The alarm buzzed at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Lucien Von Mateo groaned, rolled over, and stared at the ceiling for a good ten seconds before deciding that being an adult sucked. Another day, another report, another cup of instant coffee that tasted like burnt air.
He showered, got dressed, and left his small apartment, earbuds in, same playlist on repeat. The bus ride was the usual — people half-asleep, someone scrolling through reels too loudly, a kid crying somewhere in the back. Lucien just watched the city blur by, thinking how weird it was that everyone seemed to be in a hurry to do the same things every day.
At the office, the hum of computers and the tapping of keyboards filled the air. Lucien sat down, stretched, and muttered, "Let's survive another day," before logging in. He wasn't miserable — just... running on autopilot, like everyone else.
Night fell, and Lucien didn't even realize it was already dark. Suddenly, his colleague Kael Merrin — the guy everyone admired, the kind of man who looked like he walked straight out of a romance novel — stood up and announced that they were going on a company tour to the countryside. The room lit up with excitement, especially from the girls, which made Lucien feel a mix of jealousy and irritation. Of course Mark gets all the attention.
By the time the shift ended, Lucien dragged himself home, looking gloomier than usual. He dropped his bag, lay on his bed, and stared at the ceiling — again. His mind drifted into daydreams: What if life were more exciting? What if the world suddenly turned into a fantasy... or got hit by an apocalypse? Anything sounded better than another day at work.
Then it hit him that he still had work tomorrow.
"...Fuck," he muttered before closing his eyes.
The alarm buzzed again the next morning, louder than usual — or maybe Lucien was just too tired to care. He dragged himself out of bed and glanced at his wall calendar, marking D-Day — The Countryside Tour on May 15, 2026. "Great," he muttered, "a vacation I didn't ask for."
Another cycle began. Another bus ride, another dull morning. At work, Kael strolled over and asked, "How's your day, Lucien?" That's when Lucien's survival instincts kicked in — switching straight into his ass-kissing mode. "Oh, same as always, sir! Busy but grateful to be working with the best!" he said with a fake grin. Kael chuckled, clearly pleased but also visibly uncomfortable.
As soon as Kael left to charm the others, Lucien sank back into his chair, zoning out. His mind drifted again — not to deadlines or numbers, but to a world where strength decides destiny. A world where you could break free from survival itself. Where power meant freedom... where you could rise above all and become something greater. A god, maybe.
And as reality snapped back — the glow of his monitor, the endless spreadsheet — Lucien sighed. "Yeah, right," he whispered. "Keep dreaming."
The night hit again, and Lucien found himself still staring at his computer screen, working for other people's prosperity. Suddenly, a girl approached him — Lyra Escaño — asking for help with something. Lucien turned his head and stared at her intensely, already overthinking. In his mind, this was destiny. Just like in his school days, when he self-proclaimed himself as a "lazy genius" despite being painfully average.
Lyra looked a bit uncomfortable as Lucien's buggy eyes locked onto her. Realizing how weird he must look, he quickly stood up and glanced around — only to notice they were the only ones left in the office. It was late. Way too late.
Trying to recover, Lucien offered to help, and together they finished her task. When it was done, he grabbed his bag, ready to leave, when Lyra smiled and said softly, "Thanks, Lucien."
That smile. That one simple smile hit him like a spell. On his way home, Lucien kept thinking about it — replaying it in his head like a scene from some cheesy romance anime. The moment he got home, he ran straight to the mirror, checking himself out, wondering if he had actually looked good back there.
After washing up, he collapsed into bed, still thinking about Marcella's smile. Lucien daydreamed about the two of them — getting close, maybe becoming a family one day, like every dude does when a girl smiles at him for the first time.
As he drifted off to sleep, one last thought crossed his mind:
Four Days Left until D-Day