Chapter 2: :Hex
The ceiling fan rotated clockwise leaving afterimages. The smell of the morning air awoke me. The air wasn't that fresh, it was filled with smoke and fumes from the automobiles. I was living alone in my own apartment in Tule Street. My landlord was smoking his cigar, I could smell his secondhand smoke. It made me want to grab my 9mm and point it at his head. Controlling my inner desire to have that balding man dead. I rose from my bed to get some breakfast. I had eggs and coffee while gazing at the television.
Neil Upper, the CEO of the Harper Rocket Industries, was smirking happily as he introduces the new rockets that he plans to strap on the back of the Dragon, Ego Eris. Ego Eris, a mountain-sized dragon that had taken interest in space wanted to help mankind in reaching the stars in exchange that the humans would build a technology that could allow the dragon to traverse space. Dragons could break through the atmosphere and reach space. But their scales wouldn't last five hours in the vacuum of space. They would also suffocate and since Ego Eris wasn't a wind dragon, he would die from the lack of oxygen. Neil Upper plans to build a set of equipment that would allow Ego Eris to fly out of space.
It was a piece of strange news to wake up to. But I had been living long enough in this world that it was no longer strange to me. In other news, the gnomish alliance had finally built their ideal island nation located south of the Kingdom of Elena. But the gnomes can go fuck themselves. I do not like them.
I wore my uniform and attended my morning classes. After that, I went to the library to translate the assembly language that I know from my world into this new world. It was an eventful life to be able to live in a world filled with news like this. I spent most of my life going through everything with a stolid face. I told myself that everything will pass. No matter how much tragedy happened to me. I could only continue. In this world, I had parents who treated me like a normal child like my former parents did. Although my soul believes that my old parents are my true parents. The new parents became close to me. I was, however, distant with them. There was no helping it. I simply didn't share tough times with them. The peaceful childhood was rather unsettling after all.
The study room was quiet. I spent my time trying to create a GUI plugin despite the technology barely able to keep up. There was a stink that displeases the nose in some parts of the room. The processor of this computer was absurdly slow that I had concocted coffee twice. But by fucking God, it was hard to create a plugin without the all-powerful Google by your side. I admit that I was a forum peasant that copy-pasted most of his code to his compiler.
My incompetence made me quite sad. I was not a person that could focus unless he had an interest in the subject. I am lying, however. I know that I am saying that because I don't want to acknowledge my laziness in some areas. I forcibly pushed myself into reading the book that I got from the shelf inside the study room. It contained the language commonly used to program. I admit that they are rather complex. It's mostly esoteric that in order to understand their language. I had to try harder.
//
This place was rather strange to me. Not only that this was a world from a book, but there was also another problem with this world, the original source material was a visual novel, meaning to say that I was not particularly sure which route would this world go. And there was also a possibility that this was not the book adaption, maybe this was the visual novel?
Now, what would a militiaman from a backwater village, reading a visual novel, would do in this situation? I have no idea, I mean, I was lost reading. I remember going to the city with only the subsidy I got from the government, and the laptop containing most of the fun things I had in my life.
I don't remember much. The memories of the distant past seem like it was going away. Parts of me want to regain that memory. I don't want to lose the memories of the old me. It was painful. I continued to gawk at the city before me. The trains were active, the people were busy reading their newspapers, the zeppelin floated, dyed in sunlight. The sight of humans, elves, and dwarves mingling was quite the sight to see.
I took the train, left the station, went for a sandwich, and went to class. I honestly didn't sleep that well with all the troubles in the Under-Society. I admit that when I followed Leonov, there were parts of me that wanted to follow the story with my own eyes. However, I choose to ignore the route that needed to be followed. After all, if this world was truly the adaption of that world, then surely, I would be far more interested in the events that would follow a certain genius's route.
The door swung opened. She entered the room, carrying her snow rose scent. Her eyes darted all over the place. She took a stroll around the study room before noticing my existence. As expected, she was here in this study room. "Hello," she said. I nodded at her politely. My attention went back to the notes I was doing. Internally, I was excited. It only means that she would be in this room to gather the information needed for her thesis.
"Excuse me," I put down my notes. "Are you going to need this room?"
She looks at me briefly. "Yes, I will. I was planning to usurp this room. Looks like you come to this room?"
Her perfume was overwhelming me. "I do. Hmm, are you planning to make use of this room? Thesis?"
She looked at with a lifted brow. "Is it that obvious?"
"It is. I don't mind leaving this study room. It's quiet here. It's good for translating notes."
"What are you doing?"
"Translating it in my own preference."
She smiled. Her arms folded. "That's odd. If that is how you do things. Who am I to judge?"
I shrugged my shoulder. I gathered my notes. "That's interesting. Perhaps...are you a system engineer?"
"I plan to be one. I have problems with the current processing power. Won't even reach do justice to what I am trying to achieve."
"So you lack processing power?" she told me with a serious expression. "If you have that...what would you do?"
"Make a better compiler and create my own GUI builder."
There was a grin plastered on her face. "I hope you'll have that. If you do...why not partner up with me the moment I invent the greatest rocket this world has ever seen!"
She proclaims with confidence. "I am Skylar Attar. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister?"
"Hex Goodwin. It's a please to meet you, Ms. Skylar. Thank you for the offer."
//
I confessed that I love space. Stars are lovely. Every human would look at the stars, they want to grab it, and reach it for themselves. Humans direct their eyes at the vastness of the sky. When we cannot reach the skies. We turn to the exploration of those close to us. I am not different from them in regards to that. I failed in my last life. No, there was simply no opportunity for me to fulfill that dream. I thought that if there's a time that I'll have a chance. I would do everything I can.
This is my confession. I was a person who had given up on such a life. I lived my life with such laziness. I filled myself to brim with utter uselessness to the point of despondent. I lived without purpose. I was a living corpse that only woke up to do what he had for society. I am still afraid of this. I dread at this world that had fixed fates. The routes that were needed to be clear was real. Leonov Trent, the main character of this world, would surely do his best. I believe in him enough that I would not interfere with his story unless it is detrimental to my goals. I was in a veranda not far from where Leonov was. His actions were mimicking what he did in the story that I remember. The only change was that Theresa Poe was alive. And some nameless mob, me, had talked to the visionary woman who wanted to reach the stars as well. I can only hope that this time I would live with my heart beating loudly.
I do not want to repeat that despondent life. I don't want to live my life with nothing to wake up for. I've lived through life long enough to know that your actions would lead to where you are. I lived so uselessly. Drowning in my own misery that all my efforts in trying to change failed.
I'll say that I would do differently. But I know that people don't easily change. We only become who we truly are. I wish I could change, but I'll probably stay the same. I've lived a normal life. That was a lie. My life wasn't so normal. In fact, the obstacles that were on my way led me to believe that I wanted that normal life.
I said the words 'normal'. But in truth, it wasn't normal. I remember almost dying four times in my previous life. I will not reveal what transpired that led me to almost dying four times. You could say that I've lived so pitifully, but that shouldn't have stopped me from becoming such a despondent bastard.
There was nothing to forgive about my actions. I am not aiming for sympathy by saying this to you. But still, I want to believe that I am able to change no matter what. The sunlight hit me so gently. I could hear the vehicles as they passed below me.
The sun was in front of me. The blocks of building made for quite a sight. Elven architecture is inherently beautiful that the sight before me formed a painting that warmed my heart. Who knew that under this city was a society of people that were driven to hide to live their lives peacefully.
Now...consequences are caused by your own actions. For example, what would happen if you let go a person whose head was struck, defeated, and utterly ashamed, her pride crushed like dust? Her thoughts would wander to the bastard who made a mockery of someone who should be the beautiful thorn that picked the life of others in a world she lives.
She had been killing. She has not been spared once. And the thought of a bastard who had pointed a gun on her head, who was in his mercy, leaving her alone, probably made such figure utterly angered to the point that the only thought in her mind was vengeance.
That's why when I wanted to walk back home to rest. I saw the devil's face looking at me directly. Standing tall wearing the same uniform that I have. She was undoubtedly that woman who should be beneath the city. She shouldn't be standing in the light. It didn't suit her.
Not to mention she's barely hiding the venom in her eyes. She walked towards me softly. She took out a badge that should be inside my pocket. I only needed the ID given to me by the school and the badge was only memorabilia. But it had a name labeled on the back that belonged to the student who owned it.
"You lost this...friend."
And so the devil said...intending to drag me to the world where she lives.
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