The chatter within the confines of the cafeteria reverberates across the room. There are so many voices you can't even hope to understand what one group is even saying. All the voices overlap with each other, creating a constant noise.
The cafeteria is different from what I expected.
It's less white than I thought. There seem to be skulls and axes covering the ceiling, a twisted form of decor. They're all a familiar shade of gold, nicely orating the black wall.
They really do like their decor.
The bench I'm sitting at is adorned with honestly mouthwatering food. There's a nice plate of what looks to be grilled chicken, with various strange plants littering the rest of the space. Next to the plate is a small bowl filled to the brim with some kind of creamy soup. The aroma is really nice, to be honest.
I'm sitting alone at the moment. Well, this is understandable, given that I'm new here and no one really knows me all too well. Even then, it's fine if people don't want to sit next to me. I'm used to it, even before I was sent to this world.
I pick up the spoon closest to me and dip it inside the soup. The liquid morphs around it as I raise the spoon to my mouth. As it drips slightly back onto the bowl, I wait a few moments, given that it's steaming hot.
Being alone isn't inherently a bad thing, as people like to say all the time. Yes, I recognize that humans are social creatures down to our genetic level. However, when you remain amongst people all the time or a larger collective, you lose your individuality. Your mannerisms, your personality, your likes.
Everything that makes you, you, is stolen and handed out to others. Individuality is… forgotten. You're expected to fall in line with the rest of others. Your light is too bright for others…
I'm okay with being alone…
No. I'm not alone. I've got Aza.
There are some people who do not steal the light. They merely bathe in it. They enjoy the light and give back light of their own. Both parties mutually enjoy each other's radiance.
Aza is one of such people. She's recognized my brightness and provided me with adequate items to spike my radiance.
If I have someone who is capable of recognizing someone like me, then that's fine.
I don't need anyone else.
"E-Excuse me…"
I glance upwards.
A girl, trying to condense her form into a cube, stands in front of me. Reading her body language, she seems utterly terrified of asking such a thing. Maybe not terrified, but clearly nervous.
I recognize her. She's one of the people who were present when Mjölnir introduced me to Forctyr. Her hair is slightly curly and unkempt, yet kept all the same. It's strangely alluring. Like some girl who can't handle basic tasks due to her own clumsiness.
Man, I sound weird right now.
"Yeah. Feel free." I say, focusing back on my food.
She sits down across from me. Her head is angled downwards, presumably focusing on her food.
"...- - - -sy...."
"Biopsy?"
The image of a medical glass pops up in my head.
What's that supposed to mean? She's muttering so much it's hard to say it. And she's using English words. I know they speak another language in Lagomia. I forgot the name though, so it's a little weird for me to understand.
"You mean sloppy, right?"
"Yeah. T-The cream soup looks sloppier than usual." She stares at the meal.
"Hm, I personally think it's pretty tasty. Also, how does soup seem sloppy?"
"Hah… y-you're right, I'm sorry…"
"What're ya apologizing for?" I frown.
"F-For my way of walking..."
"You mean talking, right?"
She nods.
"I-I struggle to talk in a compre…comprehen… colonoscopy matter."
"You meant comprehensive, right!?"
"Yeah… I did…" She looks away.
"How do those words even sound remotely similar?!"
"Hyaa! I'm sorry!!"
She quickly pulls out a small item, or toy of some kind. It's got a multitude of values pertaining to the color white. Or well, gray and its other values. Reminds me of a Rubik's Cube because of its square shape.
She starts fiddling around with it, somehow matching each value to its respective part. She's actually moving with a surprising efficiency. Is this some kind of way to calm her down?
She takes a deep breath before looking up at me.
"I'm sorry… can we s-start this entire interaction again?"
I sigh, then smile as I extend my hand in her direction.
"Hello, my name's Axel Freud. It's nice to meet you."
Hey! Hey! She's looking in the other direction! Look at someone when you introduce yourself!
"F-Freya Hrafn…" She practically whispers as she takes my hand in a handshake. Her hands are quite hot, actually. Does she have a fever or something?
"Glad to make your acquaintance, Freya," I say, giving my best Ikemen smile. Apparently, I'm more good-looking if I let my hair down, which I heavily doubt. I prefer having it slicked back. The feeling of hair sticking to my forehead really irks me for some odd reason.
Suddenly, Freya slides her hand outside my grasp and reaches for the strange Rubik's Cube.
"Hraaaaa…!!"
?!
She's squeezing the cube like it's a stress ball!!
_________________________________________________________
"Hello…? Mom…?"
The girl called out, trailing along the alleyway. Just a few minutes ago, she had been shopping with her mother. The focus of their shopping efforts was school supplies, as the girl—who had been a victim of bullying, yet denied it—insisted that she had lost her notebooks and pencils.
The girl herself was no older than fourteen, evident by her slightly taller stature.
The alleyway was completely submerged in another dimension, cut off from the rest of the world. Just behind the girl, hundreds of people lingered, walking past and moving from store to store. Lights glowed brilliantly along the street as well, giving a strange sense of 'festivity'.
Yet, in this alley, all but the girl was dead. The walls were a dreary gray, with strange patches of black-stillness decorating them. Due to walking from such a bright place to one without light, the girl's eyes were still in the process of adjusting.
She could not exactly see such patches, but could only cement the fact that they existed into her brain.
"Mom…? What are we doing in here..? I'm sorry if I was ignoring you earlier!"
She continued walking, her shoes colliding against stray puddles.
Sounds echoed from every corner. Whether it was a rat scurrying along or a loose pipe, it did not matter to the girl. Had her mother not called her from such an alley, she would have never been there.
The girl's shoulders began to shake slightly as intense fear slowly crept over her. It loomed over her shoulders and traveled downwards.
Her eyes began shifting from corner to corner, fully expecting the possibility of a shadowy figure bolting in her direction.
"M-Mom… I'm sorry. Please come out… I'm sorry…"
Tears began streaming down the girl's face.
She continued walking.
The sounds continued, getting louder and louder.
She continued walking.
The black patches grew in number, still unable to be viewed properly by the girl. Faces grew along the wall, laughing, laughing.
Laughing. Laughing.
"Hiieee!!!!!!"
She began running. Her footsteps reverberated across the hallway.
'I must find Mom. I need to find Mom. I need to find her, and get out of here. I want to go home. I wanna go home!'
She ran, and ran, further into the mouth of chaos.
Perhaps the memory of her mother's attempts to coddle her into opening up rang in the girl's head, causing a sense of guilt to mix with the intense fear. Perhaps this guilt was slowly morphing into desperation. Perhaps, perhaps.
Perhaps had she merely never entered that alleyway, the following events would have never happened.
"Hilda…"
"Mommy?!"
The voice called from further down the alleyway, clearly beckoning for her daughter.
The girl's footsteps increased tenfold.
A silhouette comes into view. It's feminine, with a clear dress outfitted on it. Said figure sways side to side, their arms swinging.
"Hilda…"
The voice is emanating from the figure.
"Mommy…!" A clear tinge of joy is present in the girl's voice.
Then…
Then….
The figure stops.
████ dashes towards the girl. It quickly ████ her ████ and ████ her insides. Screams reverberate across the alleyway, unable to be heard. ████ continues as it ████ and ████'s, regardless of her daughter's cries.
████ ████ ███ █████ .
"████!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
██M█ ██A██N██K█ █IND███ ███EA█ T███S███ ██IT██S██E██ ██ ███LF