Capítulo 1: The Beginning of a Fate and a "Fated" Encounter
"Ugh..."
Under the scorching urban sun, I trudged along the sidewalk of this concrete jungle, my steps heavy with the weight of despair. Groans escaped me, mingling with the stifling heat as I scanned the bustling cityscape.
In my hand, I clutched a bundle of documents: job applications, diplomas, CVs. Basically everything that I would need to apply for a job. Any job, honestly, but to no avail.
Days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months, yet the cruel reality persisted as I aimed for a proper job in this economy. At this point, I might actually consider burger flipping to be a desirable job, but my pride kept holding me out of such ventures.
"*Sigh* What now?" I muttered to myself, trudging through this urban desert of scorching heat. Then, a glimmer of hope caught my eye: a nearby public park adorned with trees casting inviting shadows, promising cool respite from the relentless sun.
Feeling tempted, I walked into the public park. A convenient bench sat beneath one of the trees, offering the cool shade I desperately sought.
"Lucky me, I guess," I thought as I settled onto the bench. Leaning back against its support, I felt the refreshing coolness envelop me, shielding me from the intense sunlight. I even tilted my head back, gazing up at the foliage above, trying to empty my mind and simply enjoy this brief respite.
But soon, my thoughts returned to my current predicament. I had been job hunting for quite a while. Almost half a year had passed since I graduated from college, barely passing, and I had been trying to land a job ever since.
However, as I had discovered, the job market for undergraduates like me seemed to be barren. No job applications had been successful, either because of fierce competition or because my own capabilities fell short of their criteria.
Leaning forward, hunching my back, I hung my head in frustration, sighing once again as I mulled over my predicament.
"Let's play Hero Vs. Villain!"
"Yeah!"
The shouts of nearby kids interrupted my thoughts, drawing my attention to their lively game in the park.
"I'm gonna be Ultra Guy!" One of the kids, who seemed to be the leader type, shouted, announcing his role in their little play. I seemed to remember that 'Ultra Guy' was one of those comic book superheroes that were popular right now. I vaguely recalled that he was supposed to be an alien from another planet who escaped his planet's destruction by some evil galactic empire and came to Earth as its new protector from their conquest.
"I wanna be Lady Justina!" The only girl in the group of kids announced. So she wanted to be that 'Lady Justina', huh? I also vaguely remembered this comic book character, as if she were one of those women warriors of a hidden, long-lost tribe. Though I also remembered a bit too vividly how this character was one of the popular cosplay options and fan arts on the internet.
"Then I shall be the Cape Detective," another kid announced his superhero role. Though, I seemed to remember that 'Cape Detective' was supposed to be a normal human but with super intellect and tons of money in his hand. Not to mention... I felt like I remembered how this character, who was supposed to be a detective that wore a cape as his main costume, now used some sort of high-tech battle suit of armor, forsaking his cape entirely.
"Haha, then I will be the evil genius Max Brain!" One of the kids shouted his role while also doing a maniacal laugh.
'Max Brain'? Huh... wasn't he the villain with that big head with the letter 'M' literally printed on his forehead? Kids wanted to be like that evil villain guy? Well, damn... kids these days seemed to be in tune with even the villain of the story. Though I guess being incredibly smart was a pretty desirable trait.
Then... there was one kid left who hadn't spoken about what he wanted to be in this make-believe play they were having.
"Uhm... guys? What should I become?" The last kid meekly asked his fellow friends. He seemed to not really be into this kind of play and probably not really familiar with the superhero media in general.
The rest of the kids stared blankly at the meek kid, then they looked at each other for each of their opinions.
Eventually, the kid who announced himself as the villain Max Brain came forward and approached the meek kid. "Hey, you'll be my grunt," he stated to the meek kid as if it were a matter of fact.
"G-grunt...?! B-but I don't want to be just a grunt..." The meek kid weakly complained.
"Too bad. None of the heroes nor villains would fit for you as you're too much of a wuss and a weakling," the Max-Brain-role-player kid cruelly explained his reasoning. The meek kid couldn't say anything back, as his eyes became teary.
"F-fine..." He reluctantly accepted his role as the grunt of this villain role-player kid. Said villain kid just grinned from hearing the meek kid's acceptance, while the other hero role-player kids didn't really care either way.
"Let's go!" The Ultra Guy role player kid shouted and announced to them all as he sprinted away. The other kids followed suit with his advance, which included the earlier meek kid who followed behind them, albeit reluctantly. Those kids then went along further into the other side of the park.
"... kids can be pretty cruel, huh..." I commented on those role-playing kids as they went further away. I had never thought I would witness a kid's sheer honesty of their cruelty towards others. I did vaguely remember how I used to be a troublemaker myself as a kid... but I didn't think I was that kind of cruel... did I?
"*Sigh* no point in thinking about the past right now," I said to myself while sighing. I didn't have time to mull over my past; I needed to focus on my present. I stood up from the park bench and began to leave the public park where I had just rested my tired soul. But... before I left, I looked back at those superhero role-playing kids.
In particular, the meek kid who was forced to become the grunt of their role-playing. He was being beaten down by the heroes as of right now, while the villain role-player kid stood behind him watching the heroes versus one grunt with a maniacal expression of a villain. Even if their punches and kicks were just pretend play attacks, the meek kid was showing distress over their treatment.
"Grunt..." I muttered to myself. I didn't want to imagine myself as some disposable punching-bag grunt for the heroes and villains, but... 'Maybe being a grunt is better than nothing...' I thought to myself, as I did imagine at least being a grunt if I couldn't find any job at all. Finally, I left the public park for good.
< | X | >
I resumed walking through the urban landscape as I was about to go meet an interviewer, but... I seemed to have gotten myself lost. I was instructed to meet with my interviewer, but the directions and location of the interview site seemed to be wrong.
"Where am I anyway...?" I asked myself, trying to figure out my current location. I didn't think the interviewer would give me a fake address just to prank me, because I've seen good reviews and ratings from previous applicants, indicating that this employer was legitimate. So, I needed to figure out something from the address they gave me.
I opened my smartphone and saw the address, the time of the interview itself, and even a link to the online location-share for the interview site.
"Let's see here..." I clicked on the location-shared link, and it directed me to my smartphone's map app. It was booting a bit slowly... then it finally finished calibrating my position.
"Ah! No wonder," I said to myself. I realized now that the location of the interview was just a block over from where I stood right now. I looked to the right, towards the supposed location of the interview site, and saw that it was through a wide alleyway between these large buildings. I then walked into said alleyway, hoping that I would finally be in the right place for the interview.
But... as I was walking through the alleyway, I came across to what seemed to be a fortune-teller booth on the side of the alleyway, with a cloaked figure sitting in it. As I didn't have any business or interest in fortune-telling, I casually passed by the booth. However, as I passed by the fortune-teller booth, the hooded figure within called out to me, a feminine but mature voice that carried an air of mystery and urgency.
"Stop right there, traveler," she said to me, her voice soft but commanding, causing me to pause in my tracks. "I sensed uncertainty clouding your path. Allow me to offer guidance." She continued.
I looked back to the fortune-teller booth and saw the figure of a woman under the hood of her cloak, who showed a wicked smile towards me.
HIATUS
HIATUS. Not much to say here other than it's not working out.
Capítulo 2: The Inquiries of the "Fortune Teller"
"I sensed uncertainty clouding your path. Allow me to offer guidance," the fortune teller spoke to me with a mysterious and urgent tone in her voice. I looked back at the fortune teller's booth that I had just passed and saw the cloaked figure of a woman. Her eyes were hidden from me, but I could see the wicked smile on her face, which was quite unnerving.
I was stopped in my tracks, having just casually passed by her booth. I hadn't planned to visit her fortune teller booth or cared about any of that fortune-telling nonsense, but for some reason, my body subconsciously stopped me from leaving the alleyway and urged me to get closer to the fortune teller lady.
'What...?' My inner thoughts in confusion as I just realized that my body was acting strange all of a sudden. My body suddenly felt sluggish and stiff, as if a bunch of ropes were tying down each of my limbs. I looked down at my own body with confusion. What happened to my body? I was pretty sure that I was walking just fine before... but my body became like this after I had casually passed by this fortune teller's booth and she called me out.
I looked back at the fortune teller lady and only saw the same wicked smile that she had shown me under the hood of her cloak. Okay... she was starting to creep me out. I quickly looked away and returned my vision forward toward my original destination, which was the path out of this alleyway.
"Sorry, lady. I'm in a hurry right now..." I tried to politely excuse myself from the fortune teller lady and forced my body to move forward, albeit slowly as my body still felt sluggish and stiff. I was still confused as to why my body was acting weird all of a sudden, but I had a feeling that this fortune teller lady was somewhat... no, largely involved in it, so I needed to get out of this alleyway fast.
"Ah~, come on, dear traveler~. Just a quick little chit-chat won't hurt~." She purred at me, trying to entice me to get closer to her, which almost worked as my body stopped again and twitched for a bit as if it was responding to her words.
"Look, lady. I'm not interested in some fortune-telling crap!" I tried to reason with the fortune teller lady as confusion and panic began to creep over me due to my body's sudden strange behavior.
"Oh my~, 'fortune-telling,' you say? Fufufu~." She giggled at the notion of what I just said. Was I wrong? I was pretty sure that you would only find this kind of booth for fortune telling, especially those trying to scam people. Either way... I got to get out of here!
I forced my body to move again, fighting back the "ropes" that were tying my body down. It worked somewhat as I started to move slightly faster. But... she then began to speak to me again.
"Now, now, don't be shy, dear traveler~. Come over here." She purred again to me, beckoning me toward her with a command. Then all of a sudden, my body jerked back as if I were being forcefully pulled back, as if the metaphorical "ropes" that had been holding down my body were being pulled.
"Woah!" I yelped from the sudden force that had pulled my body. My body was pulled back right in front of the "fortune teller" lady's booth. I was then forced to face forward toward it, as well as forced to see the full figure of the lady sitting casually cross-legged behind the booth with her right arm propping her chin in a seductress way. She was wearing a dull gray cloak that hid most of her figure, but the cloak itself hugged her well-endowed figure quite nicely.
The fortune teller lady lifted her head to see me. Most of her upper face was hidden by the hood she was wearing, but I could see her lower face, and... she seemed quite beautiful from the looks of her lower face alone. Weirdly enough, the thought of seeing this beautiful and sexy "fortune teller" lady calmed my nerves a bit... Damnit, my own damn libido was starting to win over my fear.
As I tried to imagine how her full face would look, she showed me the previous wicked smile that took me aback a bit. She giggled at seeing my reaction, as her wicked smile was toned down into a mischievous one, and then began to speak. "Fufufu... you seem to be at a loss right now, traveler," she spoke to me, assuming that I was lost... which was somewhat true as I was indeed trying to find the location of my interviewer. Did I look too obvious?
Sensing her own accuracy, she giggled again. "Fufufu... tell me, traveler, what is your aspiration?" She suddenly asked me out of the blue, which again, surprised me. 'Aspirations'? Was this part of her fortune-telling tidbit? When I looked back at the "fortune teller" lady, she just showed me her mischievous smile again, as if she was waiting for my answer.
Aspiration, huh... was she asking about what kind of job I wanted? Did she know I was going job hunting? Maybe she knew because I was carrying this pile of job application documents in my hand.
I paused a bit, as I began to think. Truth be told... I have never thought about what my aspiration was. I have been too preoccupied with finishing college and after that, searching for jobs to no avail... I have never thought what I want to be in the future...
"Hmm..." I hummed to myself as I tried to think what my aspiration might be, but... nothing really solid crossed my mind. "I honestly don't know..." I answered the "fortune teller" lady's question with a bit of a solemn tone.
"Ah, how sad..." The "fortune teller" lady sympathized with me; her tone was also somber, but... I had a feeling that she was more toward teasing me rather than actually pitying me. "Well then... how about something that you want to have right now?" She continued, asking me another question instead.
I was slightly taken aback by another one of her questions. She was now asking me what I want to have? As in a selfish desire or something? Hmm...
"Well... I just want a job right now," I simply answered her question. Indeed, I was looking for a job. I didn't really have much of a selfish desire other than being able to work and not feeling like a deadbeat.
"Ah, a job you say?" She inquired about what I just said, tilting her head in interest.
"Yeah, just a simple job would be nice right now," I confirmed back to her inquiry.
"Do you have any specific job in mind?" She continued asking another question. Again, I was taken aback by her probing question. I tilted my head slightly to the side, my gaze wandering as I pondered her inquiry.
Again... nothing solid crossed my mind. The job interview that I was about to attend was for the regular old office job that you would find in most urban cities, but... I didn't have much confidence about it. I wasn't sure whether I could actually work in an office cubicle or pass the interview for the job itself... Still, I would at least need to try it before I got cold feet about it.
"Well..." I began while also trying to think of an answer. The "fortune teller" lady now leaned forward, her expression, while only the bottom part of her face was visible, showed keen interest, as if she was eagerly awaiting my response. "Any job is fine right now," I simply answered with a hint of finality.
I firmly decided: I would do any job. I was getting even more desperate with each job application and interview that I had been trying and failing. If this job interview didn't work out, I might as well try my luck with being a burger flipper in a fast-food joint too.
"Hmm... is that so?" She inquired about my answer, but her tone was that of boredom. My answer most likely didn't really satisfy her expectation as she had just lost interest in me, which was a good thing since it looked like she would finally let me off from whatever spell that she had cast on me... I hoped...
'You know what? Maybe I just gotta humor her at least once,' I thought to myself, but...
I would soon come to regret this decision.
"Yeah," I confirmed to her. "Hell, I might even do grunt's work," I jokingly said, as I vaguely remembered those kids in the public park with their 'Hero Vs. Villain' play, in particular, that poor kid who got forced into the villain's grunt role.
Hearing what I just said, the fortune teller suddenly lifted her face and showed me a wicked smile of hers that startled me once again. What's even more terrifying... was that she finally showed her eyes to me that were hidden under her cloak's hood... and they were shining red with an equally wicked intent.
"Oh...! A Grunt, you say?"
HIATUS
HIATUS. Not much to say here other than it's not working out.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
200+ Ranking de
Poder 
0 Pedra de
Poder 
Comentário de parágrafo