Early morning — an abandoned warehouse in central Bangkok
The old rainwater dripping from the rusty corrugated roof went "drip… drip…", echoing across the empty space.
Sunlight streamed through the broken walls, casting jagged shadows. A fifteen-year-old boy slowly rose from his worn-out futon.
"Ah… what a nice morning. I better hurry to work…"
He glanced around. His "home" looked no different than a rat's nest.
Rows of water bottles stood outside, each containing only a few drops of collected rain.
"Yesterday didn't rain… and now there's even less water left."
He walked to a cracked mirror leaning against the wall. His reflection revealed a pale boy with messy white hair, pitch-black eyes, and a body so thin his ribs were visible. Dust clung to his face and hair.
"My birthday just passed… I'm fifteen now." He murmured softly.
"A life like this… no one would ever want it."
Outside the warehouse, the faint wail of sirens echoed in the distance.
> "Announcement from the Public Arcanist Organization:
Citizens are advised to avoid Thonglor district. A Sleep Desirant has appeared, causing chaos.
Latest death toll: 100."
"Desirant again…" he muttered, unsurprised.
In this city, demons born from human desires were nothing new.
The stronger the desire, the stronger the Desirant — and they never truly died.
---
Cut to — Yaowarat District
The elevated train rattled overhead. Crowds pressed past him as neon advertisements flickered from towering LED screens.
News footage repeated the warnings: Desirant attacks were constant.
"Hey! Ray!"
A shout came from a side alley.
A bulky man in a dirty suit approached, smirking — Ken, the mafia creditor.
"You're late, damn it! Tonight, you're stealing a Desirant corpse from the freelance hunters. If you fail… you won't keep that eye of yours, got it?"
Ray's heart clenched. He lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact.
"Sorry, Mr. Ken… I had to collect some coins first…"
"Stop making excuses, you little worm!" Ken spat on the ground.
"Ten million baht your father left behind… you think you can run? Kids like you only exist to work for me!"
---
Desirant…
Creatures born from the collective desires of humans.
They were not permanently dead — destroyed, they returned to the "Realm of Desire," ready to be reborn whenever human desire flared again.
Only Arcanists could stand against them.
Ray… wielded a pathetic form of magic, able only to pass through objects.
Thus, he became the mafia's "corpse thief."
---
"I understand…" Ray said softly. "Can I… eat something? I haven't had anything since last night…"
Ken laughed loudly. "Ha! Eat? You're just a worthless rat! Go back to your hole and gnaw on stale bread!"
Ray clenched his fists.
He lifted his gaze to the sky, hidden behind the towering buildings.
His only wish was simple:
"A normal life… three meals a day… a girlfriend… that's all."
But in a city where desires could give birth to Desirant,
such dreams… might just be a cruel joke.