"Stars, in the night sky, shine because dusts in the air move to and fro, making the illusion of twinkling."
When he opened his eyes, a figure is sitting in front of him.
The entiry before him is wearing a suit and a tie, with all the businessman get up, but the face, was nothing.
It is all gone: the mouth, nose, eyes, even the ears, and hair.
"Wh.."
"This is my personal space."
The entity then move it's hand, pulling him out of where he is.
Zaon, who still has his head in a mush, looked at the entity, and in the table he was sitting on, is a sign.
Mr. F. A. Celess
"Sick, right?"
The man, Mr. Celess, put a finger gun and aimed it at Zaon.
Seeing this, Zaon was creeped out.
"Who names themselves Faceless?"
"Ah-ah. F. A. Celess. Not Faceless." The man shook his index finger, trying to explain his name.
"Sure." Zaon then stood up, but what he saw surprised him.
His hand, bloodied, but the wounds on his body are not there.
His hair is still having the crimson hue from his blood coagulating, but the bruises, and bullet holes in his body is gone.
Confusion took place in his head as he looked at Mr. Celess.
Mr. Celess, who is looking at him, just stared back at him.
Zaon also locked his eyes on Mr. Celess.
"...."
"...."
A few moments of silence stilled the air.
Zaon then blinked and tilted his head.
"Aren't you gonna explain why I am here?" He asked, like a kid curious about something.
"Gross. Don't ever stare at someone like that in the future."
"I creeped you out? Try not having a face."
"It's much creepier if you see my face."
"Sounds fair."
"..."
"Stop trying to play the silent treatment."
Zaon sighed as he took the clothes he wrapped around his body to add pressure to his wound to wipe the blood.
"That won't work."
Mr. Celess said, taking out another chair in front of his table.
"Sit."
He told Zaon as he sat on the other side of the table.
Zaon walked, and tried to wipe off the blood. Almost instantly, he saw the cloth begin to rot at an astonishing pace.
"I told you, it won't work."
Mr. Celess said, pointing his hand at the seat he offered Zaon.
Zaon, without anything he can do started to walk towards the seat.
He then heard some noise behind him, like something being chewed upon.
As he was gonna take a look, Mr. Celess appeared before him, and covered his eyes.
"Humans only have two eyes, because they are only to focus and look on their present and future."
Mr. Celess then turned him around, facing the table, but now, he felt it.
There was something behind him that is moving.
He froze up as he felt tendrils of something shoot at his feet.
It didn't pull him, but he knew this is bad news.
"We always live forwards, and we forget the past..."
Mr. Celess then walked towards the table and sat down on his chair.
"...so whatever may happen..."
Mr. Celess continued. The tendrils are now creeping up his back.
"...do not look back to The Past."
Upon saying this, the tendrils began to have an abnormal behavior as they grew faster and some of them even made it into Zaon's head.
A small tendril then made it's way to Zaon's eye socket.
"Isn't that enough?"
A wild sound from Mr. Celess' made it's way to the tendrils, which made them stop in their tracks.
With that, the tendrils started to retreat, but in a faster manner than the way they did when they were coming to Zaon.
Being released from the pressure, he fell down to the floor, panting and coughing.
"That was close, you idiot."
Zaon's breathing began to stabilize as he looked at Mr. Celess.
Mr. Celess just shook his head and flicked his hand.
The seat and the table vanished. Only Mr. Celess and the kneeling Zaon.
After a few moments, when Zaon's breathing finally went calm, Mr. Celess then opened his hand.
"Welcome, Extinguised Star."
Mr. Celess pulled out a deck of cards out of his pocket and started to shuffle it.
"You are in my domain, which is where the souls of the damned are sent."
"Damned?"
"Yes. By humans."
"What do you mean?"
"That's all I can say for now."
"What?"
"But of course, isn't it unfair to just die because others wanted you to?"
Zaon was stumped for a while, as remembered what happened. To have their goal, even his innocent niece has become a victim too.
Rage and madness flared up on his heart. Even if his mind knows it, his heart won't stop feeling the fire that sparked.
It consumed him whole, as eyes went bloodshot, while gritting his teeth.
"Nice reaction."
Mr. Celess said as he shuffled the cards in his hand.
"We can help you."
Hearing this, Zaon's rage stopped for a momen, but it flared the next second.
He then walked towards Mr. Celess, his strides are fast and decisive, like a lion pouncing on his prey.
One step...
Two steps...
Three...
Four...
Eight...
Forty...
A hundred steps but he cannot move an inch closer to Mr. Celess
Frustration, anger and bitterness, he felt it, and now, he felt so powerless, enough for him to start cursing.
"You put me here, without my consent, and now you're telling me that you can help me? Aren't you taking me for a fool?"
Zaon stopped walking, as he shouted to Mr. Celess.
"Dear customer--
"Customer, my ass. Help me as if you will it. You put me here, so take responsibility for it."
Mr. Celess, upon hearing it, stopped shuffling the cards.
"I like you."
"Gross!"
Celess bursted out in laughter as he heard Zaon retort his provocation.
"I'll be sending you back in time, so this time, you have to succeed."
Mr. Celess then appeared in front of him.
"But first, pick a card."