Lanster lied flat on the sand, covering his eyes with his hand.
…
"You okay?" In the café, Lanster's sweetheart softly asked, gently holding Lanster's hand.
Lanster didn't answer right away.
"It's just… I feel invisible." Lanster chuckled. "It's like… practicing for a show that's destined to have no audience."
"Look at me Lanster." The girl cupped Lanster's cheeks, and lifted his face to meet her eyes. "You're not invisible to me."
"I thought by now I'd be—something. Someone." Lanster smiled at his sweetheart's gaze.
"Sometimes, I wonder what I'm doing." Lanster spoke with a lighthearted tone. "But I'm smart. I can learn. I'll figure it out."
"We'll figure it out together, Okay?"
…
It was early fall—the kind where the leaves hadn't fully yellowed, but the air already carried a whisper of chill. A nice day for a walk in the park, or just sitting on a bench.
"Do you remember them?" She asked while scrolling through a set of glitzy wedding photos. The happy couple in tux and wedding dress looked quite familiar.
Lanster blinked a few times. "What's their names again? But I do remember having math classes with them."
"Yeah…" She nodded while scrolling through her phone, quiet for a second. "I'm a little jealous, to be honest."
Lanster looked at the screen again. It was the kind of celebration that came with family speeches, three-tier cakes, and a future that felt already built.
Lanster tried to smile. "We'll get there someday."
"It's okay without," she said softly, almost like she was reminding herself more than him.
Lanster looked over at her, trying to read her expression, but she had already gotten up from the bench.
Lanster didn't know how to answer that.
And the silence that followed wasn't a comfortable one.
…
"Please don't look at me like that Lanster. Please." The girl looked at Lanster with an exhausted gaze in the café.
"I can't Lanster. I just can't anymore."
"I think it's time for me to find another fishing spot."
…
"Fuuuuckk!" Lanster pounded the ground with his fist like a maniac.
Lanster got up and kicked sand into the waves for no reason. It's as if the emotions he'd boxed and buried was starting to re-surface again to haunt him down.
"Ahahaha!" Lanster laughed out loud at the ocean.
"Ahhh!" Lanster screamed at the top of his lungs until he was exhausted, too exhausted to hold tears from flowing from his eyes.
Lanster leaned back, and fell down sitting onto the sand.
"Heh. Haha." Lanster subconsciously clawed through the sand, laughing at himself, mocking himself.
"Ayyeee…" Lanster lied on the sand, feeling exhausted. Without knowing it, he'd fallen asleep on the ground under the warm sunlight.
Wake up. Sit in silence feeling the migraine from caffeine withdrawal. Throw sand at the waves. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Stare at the stars in exhaustion. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Stare at the waves like a dead log. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Breath. Running to exhaustion. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Stare at the book. Flip through a few pages. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Laugh at the ocean. Screaming and singing off tune. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Breath. Out of shear boredom, reading a few pages. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Reading the story with some focus and immersion. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Read. Sleep. Repeat.
Lanster had no idea how long had passed, but he had read through [The Everspire Casters] seven times, and carefully examined the two contracts inch by inch ten times.
The notion of 'Time could heal all wounds' felt like a lie.
Lanster didn't feel much more alive or healed, just more functional.
And one day, when there's nothing left to do in the middle of nowhere, Lanster felt like it's time to move on.
On his bed, Lanster let [The Everspire Casters] drop on his face, covering his view.
[Everspire] was basically a Dungeon & Dragons type story, where the adventurers saved the Everspire city from a Vitalitis villain.
Just like the classic goblins, elves, orcs, Vitalitis was a magical race in this world.
Lanster had to admit, [Everspire] as a classic Sword & Magic read was not half bad. But as a world to enter, it did seem a little dangerous.
Also, Lanster needed to participate in a 4-weeks matchmaking show for YueLao as the payment for the ticket to a parallel world.
Once into this parallel world, there was basically no way back to his original world, and a divine contract being a divine contract, it's pretty much final and non-negotiable.
Lanster stood up and looked at the red contract and the blue contract on the desk.
Play it safe, sign the blue contract, and go back without remembering any of this?
Return to the old world?
Go back?
Lanster chuckled.
'Go back?'
'Go back?!'
'Heh. Go back for what?'
'You know what. Forget it.'
'Anything said by a loser is an excuse.' Lanster sighed as if he'd given up.
'I'm sure my little brother will take good care of my parents.'
'And I, the shame and disgrace of this family, shall disappear.'
'Maybe it's the best for everyone this way.'
Lanster placed the storybook neatly on the desk, picked up the fountain pen, and signed his name on the red contract.
…
Lanster stood in a pure white space.
A blue screen popped up in front of him. The floating screen looked like something that would show up in a Virtual Reality RPG game.
[Sir. Do you have a preferred class?]
"Mage." Lanster answered.
Lanster just felt that mages were pretty strong from his read.
Also, Lanster had a strong feeling that the mages in this world could really use some education in physics.
Upon the reply, four options popped up on the screen.
[Sturdy Earth]
[Scorching Flame]
[Binding Water]
[Mobile Wind]
"A choice between defense, attach, utility, and mobility I see." Lanster rubbed his chin and nodded.
Without further hesitation, Lanster pressed his palm on [Mobile Wind]
In hardcore mode, with only one life, there is only one thing Lanster prioritized, and that was 'How fast can I run away from danger.'
And in some conditions, he did not necessarily need to outrun the danger to survive. *Wink*
Not sure if his future teams would appreciate that thought.
Four branches appeared on the screen, each representing the beginning of a skill tree.
[Skill Points: 1]
[Wind Blade]
[Wind Shield]
[Air Sense]
[Invisible Wings]