"I'm so sorry, the traffic was terrible tonight. My apologies for the inconvenience to your meal…"
Beep... beep... beep...
Before Lamon could finish, the person on the other end had already hung up.
"What kind of person… All they do is rush, rush, rush. If you're in such a hurry, go buy it yourself!" Lamon grumbled as he put away his phone.
Anyway, it was the last delivery of the night. Just get it done and go home to bed. Ugh, making money is hard. Lamon glanced at the congested main road, then at the small alley beside it. He turned his bicycle's handlebars and plunged into the alley.
In recent years, the public safety in Grayhaven City had gotten worse and worse. Thefts and robberies were frequent, especially in the dark alleys at night, which were hotspots for crime. But what choice did he have? He'd already gotten several customer complaints this month. One more, and this whole month's work would be for nothing. Besides, Grayhaven City was huge. What were the odds of getting robbed by taking a shortcut just this once? Lamon silently hyped himself up.
The night air was thick and murky. Bags of garbage and puddles of stinking, stagnant water were scattered throughout the alley. The only sounds were the occasional scuttling of a rat or a stray cat darting across the path.
The environment is a bit crappy, but I'm just passing through. See? I told you nothing would happen. Nothing… will happen?
Lamon stopped his bike, a bone-chilling sensation washing over him. Thump—thump—thump… A sound, as dull as a drumbeat yet as massive as a movie theater's bass, came from not far away. With each beat, the stagnant water on the ground trembled violently.
Wh-what was that?
Lamon froze in place, too scared to move for a full thirty seconds. In the end, curiosity won out. He tiptoed toward the source of the sound. "Curiosity can't kill this cat," Lamon muttered to himself. "Just one peek, it'll be fine. I'm already late anyway, a few more minutes won't matter, hehe…"
Hugging the wall, Lamon moved slowly. When he reached the corner of the alley, he held his breath and peeked his head out. The sight before him left him utterly stunned.
A man in a red robe, completely engulfed in flames, and a man in a blue robe, wreathed in lightning, were moving and colliding at an unbelievable speed! Each collision produced a dull, massive boom. That was it—the source of the sound.
What the hell? Am I dreaming?! Lamon rubbed his eyes again and again, trying to confirm what he was seeing. But the scene before him told him repeatedly: this was real.
The red-robed man was gradually losing ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood with every impact. The blue-robed man laughed heartily. "Hand over the[Prism], and I'll spare your life!"
"In your dreams!" the red-robed man gritted out. He formed a seal with his hands and spat a jet of fire from his mouth. The blue-robed man dodged nimbly, the scorching flames failing to touch him. With every burst of fire he spat, the light in the red-robed man's eyes dimmed.
The blue-robed man said, "Since you refuse to see reason, don't blame me for what comes next!" He chanted something under his breath, and a bolt of pale blue lightning coalesced in his hand.
With a wave of his hand, the lightning shot toward the red-robed man. The overflowing energy blasted through the surrounding walls. BOOM—a huge hole was blown right through the corner where Lamon was hiding.
"Oh my god!" Lamon screamed, throwing his arms over his head and rolling to the side.
"Who's there!" The blue-robed man whipped his head around, his sharp, hawk-like gaze locking onto Lamon.
"Hehe, just passing by. You guys carry on, don't mind me, I'll be on my way now. HELP—" Lamon scrambled to his feet, gave a nervous laugh, and then shrieked as he turned and fled.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I didn't see anything!" Lamon picked up his fallen bike. Before his butt even touched the seat, his feet were pedaling like they were on fire wheels, and he rode off frantically in a random direction. "Help me—Murder—"
Lamon was truly terrified. He couldn't even ride his bike straight. His feet kept slipping off the pedals, which then spun around and slammed into his shins. It hurt like hell, but the desire to live overwhelmed everything else. He ignored the pain and just pedaled with all his might, desperate to escape this horrifying place.
The alleys of Grayhaven City were a tangled, maze-like web. In his extreme panic, Lamon couldn't think straight. He rode down any path he saw, completely unaware that he was just going in circles.
CRASH— "Ouch!" Suddenly, Lamon was knocked off his bike, and he went tumbling into a puddle of stagnant water.
"What kind of person! Have you no decency? Leaving such a big bag of trash in the middle of the road!"
"What kind of person! Have you no decency? Leaving such a big bag of trash in the middle of the road!" Lamon cursed as he got up, turning to spit at the "trash bag." Suddenly, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. The "trash bag" moved. It was crawling toward him.
"Wh-what are you? Don't… don't come any closer! Oh man, what is with today? Why do I keep running into these things!" Lamon's legs gave out, and he fell to the ground with a thump. The bike he had just picked up clattered back onto the pavement.
The "trash" crawled closer. Now Lamon could see it clearly. It was the red-robed man from the fight! His face was covered in blood, his expression grim, and he was crawling toward Lamon like a giant, red cockroach.
"Mommy—I was wrong! I'll never be curious again! Help me—" Lamon scrambled backward desperately, tears and snot streaming down his face.
The red-robed man was faster. He lunged forward, grabbed Lamon's ankle, picked up a nearby brick, and—CRACK—smashed it against Lamon's head. "Sorry, kid," the red-robed man murmured. "There's no time… there's really no time… It has to be you…"
"Ow!" Lamon cried out in pain and fell flat on the ground. His head was spinning, but being young and sturdy, he didn't pass out immediately. "Bro, what are you doing? I've got an old grandma to support and kids… ah no, no kids yet, but I didn't do anything to you! Don't…"
"Shut up!" the red-robed man roared. He ripped open Lamon's shirt, causing the dazed Lamon to start struggling violently again.
"Help! Assault! My life's pristine reputation! I don't want to lose it today! I regret ever taking this damn alley!"
"I told you to shut up!" The red-robed man hit him with the brick again. Lamon's consciousness finally blurred, and he slipped into a delirious state.
In his haze, Lamon felt a sharp pain in his back, as if a snake were burrowing into him. His body felt like it was being torn apart by immense force, then slowly stitched back together… Lamon finally couldn't take it anymore and passed out.
"This is the only way… You must survive… and protect this power… Because… this is the last hope…"
That was the last thing Lamon heard before he lost consciousness.