The 11th God

YLGAEA

The door swings as a customer enters, along with the screeching sound of the rusty hinge of the door echoing inside the store.

They wander throughout the store as I scan the remaining groceries of the customer before them. Beside my counter is Leo's closed one. He had already ended his shift, though to be honest our shift should have already ended, but the one taking my place hadn't arrived yet, so I had to spend extra time for him. Leo is just casually scrolling through his phone, waiting for me to finish.

Leo is my roommate. We have been roommates for no more than a year now, starting a few days after my parents died due to an accident. Though honestly speaking, we have never been rich from the start. Even though we live in the commonplace part of the country, we never experienced financial problems that much.

Immediately after their deaths, due to a car accident, I had to find some other place to stay as the rent on our past house was more than how much I earned from my part-time jobs. Luckily, I saw Leo’s advertisement flyer and figured it would be better to live with him and share the rent on his apartment. I had to sell some of the furniture to comply with the initial payment necessary to live with Leo. My parents’ death is a huge loss for me, but I cannot be forever stuck in that situation. Though, to be honest, even though my situation became worse, I had to try to be better anyway.

Leo is the one who worked in the convenience store at first, but then I figured having a part-time job in the convenience store he works in was better than working as an assistant in a car workshop.

After I scanned the orders of the last customer, I placed the closed sign on my counter and went to the locker room along with Leo. He continued scrolling on his phone as he put out a faint smile which I noticed quickly.

“Looks like you got accepted, I assume?” I asked.

“Bingo.”

We’ve been looking for new jobs since last week. Fortunately, we were able to find some jobs better than our present job, though we’re not looking for a new one because our current jobs suck. Our boss isn’t cheap nor selfish. In fact, he’s a giving boss. Ever since I applied as a part-time former, he gives us a free meal every day as long as we go to work and that is one less thing to think about every day except Sunday, as it’s our day off, so the only day that we have to think of what to eat is Sunday.

“Got any news from yours?” he asks.

I just shake my head in decline but he did not react. He probably must have missed my answer as he just kept on scrolling through his phone.

After I changed, – so did Leo – I grabbed my stuff and went directly to our boss. We gave him our shift cards as he signed them and handed us our pay.

“I hope you’ll do well in your new job. Don’t forget that even if you don’t pass it, my store will always be open for you two, okay?” he told us.

We both nodded and smiled in confidence.

As we left the store, Leo didn’t bother putting down his phone even for a minute though it wasn't that big of a deal as I am also busy scrolling through my phone, hoping that the new job I applied for had reply.

“Any news?”

“That’s the second time you’re asking.”

“You did not reply earlier.”

“I nodded.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“You were too busy on your phone to even glance at my nod.” I replied.

“Fault proven.”

I didn’t mind him afterwards; I was so busy scrolling on my phone that I barely noticed my surroundings.

Unfortunately,

Yes, unfortunately.

Everybody has to listen when someone says don’t use your phone while walking, driving or, generally speaking, on the road. It’s not safe, never at all.

I didn’t know that I was already in the middle of the road, that is, until I heard a truck horn. The lights were too blinding for me to even take a step, nor see what was around me. Before I realized death was coming, I didn’t hear anything, even a shout coming from Leo yelling my name.

Everything became blurred then. Slowly, after I felt my body falling on the ground, my eyes were getting heavier, and that the existence of pain was in vain.

So you’re supposed to get numb when you’re about to die.

That is.

Does it even matter?

Me, living?

Comprehending things, I don’t even know any relatives of mine. I’m alone – well, excluding Leo, that is. I had to do things all on my own in order to survive. I’m not indebted, that’s another thing to mark from the checklist. The only responsibility I have left is my job, and probably – if I even get accepted – my appearance in the interview for the job I applied for.

And now it’s pitch black.

Darkness.

It’s my closed eyes, blocking my view.

But there’s nothing to view at all.

Until I saw a blinding light. Though my eyes are closed, I feel blind, not because I see black. It is rather the opposite.

I had the energy to open my eyes.

But how?

What happened exactly?

Where am I?

Why am I here?

These questions wander throughout my mind as the light I see explicably adjusts my view of my surroundings.

My back lies on the firm ground filled with grass. It’s dry, proof that there is heat coming from the blinding light that filled my view earlier. My eyes weren’t closed at all, they were open this whole time, but the white light filled my view and led me to think my eyes were closed.

But still, what happened exactly?

Memories are way too precious, but where’s mine? What was I doing before this vast filling light covered my view of the surroundings?

The blinding light was from the sun barely covered by the clouds and gave off a faint heat.

Death.

I am pretty sure I just experienced death. But how exactly did I die? And even if I did experience death, there could be no explanation for how I am currently lying on the ground as my body faces the sky.

I carried my body and began searching for something that could help me comprehend. I couldn’t remember anything except the pain I felt when I was lying on the ground.

In front of me lies a huge castle that barely blocks the sun. Its shadow spread vastly into the field, which serves as the reason why the sun gives off a faint heat. I walk cluelessly, both my mind and body wandering through this world I am stepping in.

My steps lead me closer and closer to the huge gate of the castle that is totally open. It’s not guarded by anyone nor does anybody stand near it. I continued to walk towards the gate, hoping to find myself a clue.

“Duck!”

The yelling startled me enough to unconsciously follow what'd been told to me. My body immediately lowered down as my hands covered my head, protecting it from any harm – if ever there’s any.

“Art of Moonlight: Purple Swarm!”

I immediately looked behind me to get a sight of what was going on, only to find a dark fading figure flying aggressively towards me as it showed its deadly intent from its looks. Its body is kind of diminished but its face is totally seen. It grins towards me with its teeth showing and arms reaching for me, though not enough as it is still somehow far from me.

Suddenly, I saw a swarm of small purple lights rushing towards the dark, shadowy figure as a form of offense. Upon reaching it, the figure vanished into thin air as if it was some dissolvable substance waiting to melt and join the wind as it vanishes.

What stands before the place where the figure vanished is a man about the same height as me, but I'm clueless about his age. He wears a hat and a cloak while carrying a short scepter that emits purple light on its tip.

The man walks towards me as he continuously lifts his glowing scepter – as if warding off evil beings around us. Upon reaching me, – who still has his knees on the ground and hands around his head – he lends a hand to help me get up on my feet again.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I nodded in response as I cleaned my clothes. When I looked at them, they were unfamiliar and even they were at it, I had no clue where they came from. Even if I try hard to remember what happened before I got my consciousness as I lie on the ground, nothing would still come out.

“What are those?” I asked.

“Shades.”

“Shades?”

“They’re dark-attributed monsters that are supposed to wander only during the night. They’re supposed to be weak during the day or at least burn, as they’re weak against anything that emits light. Luckily, I’m a light-attributed wizard.” he explained.

Everything he says would make sense to me, but what does not is the fact that I understand each piece of what he’s saying without me flinching about the words he says, which supposedly is peculiar to me.

“Where are you going anyway? From my perspective, you look like you’re walking aimlessly towards somewhere. A lost cat in other words.”

At some point, no, he is entirely correct. I’m walking without knowing what I’m supposed to do next.

“I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. It seems like all my memories just vanished as I open my eyes.”

“Let’s talk about it inside. Follow me.” he said.

He started walking cautiously, looking out at every direction in front of him, checking if there was something hostile in our path. Talk about following a stranger you just met. Ignoring that fact, he still saved me from the creature earlier, so I just continued to follow him until we reached the inside of the castle. It is livelier inside than it looks outside.

We kept walking until we reached a bar that was not filled much though, given that the city is lively enough for one to think that every place here is mostly occupied.

The bar feels nostalgic. The jazz music playing inside along with groups of men drinking and laughing at jokes you could barely hear makes up for its lack of design.

He sat on a chair by the counter, which surprisingly had all the seats unoccupied. I sat beside him as he gave his orders and the man by the counter started preparing them.

“So, what do you remember exactly?” he asks me.

“Like what I said earlier, I barely remember anything. If it helps, I remember my name and the fact that I have these inside my pocket.”

I grabbed the small package that had been lying inside my pocket ever since I got conscious. The package feels very light and, to describe it, it’s like pieces of squares wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon.

After bringing it out, I untied the ribbon around it.

“What is it?” he asked.

The package contains blurred photos. There are a total of 10 cards and all of them seem to be different photos but blurred.

“They’re all blurred photos.”

“I only see black,” he described.

“What do you mean black?”

“Literally black. All of them are the same, all black cards.”

“How is that possible? I see blurred photos, most like photos of people.”

“I might have an idea about it.”

“What is it?”

“They’re probably your mission. If something can only be seen by a specific person, it’s either because of their skills or that it is meant to be seen by you only. Tell me, what is your affinity?”

“Affinity?”

Suddenly, a burst of joyful screams entered the bar from outside.