A frail looking young man with thin hands covering his face sat on a bench in a roadside garden.
His body posture exuded a melancholic feeling. In contrast...
Chirping of birds returning home, cheering noises of small children with big smiles plastered over their faces, and their parents fondidly watching over them. This all created a beautiful and serene environment. Sharp contrast with Art's sadness. Sitting on an isolated bench as if trying to disconnect himself from this cruel and tainted world. Couldn't appreciate the beauty of innocence or the beautiful twilight blooming in the sky.
Instead, it added gasoline to his gnawing darkness.
'Why? Why... Why I trusted them so much!?' Repeating same question again and again. Not realising, he was trapped in a cage of negative emotions.
Hahahaha!
The sound of innocent giggles shattered his cage of imprisonment. Art's body tremble a little. As if realising this, Art raised his head a little, from the gaps of his fingers, bloodshot black eyes could be seen. Full of pain and hurt.
Dark circles encircling them. Telling that he was not sleeping, eating or living properly.
The naive innocence of little one's even when they fell down, they did so with a smile. They tried to get up but fall again, but their laughter didn't go away.
This reminded him of his sweet family. His gentle yet fierce mother. His caring and quiet father who must be working tirelessly, so his children can have a good life. His little sister who must be thinking of earning and saving money in any way possible.
It moisten his bloodshot eyes. Not looking fierce and hurt anymore, but of a pitiful being who was doing everything he could for his loved ones.
"...I have to get it back. Otherwis--" He couldn't complete his sentence because he knew, those people would never return him. He had doomed his sister's future by trusting in his two childhood bestfriends.
He took out his phone intending to give a last try, and dialed a number. Ring. But, there was no response. His hands started shaking. He tried another number. Same result. His desperation gave into negative feelings. He didn't give up. He tried again, again, and again!
But, no response.
Tears started falling. He tried to stand to meet his betrayers. But, his legs gave in. He couldn't stand up. Neither here nor in his life.
"...Why! I was... sniff... " His heart wrenched. His chest felt suffocated. Incoherent sounds came between his painful sob. The beautiful image before him blurred into a twisted painful image.
The twisted images of naive children and their parents, turned into a semblance of his guilt and regret lifted their accusatory fingers at Art one by one. Blaming him. Taunting him. Laughing at him.
'You fool!...' Taunting him.
'...burn away.' Cursing him.
'You destroyed your family! Hahaha...
No one can save you...' Blaming him.
'...will rot away...' Laughing at him.
Art could hear every taunt. Every curse. Every humiliation. He was having problem in breathing. His lungs felt like hot burning coals. His heart thudded in his chest like a drum beaten by nervous hands.
Lub-dub!
He was not in his right mind, any sane people could tell. He was consumed in his self loathing. Maybe, he was having a panic attack!
When he was doom to writhe in agony, a soft touch and a gentle force on his hand brought him out of his cursed hell. Art stiffened a little, and look forward with a lost look.
"Big Brother! Are you okay!?" A small girl, around twelve or thirteen years, looked at him with concern. Art knew her or more appropriately saw her on a regular basis in this garden.
"A--ah, uh, I am okay. Thank you for asking." Feeling a bit embarrassed, looked by those small concerned eyes when he was a proper adult. He hurriedly tried to wipe away his tears.
"Really?" The small girl continued.
Feeling a bit hesitant in lying to a small girl, Art looked around him. Noticing there was no one else in his immediate surroundings, leaving her. "I am sad. Some of my friends... tricked me."
The little girl furrowed her brow a little. Making her cute.
"They are bad friends! Then, they should be punished! Don't feel sad because of them." The little girl's words blew fresh winds in his heart.
'She is correct. They should be punished!' A few innocent sentences changed his direction of emotional outburst.
Intense Hatred began to bloom in his kind heart! For the first time in his life.
As if responding to his negative feelings, dark clouds surrounded the sky. Little lightning streaks could be seen peeking through the clouds.
"Kaya! Come here!" Parents started calling their children. In a hurry to leave before the downpour started.
"Big Brother, I have to go. Don't be sad and cheers!" The little girl, Kaya, ran back to his mother who was talking with other ladies waiting for their children.
"Ahhh. We got such a nice day free of those irritating clouds after so many days. Bu, this stupid rain came again." A thirty something gentle woman complained.
"It is not under our control. Atleast, we could get some semblance of daily life compare to others." Another women answered her, while waiting for her children.
The past few months were full of happeings of unimaginable things. Deserts were flooded. Global warming increased somewhere, whereas blizzard started flowing in hot areas. Antarctic's ice sheets dissolved at a rapid rate. Plumging the world in chaos.
Develooed countries blamed the undeveloped countries for global warming. Inciting the wrath of common people. Scientists were trying to figure out the cause. But, they could not achieve a proper explanation.
"She is correct. Coastal areas are drowned in sea water. We are fortunate enough that we are in mainland. Otherwise, we would be homeless wanderers." They complained and reassured themselves.
After a few moments, no one could be seen in the garden. Leaving one.
As if he was unaffected by the heavy downpour that started just a few moments ago. Art sat there, now in the torrential rain. He was soaked from head to toe. But his eyes now gleamed with pain and hatred.
So intense pain and hatred!
"I trusted you so much... my old friends." His voice was hoarse from cold. But was it inner cold or outer cold? "And this is how you both... repaid me." His body started shaking a little. Maybe from cold or anger? No one could tell.
He tried to stand up, but failed. But, this time, he didn't give up. Clenching his teeth and using the now burning hatred in his heart. He forced himself to stand up.
He looked forward as if both of them were standing in front of him. "...You both will regret this. And so your fraud friends." Droplets of water slid down from his red eyes. Was it rain or tears? It didn't matter.
They were his best friends. Much more. Family. He trusted them so much. He believed everyone can betray him but not them. But he was wrong. So thoroughly.
"I will never forget this." He vowed in his heart to kill his past self. His kindness. His trust. He given them wholeheartedly to others. His family trusted others. But what they get? Betrayal after betrayal. From relatives. From colleagues.
And now, he got it from friends who were like siblings to him.
At that time, sky was split apart by streaks of white lightning. Thunder echoing behind them.
Illuminated by the lightning, Art's face looked like a corpse. Pale dusky skin, devoid of blood. Dark black hair with a matching pair of dark black eyes. His frail body gave an impression of a living corpse.
He turned around to move, but couldn't take a first step when a tremor ran through him. It was not caused by cold or anger. He kneeled down slightly to avoid falling. His entire body was trembling so his head. His vision became blurry again, second time today.
"Wh-what is happ--" He couldn't complete his sentence when all the pain and tremor disappeared. As if it was just an illusion.
While rubbing his forehead, he stood up. 'That sharp pain? Was it caused by my emotions or... Am I ill?' Thinking about illness, he became serious. Art didn't have money to treat any illness. Worse, he didn't have enough money to pay his rent this month.
'Whatever. When it will come, then I will see it.' Ignoring a concern about his health, he moved towards the exit of the garden. When, suddenly, light flickered before his eyes in the dark torrential rain environment.
[Earth has been matured enough for the awakening of energy type mana.]
[All the occupants of the Earth can now ascend.]
Art couldn't believe in his eyes. He rubbed them thinking, maybe due to crying and rain water, he was seeing illusion or having hallucinations.
But, even after rubbing his eyes three times, the result didn't change. The same golden words were still there. Before he could comprehend or accept the golden message, a loud scream rang, tearing the veil of rain.
'A woman's scream!'
Coming from the direction the children and their parents left. He sprinted towards the source of the scream. Slipping sometimes in the mud. Barely escaping from falling. Exiting the garden, what he saw froze his steps in mid air.