章 1: The Fleeting Sunset
It was half past six on a summer solstice of 2017 .
The setting sun was a molten ball of lava, dying the originally blue sky a warm shade of bright orange. It was a splendid sight. A tall concrete jungle of City J silhouetted by the beauty of nature. How ironic, he thought to himself as he sat in his comfortable chair, looking through the tall glass windows of his office. Both were polar opposites where one could not exist without the other, yet striking a contrast at the same time. Like Black and White, Yin and Yang, Compassion and Evil, Light and Darkness, Creation and Destruction, he mused as a light smile stretched across his sexy lips.
That carefree smile of his was much similar to what one would see from the friendly boy next door, similar to a gentle spring breeze that carried the promise of youth. However his immaculate choice of dressing told otherwise. Spotting a formal dove grey suit, tailored to fit his tall frame, a pair of well polished leather boots and an expensive Swiss watch, he fitted into his lofty status of a CEO of a famous company and looked the part. Mostly, other than his grinning face that currently resembled a Cheshire cat. Leisurely leaning on the backrest, his mind was cluttered with thoughts as he beheld the view from the 27th story of a modern office building in capital City J.
How beautiful but how fleeting too.
The contours of his mouth once again curled up into a dry wiry smile, yet this time it was no longer gave people a sense of comfort, but instead exuded a terrifying sense of danger, one that would cause a downpour of cold sweat. All who knew him would be terrified by that beautiful and seemingly innocent arc , the fabricated lies it held, a warmth of the hidden darkness behind the usually expressionless mask. The Devil, they called him. This particular title fitted him like a glove, and he played his role diligently.
The seemingly shiny golden child of society, the business world was never clean and was stained with the ugliness of humanity. Many of the famous CEOs had seen it all, the very worst to the very best, or so they thought until he came along. He took over the business world like a tempest, stirring up countless of violent storms whilst standing at the eye of it, never needing to get his hands soiled. His company's reputation rose rapidly, its stocks rising at an insane speed, successfully becoming an unrivalled empire in 5 years. Any who dared to oppose him were mercilessly crushed , and would never rise again. Those who sealed deals with him were always on the losing end. They say his eloquent words were like Snow White's poisoned apple. Sweet heavenly ambrosia concealing the serpent's venom and one would never see it until it was too late. Just like how pure adam and eve were tricked by a serpent to consume the forbidden fruit. Thereby, earning him his infamous nickname.
Sure enough, there were also other aliases he was known by. Then again, they were also…..rather interesting. Some called him the Emperor of Ice, others the Demon Lord, but most called him the Devil. He was also called the Heartless Demon of wealth as he often drained his business allies like no other. They had another option if they were unsatisfied, that was standing against him. He did not mind the monikers though, since it was pretty beneficial when it came down to the most basic and most essential, making money. The one who held the most power wins and in this modern society, money meant strength. Gone were the days where brute strength ruled supreme, and now intelligence and monetary assets took it place. Alas, a leopard will never ever change it's spots. This world was still a cruel place as it always will be. It was still the same old callous reality, where the fittest 'survived', a man eat man society. How saddening. Though he didn't feel a single once of pity.
Nature and Technology. A striking contrast. Both standing on both ends of a delicate scale. Compassion and Evil. Both were what the basis of humanity were composed of and so many more. There were always two sides to things. It depended on what one chooses to see. There is no absolute right or wrong, only a difference in perception. A psychopathic mass murderer may see himself as a messiah, bring freedom and washing away the mortality and sins. Others will simply just view him as a murderer, someone who killed others in a twisted light, forever condemning his name and nothing more. However his closed ones may see his tarnished name as a person whom they would always love, remembering him only for all of the good he was worth. However, there will be no Light without Darkness, for Light shall always cast a shadow. Similarly, the existence of an underworld would always be present with the presence of human civilisation. It was the ugly shadow of sinful desire and unfortunately or fortuantely, the business world was tightly linked to it. Though, he actually found an underworld is extremely useful. It made sweeping dirty matters under the rug a piece of cake.
The atmosphere in the well furnished office was tranquil, and he slowly sipped the cup of fragrant tea at his own pace, appreciating the unlikely harmony. A picturesque scene of a good looking man enjoying his own time without worrying about anything was thus formed. It would have been better if he was not the Demon Lord and the on looking spectators would have taken various shots for their own future reference. Sadly, it was only the Devil himself and no one else. Still, anyone who enjoyed art at all would have wanted it to last forever. Such a heavenly sight. Alas, all good things come to a end. It would have, if not for the sudden and abrupt ringing which pierced through the quietness of the air conditioned room.
He lifted his dark eyebrows up, as he fished his personal smartphone out of the deep pockets of his suit jacket. It was the latest in line of the SFuture series made by his very own technology device mamufacturing company and of course, being the Big Boss of it, he had easily had access to the very best. He could have his devices custom made and that was precisely what he did. No one would pass up an offer of having their technological companion tailored to their own needs and having the cyber security strengthened in this technological age where virtual crime was common. It could have been even better though since there had been case of a skilled hacker committing theft on the government secret file.
He was a man with many connections but not many held his personal contact details, other than a few close friends that he could trust. Not even his dear parents had his and no one in his family was yet to be informed of his high end job despite him holding on to it for a few years already. They did not need to know since it would be safer for them and would save him a large amount of trouble too. The Devil had more than enough things listed on his to-do list to last him for a lifetime.
Speaking off which, he glanced at the caller identity on his sleek silver smartphone, realising that it was Zhi Wei who had called. Better known as Xiao Wei by his companions, Xiao Wei had been his close friend since they were in middle school where they hit off almost immediately. Xiao Wei had always been the popular cheerful kid in their class and was somewhat of a leader back then. He still was now but a horrible one at it. The Devil then remembered that Xiao Wei had just took over his family business recently and that he might need his advice. That might be the reason why he called. It was funny to think that the careless child of that year would become the heir of a business corporation. He was even surprised that the decision of Xiao Wei taking over even went through. Not that he had the right to judge, and chuckled humorlessly as he held the phone up to his ear and answered the call. It had been a while since Xiao Wei last looked for him.
The Devil then regretted looking forward to the call in an instant after hearing the conversation that was to come and after being reminded of the memories of that year.
クリエイターの想い 
sunsetraven
sunsetraven The Devil stared at the paper contract, seemingly lost in thoughts. After a moment, he reached for the red pen knife locked away in the second drawer of his office desk. He pushed out the blade, which glowed coldly under the white fluorescent lights. A semi-crazed smile then spread across his fine features. " Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. "He chanted the phrase under his breath, like a mantra. Holding the blade to the contract, he slashed it madly, mutilating it into shreds. Farewell.
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