeted.

His mom was thin and sickly, and spent a majority of her time eating. The television across from her, her body covered in blankets and sitting up with pizza in her lap, she didn't turn to him. He saw her smile and saw her deepen her focus on the drama.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Ricky, my lovely." She still didn't look at him. "Did you have a nice day? Did the neighbours' money go through?"

"I, um, didn't get to see if the deposit went through," Rick said. If only the library didn't kick him out…

"Oh, it's okay." Even now, she wasn't looking at him. "I'm sure it will come in eventually."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go to work tomorrow so I'm sleeping in. Remember, I won't be here for a week, it's a long haul," Rick said.

Finally, his mom looked at him. Finally, she smiled at him.

"I know, dear. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Oh, but you did fill up on food, right?"

Rick smiled just as brightly as she did. "I did."

"Thank you, dear. I love you."

Then, she went back to her show. Then, Rick went to his own room and went to sleep. It was their typical schedule. It was Rick Miller's dull, unorthodox life.

'As long as mom's around, I'll be okay.'

That was what he thought till the day she died.