[Awakening Result: Failed]
Kyle stared at the result once more before letting out a heavy sigh.
[Vmmmmmmm!]
His phone buzzed insistently in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, squinting at the cascade of notifications that had accumulated.
[Holla(36+): Three countries collaborate with the guardians... [Read more]]
[Snaptub(99+): Check this out, Kyle! Janet posted a new... [Read more]]
[Hotnews(54+): A sum of twenty rape cases have been leveled against A-rank Guardian Leon for... [Read more]]
[Weather: Today shows unusual climate patterns]
[GuardiansOfficial: [Outsiders Attack] Citizens are warned to evacuate... [Read more]]
His eyes remained indifferent as he scrolled through the notifications, but his expression changed slightly when he stopped at one particular message.
[Messenger(42): [Nelia: I am waiting for you back home]]
"I missed it during the process," he muttered, already dreading the confrontation awaiting him at home. This was the last thing he needed right now. All he craved was silence—the kind he had now, but preferably in his own bed with the lights off, alone with nothing but his thoughts.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket with another sigh. There was no avoiding Nelia's fury when he returned home.
"Damn rain won't let up," he muttered, peering past the awning at the churning storm clouds. The sky remained pitch black—an unsettling sight considering that just hours earlier, the weather had been perfectly clear. The moment he'd stepped out of the awakening center, dark clouds had swept across the sky with unnatural speed, swallowing every trace of blue in an instant.
He'd found this sheltered spot by sheer luck, but three hours had already passed with no sign of the downpour easing. If there had been any forecast for this storm, he might have brought an umbrella. Then again, probably not. His original plan had been simple: grab coffee from the café two blocks from home, a ten-minute walk at most. Bringing an umbrella would have tipped Nelia off that he wasn't just making a quick coffee run as he'd claimed.
His breath misted as he exhaled, and he rubbed his arms against the growing chill. "Cold night, isn't it?"
Kyle's eyes snapped wide. He spun around to find a man sitting casually on the concrete steps leading to the shuttered storefront behind him. His body tensed immediately.
"What the hell? How did you get in here?" Kyle backed away several steps, his hand instinctively moving toward his pocket where his only weapon waited—a five-inch knife.
Against a normal person, it might be enough. But if this stranger turned out to be awakened, the blade would be useless. The gap between the awakened and ordinary humans was insurmountable, regardless of conventional weapons. Even a gun wouldn't save him if this man decided to turn hostile.
"Same way you did," the man replied, tilting his head with apparent confusion.
Kyle's frown deepened. That was impossible. Either he'd been completely blind when he'd rushed in here, or this man had somehow entered during the storm without making a sound. Neither option seemed plausible.
"Who are you?" Kyle studied the stranger's features: shoulder-length white hair, grey eyes, and a youthful face that belonged to someone in their early twenties.
"Nobody important." The man offered a small smile.
"That's not an answer."
"Sure it is. You can call me whatever you like."
"That's not how introductions work," Kyle said, his eyes narrowing.
"You're right. They usually start with the person asking the question giving their name first." The man's smile widened slightly.
After a pause, Kyle relented. "Kyle."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kyle." The man had his arms crossed, probably trying to stay warm despite his jacket.
"Likewise, Mr..." Kyle raised an eyebrow expectantly.
"A."
Kyle stared at him. "A? Seriously? Who names their kid after a single letter?"
"Apparently, my parents did." The man shrugged with casual indifference.
"Right. Sure, Mr. A." Kyle turned back toward the storm-darkened street.
It was obvious the man had no intention of revealing his identity, and honestly, Kyle couldn't care less. His interest in this stranger matched his enthusiasm for being trapped here—which was none at all. His only reason for attempting civility was self-preservation. For all he knew, this could be an awakened psychopath, and if the man decided to kill him, Kyle would be dead long before help could arrive. The storm ensured complete isolation.
"Why don't you have a seat?" the man suggested. "This storm isn't going anywhere anytime soon."
"I'm fine standing, thanks. I have back problems, so sitting on concrete isn't really my thing." Kyle forced an obviously fake laugh.
"Come on, I promise I won't kill you."
The words sent ice through Kyle's veins. Only a murderer would say something like that unprompted.
"Um..." Kyle hesitated, weighing his options. Maybe he should risk the downpour and make a run for it. He was in no mood for this anxiety-inducing encounter.
CRACK!
As if responding to his thoughts, a bolt of lightning struck the center of the road with deafening force.
"This has to be a nightmare," he thought desperately. The moment he'd considered running, the storm had responded with violent warning.
"Come on," the man repeated, seemingly unaffected by the lightning that had just split the air mere yards away. If nothing else about this stranger had raised red flags, his complete lack of reaction to the near-miss certainly did.
Kyle sighed in defeat and climbed the concrete steps, settling beside the enigmatic man.
"Much better. Now your back can get some proper rest." The man's smile seemed genuine enough.
"Yeah, sure," Kyle muttered.
"Your name is Kyle, correct?"
"Yeah," Kyle replied warily.
They sat in silence for several minutes before the man spoke again.
"Tell me about yourself."
"Excuse me?"
"That paper you were holding earlier—it was from the Guardian Assessment Center a few blocks from here. Judging by your expression, the results weren't what you'd hoped for."
Kyle's face darkened. "What's it to you?"
"Nothing, really. It's just that seeing the look on your face, holding that paper—it reminded me of someone I once knew."
Kyle watched the cars speed past through the rain, their tires sending arcs of water across the sidewalk. "Who might that be?" he asked absently, not expecting a real answer.
"Me."
Kyle turned sharply. "What?"
"The kid who lost everything. Desperately trying to become something more. Crying himself to sleep every night because luck had abandoned him. Waking up each day to face the same cruel reality." The man's laugh held no humor. "That was my life once. I lost everything, even in those final moments when I had a choice—a real choice. Maybe if I'd chosen differently, I wouldn't be alone now. I wouldn't have lost everyone. But I let the rage consume me. The hunger for revenge."
Kyle clenched his fists unconsciously.
"It's ironic how the world seems to take pleasure in tormenting those who want nothing more than a normal life," the man continued.
"Here's the truth, Kyle: when you try too hard, you never win. But in life, if you don't try at all, you lose everything anyway."
"So what's the point?"
"There are only two types of people in this world—winners and losers. Winners take everything. Losers are destined to lose it all. Sometimes it takes one wrong choice. Sometimes it takes no choice at all. There's no middle ground."
Kyle's smile was bitter and hollow. "I'm definitely in the loser category. I lost my family in a single night, and it might have been my fault."
"Might have been?"
"I can't be sure. I don't remember what happened that day." Tears began sliding down his cheeks despite his efforts to stop them. "Damn it, I cry every time I think about it. It's pathetic."
"It's not pathetic. You're human."
Kyle wiped his eyes roughly.
"Just don't let emotions control you the way I did."
"You still haven't told me who you really are."
"It doesn't matter. I gave you my name, didn't I?"
"Right, sure you did."
"Take care of her, while you still can."
"What?" Kyle looked at him sharply.
"You will understand when it happens." The man's voice slowly dulled.
"Now what the fuck does that mean?!" Kyle felt a cold dread settling in his stomach.
The man kept silent... then spoke.
"Make the right choices, Kyle. What is lost... is lost forever,"
Without warning, the man reached out and grasped Kyle's shoulder. Something indefinable flowed into him.
"Let go of me!" Kyle demanded, his heart hammering as he feared he knew exactly who the man meant—the one person he still had left in this world.
"Go home, Kyle." The man smiled.
CRACK!
Another lightning bolt split the sky. Kyle flinched and looked toward the road.
"This will be the last time you ever see her."
Kyle's heart stopped for two agonizing seconds as terror washed over him in waves.
When he turned back, the man had vanished.