A Game To Be With You

Welcome to Another World

John took one of the cars of his office mates. He didn’t know who owns it. He just rode it and drove away. He continually shook his head. He input the address in the GPS control monitor of the car and slowly it gave him directions.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…………” he screamed while driving. Tears slowly running his face and sweat despite the cool breeze of the car air-condition.

He was so mad that Regina found out what he did. He was so frustrated to himself that the bulletproof plan he did was sabotaged by a total stranger. He blamed himself at that point for being reckless. Then, he hated Regina. He promised himself to make her feel every disdain he had in store for her when he see her face, and make her beg for his forgiveness.

He sped up. He drove so fast until he reached the suburds of the city, the countryside. After few more kilometers, he could barely see any streetlight, and everything outside his car is total darkness. The road is far from asphalt and beginning to become rough. He couldn’t see anything until his eyes adjusted to the moonlight. He stopped when the monitor screen of the car.

“You are here.” He heard the monitor system sounded. The time is 11.30 in the evening. It is a good night tonight Coastman because of the fair weather.

“So, this is that bastard’s car.” He said while still shaking. And he went out the car. Slowly, he was surprised to what he beheld far away.

Meanwhile, in the Japanese restaurant, Coastman had already felt asleep. His officemates are starting to carry him.

“Where’s his car?” one office mate asked while carrying him.

“It’s supposed to be parked here.” Linda pointed the park slot. “Maybe John took it?”

“What? How is dude going home?” the officemate said. His name is Matt.

“Okay. I’ll take him, but first we need to track John. Where the heck is that dude? He is really weird isn’t he?” the other officemate said. His name is Eric.

“Quick! Check Coastman’s phone. Maybe there’s an app that tracks his car.” Linda said. Coastman passed out while being carried by Eric and the other officemate.

Linda grabbed Coastman’s phone and saw. She was shocked. “His car. It was—it was in the Rosten County.”

“WHAT?” all of her officemates were shocked. Eric almost lost his grab on Coastman.

“You-you mean, that haunted wasteland? What will John do there in the middle of the night?” Eric replied. “It will take a full day roadtrip to get there.”

“I don’t know but Mr. Fatman called him.” Linda thought for a second. Then looked at her officemates, “I had a bad feeling about this. I think we need to follow John. He might be in danger if he does anything stupid.”

“I don’t believe that guy is stupid. Trust me on that Linda. If I must say, he is the most calculated person in the office. If I were him, given how our boss treated him, I will resign. I think there’s a bigger picture here that we need to see.” Matt said. “For all we know, it is John who could be the dangerous. We virtually do not know anything about him. All I think is he is insane.”

They all became silent for few seconds.

“So what to do?” Eric looked at them and asked.

…

John nodded his head, unfazed to the gigantic old castle in front of him. It didn’t strike him odd that this location is still able to connect to the local lines and make a call. A truly weird situation. But John knew more than anything. If it means seeing his ex-girlfriend again, he doesn’t give a crap on whatever weirdness is going on.

“Jane, I’ll see you again. I’ll make you pay for leaving me.” He mumbled. “You cannot hide from me. I’ll find ways to find you.”

John entered the dark castle. There is no gate before it. Itw as just a giant dual door. Only the moonlight provides light for John to see. He opened his phone. He was shock to see the time flashing from his phone.

“11.30 PM”

“What the—f-” he screamed and his phone fell from his hand. He remembered the time said by the car system. He felt he was there for 10 minutes already, but as if the time didn’t really pass.

Then, John felt a strange blow of wind from behind. For one second, he felt scared, but for what? His mind countered.

…

Officemates of John rode a van owned by Eric. There were with him, Linda, Matt and few others. They left Coastman in the office. They were extremely worried for John as the Rosten County was known to be extremely dangerous den of thieves, terrorists, d**g addicts and criminal masterminds. It is also a ground of illegal activities. Often people rumoured about illegal scientific exeriments are conducted here, and other say it was a portal to another realm.

…

He pushed the wooden door slowly. And what he saw was deep darkness. He suddenly can't feel his body. Pitch black was all over him. He wasn't sure if it is his sight. It is nothingness. He himself felt he wasn't even there.

"John." a voice sounded. It reverberated.

"John." another sound spoke. It was blurring, cracking noise.

"John!" a loud call waved through his ear. It was a girl's voice.

Then a loud thud he heard from behind. The door closed and he was pushed against the cold floor. John's eyes blast opened and he made a sudden gasp. He hyperventilated a few moments, breathing air in and out. He felt a slight panic.

Where am I? The question formed in his head. He felt his legs and his arms. He pushed his body up against the floor and took a seat.

He was still breathing hard, when his eyes adjusted and saw everything around him, violet and black bunch of clouds and smoke. He wasn't sure if those are clouds, or maybe smoke.

"Hello, John." a voice from behind him spoke out. She's far from where he is.

John turned his head. He saw a girl wearing a black torn hoodie, like a trash bag that covers her entire body. She is almost the same age as him and has red hair and fair complexion. She was sitting on a flying giant sphere.

"Wait, what? Where am I? Who are you?" John pushed himself against the floor with his legs to get away.

The girl flew and slowly landed on her feet right in front of him.

"I am Jane." the girl moved her head right in John's nose.

John gulped as he met her gaze. She was blank. She moved her head away and stood straight.

“What? Who are you?” he staggered back. Fury flamed inside him when he heard her name.

"As far as I can remember, you desired something important that you even tried defying reason, darling." the girl crossed her arms and turned her back against him. She continued, "You wanted to be with me, right? You’re so desperate to make me fall for you everytime."

John got a grip on his hands and stood on his feet. The girl is still at her back on him.

John asked, "Am I dead already?" John’s eyes were brimming with tears.

The girl turned and answered, "Dead? No. Not yet. Because I got you from that world you are in. But I can bring you back and let you die, instead."

"What?" John staggered back and flustered.

"Well, you don’t remember anything don’t you, honey?” she answered.

"Wait! Am I dreaming right?" John said, while stretching his arms on his front. His mouth trembled. His teeth gritted. “Stop using her to make your way out of this woman!”

"Whoa. Slow down my dear. It is you who wanted to see me, right. I am your girlfriend. If there is someone who should be upset, that would be me!” the girl said.

John didn’t know what he did. But his hand flew and slapped her hard. Real hard.

“Don’t you dare to take my girlfriend’s person, you filth!” he said. His fists were clenching as if gasoline is running on his veins. He was about to explode.

She flew slowly and sit on her sphere. She put her arm on her chin and looked John for few moments. Her face is still blank.

She said, "You have no memory of the past, aren’t you John? I can’t blame you.”

His eyes never left her. He still shakes.

The girl continued, "I got you here to have a deal with you. If you want to live with me all over again, you just have to say yes. But there are conditions that is if you agree.”

"What do you want from me in return, if perhaps I agree with your terms?" John clasped his hand.

Though still vague, a strange bliss filled his mind. What he thought could be real. His wish has something even greater to offer for him. Could it be? Or he will be in a greater mess? He just doesn't care right now. He wanted to live happily again. He wanted to find that bliss of winning her heart again. A thought uttered on his mind, I wanted to..

"I can hear your mind, you know." the girl said straight to him. "Let us have a contract, John."

"Okay!" John shouted without hesitation.

"Alright." The girl motioned her hand in her front. John felt his body was lifting against the floor. He floated right in front of her. She looked at him with a nearly frowning face.

"What are you going do to me?" John asked. He never lost his eyes on her face. His nervousness faded.

"You’ll see." the girl said, while her other hand is on her chin. "I can't let you forget your memory of you in this present. You can't forget what you are right now. And after this contract, you have to accept me. Accept John. That’s what you should do to be free from me. Understand?"

John flustered. His eyes had gone big and his pupils dilated.

The girl furthered speaking, "This is a game, John. Between you, and me babe."

John turned his head when he heard a loud ringing from behind.

Then, felt falling to the pit of darkness.

The air rapidly pulled him below. His hands flailed. He screamed but he can’t hear himself. He saw the concrete approaching.

Then a black out.

He heard the siren. That's right, a siren, he thought it was. There are lights, blue or red right above him. It is blurring but he knew they were.

"John. John. John..." a soft chant he heard everywhere. There are a lot of soft voices.

"John... John... Hold on tight..." It was a familiar blurring voice, he thought, it was her.

Moments passed, the chants fade. The blue and red lights were gone. He figured blurring rays of dim light. His chest feels a tingly feeling spreading across his entire torso. His upper body lifts itself. Then it slowly bumps down.

He heard a long high-pitched ring next to his head.

"Flat lines..." he heard so clear.

“Clear!”

He blasted his eyes open and the light above shone before him.

"He's dead."

The clouds around rose up above John and swallowed him. Not longer a moment, he never realized where he was.

"You with nowhere to go and nowhere to return...as the world you lived had passed…." a soft voice his ears caught out of nowhere. It was all nothing. He cannot feel himself again.

There are lights, blurring, fading beams of lights everywhere. He heard again, the soft voice speaking, "I grant you a place to belong..."

His sight started to see. It was still blurring. The beams of light shone so bright, that he was blinded. John saw a silhouette. He gradually pictured the details of it. It was a person, a man perhaps. That was a man, he said to himself. It was where he hears the voice.

Its utterance becomes clear for him. His voice is deep, like of a young adult male. The man said, "My name is Crowfire, bearing a posthumous name, you shall remain here..."

The man was motioning his hand before his chest. The end of his fingertip was lighted with blue light. As the fingertip moves, a trace of blue line was left floating in the air. John cannot see the man clearly.

"You, o lone being from the river of the void, I offer my place, a place to continue your existence, as you transcend from another world. I welcome you to another life, as my precious regalia. You will protect me with the best of your gifts, and I will take care of you. Come, John." the voice become louder and clearer.

John felt a grip of air around his body. He saw the traces of lights from the fingertip of the man formed his name. The blinding light tightened him. He felt his insides where crumping, and a hallow pain runs through every nerve of his body. He was feeling himself again. He was beginning to become stiff.

For few seconds, the light disappeared and he felt himself floating in the air.

The silhouette became vivid. He saw a middle-aged man, about at his late 30's, wearing a black jersey jacket and jogging pants. His hair was white and one of his hands is on his pocket. He was walking towards John until he was an inch close to him.

The man moved his hand and grabbed him.

"What a wonderful regalia, finally, a sword!" the man said, waving a sword in the air. He looked at the blade in between his eyes. He saw his reflection and smiled as the light run shining through it.

That is only when John realized he was a n***d sword blade. He was a sword blade. The man was holding him very tight with his warm hands.

"Revert, John!" the man threw him in the air. He gushed out beams of light and eventually his form changed into his human shape. He became human again—his early-20’s human self.

"My, you are fine-looking, John!" the man walked close to him. John looked at his hands, turned his head around and grabbed his hair. He was wearing a white shirt and pants. His feet were bare.

"WAHHHHHH..." he shrieked and kneeled on the ground.

"John, I am Crowfire, your master. I have summoned you from the void to serve as my regalia." The man pulled his hand down on him. He smiled.

John looked at him for few seconds. He eyes started to brim tears. He's mouth was wide open. At this very moment, he couldn't grasp what is happening to him right now.

"What the fu--..." the only words left his mouth.

"You will protect me with the best of your gifts, and I will take care and love you as my own child. You've nothing to fear anymore." The man grabbed his head and brushed his hair.

"Who the heck are you?" John spoke so fast he caught his breath. “I don’t remember anyone like you. The last thing I know is that I was talking to a b***h who claimed to be my ex-girlfriend.”

The man stepped back and waved his hand away from him. His eyes startled while looking at him.

"You remember?" the man asked.

John darted his eyes on the man. The man trembled and keeps on stepping back little steps. He escaped his gaze and looked down below.

"Why, yes." John spoke out quietly. He began to become skeptical. What is going on? He said within himself.

John scratched his neck. He felt a different texture of his skin right on his collar bone. He gazed down and he saw his name, John written on it.

The man's jaw dropped suddenly. He clasped his hands and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Come, Thunder, Hammer!" The man stepped back.

Blue beams of light arched above him. It shone the place and flew. As it landed the ground, the light turned into a bow g*n. The man grabbed and pointed the bow g*n on John's head. At a short distance, he kept his eye on the g*n towards him.

"Wha-what?" John jerked and slid himself on the ground.

John gulped. His throat was so dry he couldn't move his tongue. He held his jaw dropped while trembling. His teeth gnashing sounded over the man's.

"Hmmm." the man slowly put the g*n down. He sighed and walked. He shouted, "Revert, Thunder, Hammer!"

The bow g*n shone and dissipated into light. It slid through his grip and darted itself back from nowhere.

"Now that my other regalias were gone, I could ask you this. Are you becoming a viral being?" the man bent his body to gaze down at John who lies on his back in the ground. He never smiled and looked at John sharply. He spoke out again, "Tell me, John, please. Tell me what you remember. Did you remember how you die?"

"I am dead?." John yelled while he was standing. A sharp prickling pain struck his chest. He fell on his knees. He groaned, "Awww..."

"Awww... Ah!..." the man gripped his chest and fell on the ground. The man said, rasping with his words, "Don't feel so bad. I was so stupid to treat you earlier after I said you don't have to be afraid."

Not longer a moment, the pain on John's chest dissipated and the residual pain just left. He knew what he felt. It wasn't ordinary. It was what his heart felt. It was guilt. And worry.

Is this really happening? What should I do? He asked himself.

This is a game. And there is no turning back. There's only one way out-to win. And there were a thousand ways to be trapped, to mess up.

Crowfire grabbed his shoulders and embraced him. He said, "Come John. I will take you home."

What did that b***h wanted to do with me?