"The Great Library is an organization that contains all the written fiction of Earth. It is a place that transmigrates people into those story worlds and broadcasts their lives there through broadcasters to the Astrals, beings who exist on a higher plane than humans-"
I heard someone talking out loud as I got closer to my dorm. It was just a white room with two beds and two tables.
As I walked in, Sunny, my roommate, gave me an annoyed glance. I ignored him and plopped onto my bed.
Sunny was born on a Sunday, as you can guess, and his theme was a calm yellow, like sunflowers. Trust me, even his clothes had sunflower-like trinkets.
"Hey, Sunny, want to go around the headquarters?" I asked as I leaned onto my side on the bed, looking at him.
"Shut up," he grumbled. Yeah, yeah… so much for being a sunshine boy.
"Taz, are you really not going to study? This is not a joke," he said after a while, just when I was about to fall into a good sleep. Damn him.
I sat up on my bed and stretched. "No need to study. I am a genius, hehe," I said with a grin.
But Sunny just sighed, as if he was annoyed by my whole existence.
He was about to say something else when sirens suddenly went off, filling the place with a red glow and a creepy sound.
"Call for a meeting," Sunny said, standing up. Well, he looked like an eight-year-old kid, too, except he was a little taller than me. "What was that for?"
I just turned around and leaned back on the bed. Screw the meetings. Not like I care.
"Taz, get up," Sunny said.
"I'm sleeping."
"If you are sleeping, then how are you talking?"
"I am sleep-talking."
"Argh, jeez! Do whatever you want!" With that, Sunny left, closing the door with more force than necessary. He acts like he hates me, so why the hell would he care if I attend or not?
As everything became silent again, my eyes went back to the message on my system window. I had sent a reply asking who it was, but there was no answer.
"Sunset is more beautiful than sunrise, huh?" I muttered to myself.
After that, my mind drifted to different things: the faceless person in my dreams and the one holding a rose with his back turned to me. Who are they, I wonder?
But my peace did not last long. Sunny came running back, clearly in a hurry.
"We have to run," he said, concern clear in his eyes.
"Why? Is Mister Arun chasing after you?" I teased him. It was funny to see such a calm person in a mess. But then he yanked me out of the bed.
"This is not the time for your jokes, Taz. We have to run, if not-"
"If not, what?" another voice cut in, a deep, cold voice from behind us, near the doorway.
Both Sunny and I froze.
Sunny stiffened, still holding onto me, his back facing the doorway. His eyes… were filled with fear. I looked at him, then turned to face the person at the door.
He was dressed in all black. His eyes and hair were black, and two twisted black horns rose from his head. I did not know who he was, but he screamed danger.
"Hey, I asked," he said, stepping closer to us. "If not, then what?"
I stepped in front of Sunny, who was trembling behind me. "Nothing, nothing. He was talking about daily exercise. If we don't run, our health will get worse," I said with a smile, even though my mind was screaming,
When the hell did I ever do exercise?!
The man glared at me. "The Thursday's child," he said finally, clear hatred in his voice, sending a cold chill down my spine. "Oi, Sunday kid, get out. I have some business with this… exceptional node here," he said, his eyes fixed on me.
As I met Sunny's eyes, those yellow eyes were filled with fear and concern, not for himself, but for me. Sunny hesitated for a moment before quietly stepping out of the dorm room, closing the door behind him.
"Well now," the man said, folding his arms as he looked down at me. "You've got a disgusting color, you rat."
"Who might you be, sir?" I asked with a smile. "I am Taz, by the way."
"Oh, I know who you are very well. You are quite popular among us broadcasters, brat, the one who was born on Thursday," the man said. "And my name is Vernon."
I felt my whole body stiffen at that name. It started with V, a letter that does not belong to any day, just like Mister Arun's. And I knew very well what that meant. This guy is a high-grade broadcaster.
"I hoped to see you at the meeting, but you didn't come, so I came to you myself," he said as he pulled out a long spear from nowhere. A unique weapon…a weapon created from a part of a soul. Only high-grade broadcasters can do that.
"So, any last words?" he asked.
Well, I had a pretty good idea what was going on. I was sure I had not done anything wrong… but I was born on a forbidden day. Is that why?
"Don't take this to heart, kid. It was your fault for being born on that creepy day, and with this disgusting color. Something like you… is not needed in this world," he said, pointing the tip of his spear at me.
He did not waste any time. He lunged at me.
But before the tip could reach my heart, the door burst open. Sunny crashed into Vernon, making him stumble and miss.
"Run, Taz!" Sunny shouted.
I looked at him with wide eyes.
I thought… You hated me…
But before I could move, Vernon moved again. His target was no longer me… it was Sunny.
I forced my legs to move, forced myself toward him, but the spear was faster.
I dropped to my knees as the tip pierced through Sunny's heart. Vernon lifted the spear, raising Sunny up with it.
"N-no…" That was all I could say.
"Pathetic rat. I told you to get out, didn't I? Did you think you could get away after interrupting my business?" he said, sending his energy through the spear and into Sunny.
Sunny grabbed the front of the spear as he hung from it, pierced through his heart. His face twisted in pain as golden blood flowed down, and white, vein-like cracks spread all over his body.
"Stop! Stop, please! I was the one you needed!" I screamed as I grabbed Vernon's leg. "He has nothing to do with this!"
What am I doing?!
My thoughts scattered as Vernon kicked me away.
I am not fond of Sunny. I am not. We were not even friends. Then why did he save me? Why does my heart hurt so much? Why do I feel so powerless?
"Please… please… please, I beg you," I said, begging like a pathetic beggar.
Vernon looked down at me, a sadistic smile in his eyes. "Open your eyes and watch carefully what happens to your friend, rat," he said. "This is your curse. Your fault for being born on a cursed day, with a cursed color. Your fault for being cursed, and for cursing those around you."
He pushed more power through the spear.
Sunny coughed, life in his eyes starting to fade as they landed on me. Cracks spread across his face too, but he just… smiled at me.
Stop… please stop… it hurts, you bastard! Stop looking like you did not just sacrifice yourself for me!
The cracks began to glow brighter and brighter. Sunny mumbled something.
"…l…i…v…e…"
Then the light burst into white for a moment before fading, leaving only the spear hanging in the air.
Something metallic fell to the ground and rolled toward me.
A sunflower-shaped trinket…the one Sunny wore on his collar.
"Ah… arrh…" My chest felt so heavy as I grabbed onto it. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my face.
Why… why is this happening? Why didn't you run? Why did you have to save me and leave me with all this regret?!
Not a single word came out of my mouth. My throat felt locked. I couldn't breathe, and my heart felt like it was about to explode.
"Well now, it's your turn," Vernon said, turning to me. I was curled on the floor, clutching the trinket like an idiot.
"See? Your curse took the life of your friend. So before something like that happens again, it's better for you to die, don't you think?" he said, raising the spear and aiming it at my head. "Any last words?"
I felt something change inside me. It was not just the pain of losing someone, but something darker… something I had never felt before.
Rage.
"Kill…" I said, my voice rough.
"I didn't catch that?" Vernon said, raising an eyebrow.
I lifted my head and looked at him. "I said… I will fucking kill you!"
Vernon laughed like a madman. "Yeah, kid," he said, lowering the spear slightly. "In your dreams."
I closed my eyes, waiting for the strike.
But then, a soft mechanical sound echoed inside my mind.
Before I even realized it… my lips moved.
[Channel #T404: The Broadcast #02 'Vengeance' Has Begun]