Strange Man

Chapter 10 

Strange Man 

Shiro stared at Luis, his eyes sparking with fear. Shiro could have left Luis, but he felt a powerful urge, like a ruler, thinking how Luis could be useful. A devilish grin shone on his face but faded right after. 

Grabbing out a hand toward him, Luis looked surprised by his doings. "Good fight," Shiro said, smiling. Luis's hatred toward Shiro slowly went away. Later, in a hallway, two figures walked; one was taller, having dark brown curly hair, the tips being red, and dark brown eyes that showed leadership. Next to him was a man with eyes greener than trees and dark blue hair. Both Luis and Shiro couldn't stop laughing. 

Walking to the cafeteria, it was big, being two stories, with coffee colored brown floors, white walls, and many dark brown tables and chairs scattered around the area. To the right side was a massive window; below it were multiple sliding doors that led to the balcony, which had many tables and chairs, and the view was amazing. In the middle of the area, a TV screen projected the many different food options. To the left was the silver-colored kitchen, with many chefs working tirelessly. While walking toward the kitchen, everyone shot glances at both of them. Nobody had ever seen Luis with a commoner, especially the one he lost to, but he didn't seem to care. Both Shiro and Luis clicked, feeling like they had been best friends for years. 

Shiro ordered the expensive sandwich, tears already falling from his face. Luis, on the other hand, had the richest food there was, a whole lobster; the smell alone filled the room. Shiro was surprised to see such a meal; he had never had the opportunity to eat fancy food growing up, sticking with cereal or the cheapest fast food, even going days without eating. 

Shiro looked at his bland sandwich; it looked depressing. Sitting down, Shiro noticed all the stares brushing them off. He took a bite out of the sandwich; the meat was bitter. As a matter of fact, it was cold. Shiro was disappointed, and the bread was hot. He felt uncomfortable with the mix, looking at the chef, who was glaring at Shiro with a grin. Oh, that's right, Shiro thought, being a commoner he didn't have respect in the slightest. 

Luis took a bite of his lobster. "I'm full; you want some?" Luis said, patting his stomach. Shiro was itching to hear those words; without a second thought, he grabbed the plate, devouring the whole lobster in seconds. After Shiro licked the plate clean, he looked at Luis and said with a smile, "Obviously I'm broke; I never have this type of food," making Luis laugh. 

Shiro was stuffed, and while finishing up, a girl greeted them; it was Kaela. She sat down next to him, and both of them started chatting. Luis had to leave soon after, and Kaela had to go. Alone, Shiro decided to head out. Walking back to his dorm, Shiro was minding his own business when the words "useless" rang in his ear; the voice sounded commanding. 

Quickly looking around, nobody was there. Shiro felt a slight pain in his head. That wasn't his god speaking, he thought. Grabbing his head with one hand, Shiro ran past everyone, shoving. Aurelia saw him running at full speed. Shiro's speed was getting faster, his vision getting blurrier, and the gold-plated name on the doors was slowly becoming unreadable. 

Finally reaching his dorm, Shiro slammed it open. Running into the bathroom and looking at the toilet, he felt his stomach rolling up and began to throw up uncontrollably, tears coming out of his eyes. It felt like he was throwing up needles. Once he was done, the sharp pain still continued, slowly getting worse. 

The red tips on his hair began to grow and shine even more. Now halfway, touching his hair began to burn. Quickly putting his hand away, Shiro looked shinier; sweat covered him, and his face was paler than the white room. 

Deep bags under his eyes made him seem like he hadn't eaten in years, and as he flopped onto the bathroom floor, Shiro felt a mix of confusion, shock, and surprise, with every negative emotion conflicting within him. 

Over time, the pain in his head became bearable. Getting up, Shiro almost looked dead. Thinking it was over, Shiro was about to leave the bathroom. Touching the handle, his right wrist felt like it was sitting on a flame. Grabbing his wrist, it felt like it was going to fall off, and tears formed in 

his eyes. Shiro felt his consciousness slowly slipping away.

Waking up to the sound of a door being banged on, "Shiro!" Laying on the floor, Shiro's body was sore. Still a little dizzy, he got up. "Hold on!" Shiro looked at himself in the mirror; his curly hair was messed up from staying on the floor for so long, with the red tips now longer and brighter than they were before.

Drool was going down his face. Washing up, he looked down at his arm. It was strange; at his wrist was a black line going all around it, like a wristband. Shiro tried washing it off, but it didn't come off; it stayed the same black obsidian.

Shiro was lost but couldn't focus on that. Opening the door, Aeris was waiting there patiently. "What happened? You've been in there for hours!" Her face was full of worry. Shiro closed his eyes and smiled. "I don't know; I think I had food poisoning."

Aeris looked at his wrist; her eyes widened, and her face paled. Not even able to say words without stuttering, she said, "W-why do you have t-t-that? Please tell me it's marker." Shiro looked down at his wrist; his face brightened. "OH yeah, it just appeared! It hurt like hell, though!"

Aeris, without a second thought, grabbed his arm, looking at the black line. "HOW DID YOU GET CURSED?"

Shiro was surprised. "Cursed?" "YES, A GOD CURSED YOU!" Shiro didn't know what words to say. Cursed? How? What did I do? Shiro thought, thinking about the voice in his head. Aeris's face was full of sweat, worried for Shiro. She took his wrist and sat him on her bed. "Tomorrow, we'll take you to Myrrh. He can explain this more than I can." Aeris had already calmed herself down; Shiro was still stunned.

In a bright blue room stood two men. The room's floor was reflective, with endless amounts of bubbles filling the room. One person in the room was a small boy, his blue hair, blue eyes, green overalls with a blue shirt underneath. Sitting on the bubble, he looked at the strange man that appeared in his realm. 

He was injured; his body had multiple big holes all over him. One arm was almost coming off, his left eye was dark, and he looked overall weird. The man was pale, the lower part of his jaw exposed, blood oozing from it, wearing the remains of a tunic, ruined chains going all over his body. His hair was long and seemed like it had a life of its own; he had black eyes or red.

The strange man spoke, an evil grin on his face. "So this is an inner realm."