Chapter 2: Light Goes Off and On
It was two days later that Eron found himself in his bed, feeling as fresh as new, and reading from his phone his father's text of how he had been cold for two whole days.
After remembering the last events whose ending remained as clear as a dream's, he was impassively gripping his turbulent head.
What the hell happened? Did anything even happen? Eron's hand slipped down from his pale brown hair, taking a few down with him over his dilated eyes, as he pinched his chin. Feeling, and disparaging, the sliminess of his skin.
Calm down, first of all, I can clearly recall the happenings up to my saving that poor kid. But after that... I... I took something... What did I take?
Thoughts crashed into thoughts; the thought of trying to think about it overwhelmed him for a second before making him let loose the burden with a deep exhale.
Yes! That boy was selling memory-fishes. Memory fishes are like stone-gambling I once read about in a book. Where in, a person takes up something precious— much like jade in stones— called memory-mediators, and puts them up for sale.
Memory-mediators are a piece of a human's body part, which substitutes for a living person and keeps a specific memory stored inside it. The memory lives as long as the piece remains unharmed.
In case of memory-fishes, they keep old and lost MMs up for sale. The memory could contain anything, or nothing. Some times, people could find a really valuable memory like a location to a hidden treasure house, or nothing at all.
But when I used my memory-mediator— uh, wait... Eron's finger twitched a halt just before swiping his phone's screen up— which he had pulled out a little bit ago— That MM, it's shape, what of a human was it? It was too... too round and neat, and shiny too, to be something from a human.
Moreover, I can bet it was empty.. it contained no memory... so– so why is that my memory goes a blur and then just void?
The phone's screen turned black as it cushioned into the mattress. His face, supported solely by his hand, stared back at him with his dazed dull eyes as they got contaminated by the darkness slumbering beneath the thin curtain of the screen.
An odd thought, detracting from his predicament, surprised him for a moment, Will the darkness pour out if I remove the screen?
"I'm not good enough for this," Sighing, he squashed the nasty face beneath his palm on his way down the bed.
"I'm kinda hungry..." He left the door to close on his way to the kitchen.
The house was empty and dark. His fingers, tracing the rough walls for support, flipped the light switches on.
On the dinning table, there was a note squeezed beneath a stone smiley face.
"It's from father." He moved toward the fridge while flipping it wide,
'I am sorry my boy,
But that boss of mine called me so I have to leave. If you happen to wake when no one's home, make sure to take the medicine I placed in your room and also to get some food.
P.S. I told your sister to get home. Hopefully she can arrive soon.'
With a few claps intended to tear the paper in his palms, he flung it to the basket and mourned, "Just great... actually, it is great that she hasn't arrived already."
His lips pulled back, his eyes breezing past the fridge's shelves, "All these healthy foods— father's doing." Eron sighed and took out his dinner.
"Still... how did I fall asleep for two whole days? Moreover," His face turned ashen, "What were they even feeding me this time? Did they starve me?"
He clenched his tummy, suddenly feeling his hunger explode with a grumble of acknowledgement.
"Why is it taking so long to hea–" His tongue squirmed out of his mouth, dry and coarse.
His head began to droop low and low till his chin collided with the counter, level with the oven gushing out a mellow light in the darkness creeping all over his eyes from the sides.
Just as the darkness snapped its maws on the last of the oven's light, a crisp ding resounded out from it. And the darkness fled back to its corners.
Leaving Eron goggling at the oven which slowly collected its sight in front of him.
His eyes fluttered, the ringing in his head slowly subsided. And pushing himself up the counter, he took out the food with a little frown and began to dine on the table.
What was I doing? But the unease inside him quickly subsided as his stomach growled in delight. "I can eat a mountain."
". . .I'm stuffed!" He directed a pitiful glance at the dish resting in the oven.
He pushed the plates back with his arm before resting his head on it, his smile receding, "I feel... a little groggy."
His eyes shut for a moment, before snapping wide, "Uff! What will she make of me today if she catches me like this?"
The grooves on his chin pushed his lip into each other, "Let's go outside, maybe some fresh air will do me some good."
The thought appeared for a second to text his father, but he grumbled it off and left.
With a head numb and eyes lost, he took in sights and turns and found himself again in the same Moinger Streets.
But, unlike the last time, he wasn't in the starting of the Moinger Streets, which was a place for low-status people. But in the middle of it, which relatively well-faired people had populated.
Rich scents and grandiose buildings, he smiled seeing the pretty people joining hands and matching gaits.
"How vast the world is... and how cheap the one I have excess too..." A sigh escaped his lips.
"Right?" There was tease in the voice that sounded next to him suddenly. Before he could even twist his neck, two pair of thick arms swung around his nect from the sides, weighing a force over him which rendered his body passive to their whims, "Come, we will show you a better world!"
The two men dragged him into the next alley. Brightened only by a low-hanging flickering bulb allowing him sight of the pile of trash on the side.
And somewhere lost within the suffocating walls, Kai smiled seeing Eron's pale face.
"Good boy, last time those police men forced my hand... but this time, after all my thorough checking, I have confirmed that you are just a fool!" With a broad grin, he cracked his knuckles, "And a fool needs a bone-breaking beating, no?"
Oh love, I knew this shit wouldn't end the way it did... Eron took a deep breath and tried to calm his drumming heart, "L-Look, brother Kai," His eyes peeked to the sides, at his two beefy lackeys, and the exit that they had blocked, "I am sure this is all a misunderstanding."
There's no way around it, I need to talk my way out. Eron forced a smile and nodded, "Look, why would I dare offend you?"
"Surely!" Kai nodded and swaggered a step closer. His cocky face eying down at his fist, "And this fist of mine too, look closely at it. It's going to create a misunderstanding too."
Eron gulped and stared, as his stare lengthened, something incredulous pulled his eyes wide.
W-What trickery i-is this? His feet skidded back and bumped into the two that shoved him to his knees. Two! There's two!!
Kai grinned, looking at his fist and then at Eron. "Hahahahahaha! You two see this? Your boss is just too intimidating,"
Eron trembled as his boots echoed. Each step he took made him push the ground back twice.
Why? How? What is he doing? Why is his fist double? His horror played fiercely at his heart, so much so that he didn't even notice the darkness crawling over his sight from the sides.
Letting loose a cry, Kai swung his fist toward the aghast face.
The bulb swinging above crackled and boomed, enshrouding Eron's sight in blackness.
The next time the bulb flickered bright, Kai frowned as he saw Eron unconscious on the ground, "But I didn't even feel my fist connect..."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone