The hooded guy stood motionless between the crowd.
His emerald green eyes shined so much that Varun could see it from the rooftop.
Varun squinted his eyes to focus more on the guy.
But—
He vanished into thr crowd.
Varun stood stunned.
Not because he disappeared.
But—
Because he saw those eyes staring at him.
Even through all the rain, crowd and poles between them.
That guy's eyes were completely stationed on Varun.
Varun shook his head as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Varun:"I really need some rest."
"Haa~"
"My head hurts."
Silence.
???:"Should I massage it for you?~"
The voice was eerily lustful.
Not like 'love lust'.
But—
'Crazy lust'.
Varun immediately spun around and saw—
Nothing.
Just an empty roof.
He rubbed his eyes and cleaned his ears while checking around once more.
He found nothing.
He turned back to look at the street but—
???:"Boo~"
The hooded guy in raincoat was sitting on the railing of the rooftop.
With just one foot on the edge.
Varun didn't flinch or react.
But he took a few steps back.
The guy came down from the railing and took of his hood.
The janitor.
His face was not the janitor.
It was.
A kid around his age.
Maybe older.
Varun narrow his eyes.
He wasn't afraid of the person in front of him.
Not because he understands the situation.
But—
Because his body was back into the state of—
'Flow'.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at him.
The kid had gray hair and pale skin.
[Hm, that's how Daniel looked like too.]
[Guy found a person who looks like him?.. Wow.]
Daniel tilted his head to the side and stared into Varun's eyes with his hands in his pockets.
Unblinking.
Unmoving.
Just still.
After a beat of a moment.
He took a step forward and Varun—
Punched him right on the nose.
Sending him headfirst into the rooftop floor.
Daniel groaned but started to laugh.
Daniel:"Hahaha."
"Haha."
"Hah!, tha– hahahah!"
"You pack quite a punch."
"I like it."
"I LOVE IT."
He grabbed Varun's hand and wrapped his legs around his neck.
Locking him up with jujitsu.
Varun:"kheuk!"
Varun stumbled forward and fell down over Daniel.
He tried getting up, but the floor was slippery because of moss and water.
He loosened his body.
Daniel looked at him in surprise when he felt that Varun gave up on trying to get free.
And—
Varun took advantage of the opening and wrapped his fingers around his neck down.
Daniel struggled to breath but his smile didn't waver a inch.
He stared into Varun's eyes.
Stared.
More.
And kept staring.
And after a moment.
His expressions turned irritated.
Because—
Varun didn't had a single expression on his face.
And—
Daniel:"The hell?"
"Why am I not entering your mind?"
"Tha– that's impossible."
"We have never met before... S–so"
"How are you—"
Varun's lips twitched.
Slowly.
He smiled.
Varun:"Because You're not the only one who resonated that day."
Daniel shuddered.
Varun's eyes.
Glinted with craze.
The dullness covered the shine of his consciousness.
Leaving his body move unconsciously.
Daniel realized it too late.
Because up until now.
He never met someone who went against him.
Unconscious.
He tried to break free.
But Varun's grip tightened even more.
Leaving him unable to do anything except flail senselessly.
But—
He didn't want to give up.
He stared into Varun's eyes again and—
Slapped right on his ear.
Waking him up right there.
He held his head and stared right into his eyes.
The kid body collapsed lifeless as Varun stumbled back.
His eyes shifting emerald green to dark brown again and again.
The nerves on his forehead popped out as he held his head and looked at the body on the floor.
The body dissolved into water like cotton candy and disappeared.
Varun groaned and stumbled downstairs.
He opened the door and passed out on the bed.
1 hour...
2 hours...
4 hours...
Silence...
Daniel was inside a black room.
Walking.
And walking.
And walking endlessly.
His clothes tattered and body exhausted like he's been walking for days.
Daniel:"Just..."
"What kind of human have this much emptiness in their brain?"
"There's no helping in his consciousness."
"Let's try his subconscious mind."
He closed his eyes as the ground beneath him cracked open and he fell inside.
He kept falling for a moment before a orange light shined from downside.
The light shined brighter and brighter until he wasn't able to keep his eyes open.
When he opened his eyes again.
He was in a room.
A throne room.
Blood on walls.
Corpse on floor, by the pillars and on the stairs.
And on the throne sat a figure emitting hostility and darkness.
The figure leaned its elbows on his knees.
Unimpressed.
His red eyes burned into Daniel's body.
Daniel wasn't able to move a single muscle.
For the first time, he was—
Scared.
Every cell in Daniel's body screamed for him to run.
But whatever sat on the throne.
Didn't let him move an inch.
After a beat of silence.
A uninterested and cold chuckle echoed throughout the room.
The darkness gave way to the imagery of the figure.
Varun.
Red eyes.
Pale gray skin.
Shadow lurking around his body.
The smile so wide that even Daniel felt shivers down his spine.
Dark Varun:" We met again."
"Brat."
Daniel felt a lump forming in his throat as he tried and failed again to step back.
Daniel:"wh–... Wha– .. Who–.. Ah—"
Dark Varun chuckled more as he heard Daniel stutter.
Dark Varun:"haa~, haha."
"Yeah, I expected that reaction."
"You were expecting to meet my conscious mind, weren't you?"
"To eliminate it and take control over my body."
"Haha."
"What an idiot."
Silence.
He sighed.
"Just–"
"Why the hell do you think you're the sole subconsciousness."
"Brat."
Daniel stood confused.
Even when he didn't say it.
Dark Varun seemed to understand his question.
Because.
This is his domain.
He leaned back on the throne and waved his finger.
Daniel's body cut into half from middle but he didn't die.
The subconsciousness didn't let him die in this domain.
He stood motionless with his body divided into two halves.
Neither was he able to move, nor he was able to talk.
And—
The king took pleasure in his suffering.
Dark Varun chuckled again before going completely silent.
A beat.
Two.
Three beat.
Dark Varun:"You have merely adopted the mind transmigration."
"But you are a idiot to not understand it's importance."
"Mind transfer doesn't mean finding a good vessel."
"It means—"
"Learning about one self."
He paused.
Sigh~
"You lost not only your original body—"
"but also the memories."
"The base of understanding humans."
"The key to manipulate one's life."
"That power of resonance you have is not to find the best body."
"It's to learn The meaning of existence."
"And—"
"How to manipulate one's existence without—"
"Them knowing."