"Ah yes… bask in my greatness."
A figure cloaked in black hovered above the lively city, arms spread wide against the moonlit sky. His mask gleamed white in the light, half-smile, half-grimace—like a jester who'd seen the joke of the world and decided to play along.
He raised his hand, palm open. A swirling mass of dark-blue energy sprang to life, unstable and brilliant enough to bathe the entire city in its hue, its hum crawling along the air. The people, gripped by terror, scattered; all eyes were fixed on the spectacle before them.
Someone whispered in utter dread, "It's him again, Night Fallen!"
He laughed hysterically, his voice sharp and wild.
"Yes… tremble, scurry! Wallow in despair…"
He snapped his fingers.
The sphere imploded in eerie silence, collapsing in on itself like a dying star. Silence swallowed the city.
"It's a wrap… and cut."
He dropped the energy. It plummeted toward the city, raging and destructive, the masses frozen in terror, despair etched into their faces then, just before impact, it erupted into a cascade of harmless light. When the glow faded, the masked figure was gone.
"Just kidding," his voice echoed through the streets. "It's all for aesthetics… after all, the show must go on."
*****
That fateful day. When I hit it big at a gambling street corner, four punks decided to chase me down, weapons in hand, hoping to rob me of my "hard-earned" cash.
"Come back here! We know you pulled some trick!"
"Damn… they're relentless," I muttered, weaving between cars, dodging traffic as they continued their pursuit.
'All this… for petty cash?!'
I ducked into an alleyway and of course it led to a dead end. How cliché. They emerged slowly, knives in hand, grins plastered across their faces.
"Hand it over… nice and slow."
I took a deep breath. 'You know what… fuck it.'
I hurled the bag of cash over the wall, then lunged at the first guy, punching his face and shifting his jaw. Another swung a knife, I dodged, my jacket tearing. Another landed a kick to the gut which staggered me, I splashed puddle water into their faces as they flailed and wailed. Perfect. Then I kicked the third right in the balls, sending him rolling across the ground.
Out of nowhere, a brick cracked my head. Vision wobbling. A knife jabbed my ribs. I tumbled down, edges of the world blurring. And yet… the punks scurried off, thinking they'd killed me.
"Yeah… you better run, jackasses."
Then I crawled to the puddle and there it was. That amazing puddle. I leaned over, checking my injuries, when the reflection turned black.
Then it spoke.
"Greetings, human. You have found me. Now that you have… do you wish to enter?"
I blinked. Surely I'd taken too many hits to the head. A talking puddle? But my curiosity, my desire was insatiable. Anything supernatural would do at this point.
"Is there any magic… or something like in webtoons?" I asked.
The puddle spiraled open like a whirlpool, light bending into shadow.
'If that wasn't a yes, I don't know what is,' I thought.
And just like that, the grand show I'd been yearning for was upon me. Without hesitation, I dove in.
"Damn," I muttered. "I should've at least written my family a letter or something…"