1 Lucas

Disclaimer: The characters, names, entities, race, and other elements existing in the novel are pure fiction and were created and inspired by imagination. They are the product of the author's imagination, and it is only limited to that; He never ever tried to make a character out of a person in real life. They are merely coincidences.

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Lucas stood in front of the mirror as it reflected himself. His eyes were tired, while his average face, which was neither thin nor fat, was lacking in vitality as it was pale white. He was currently gazing below, and in front of him was a mirror while a noise of running water gushed out of the faucet connected to the only wash basin in the comfort room.

Lucas suddenly reached out on his face while his right eye peeked out of his finger. Unknowingly, Lucas moved his eyes and saw his face in the mirror. He was startled and shocked at how blood-red his eyes were. He thought it might have been chronic red eyes, but he immediately denied it, discerning it was more severe.

In addition, the more he stared at his crimson eyes, the more he felt something inside him awakening. He could not point where the feeling came from, but he felt uncomfortable and apprehensive.

"A-ARGH!"

Lucas collapsed to the ground while his breathing and heartbeat stopped. If anyone saw this scene, then they might have gotten panicked and called anyone nearby. However, Lucas was currently alone in a public comfort room of his school since it was still time for classes.

Not dozens of minutes passed, and Lucas suddenly stood up on the ground as though nothing happened. He fixed his messy uniform while patting the dirty-looking places. Lucas saw his reflection in the mirror, and Lucas in the mirror was smiling devilishly, as though it was beyond his control.

All of a sudden, Lucas felt a sudden burst of throbbing in his heart and tried to clutch it with his hand. Suddenly, Lucas uttered an excessive laugh while the hand on his heart moved to his stomach while he laughed boisterously.

"It is not my fault I suddenly gained control of your body, Lucas. Come and try to overpower me with your will! HEHEHEHEHE."

The different Lucas continued to mumble to himself while he laughed in amusement. It was not long before Lucas collapsed to the ground again, but it only took dozens of seconds for him to wake up. The bizarre event took place for less than half an hour, and Lucas finally regained his sanity.

"Who was that? Did I just die? Why do I feel like something inside me awakened and controlled my body?"

Lucas continued to ponder but was broken by the sudden bell alarm that echoed from the outside. Lucas realized it was now the time for a break, but he remembered his classmate's announcement yesterday. They had to gather and discuss their upcoming Christmas party.

"I should go back to class now. They might have noticed how much time I spent in the comfort room. It's better to keep misunderstanding away…"

By Lucas's estimate, the class would end at any moment, but it would depend on the teacher that might issue a sudden quiz knowing there was still time left. No matter what the current situation in his classroom was—whether the teacher was still present or his classmates had already begun the meeting—he had already decided to apologize.

"What should I tell everyone, though?" Lucas felt conflicted while turning off the faucet. "Should I tell them about that strange event? Hmm… I guess not. They might be weirded out.

I don't have friends anyway, so there is no one to worry about me. I suppose no one will ask about my well-being."

Lucas sighed with sorrow but still being as optimistic as he was, such a negative notion was instantly discarded. In any way, it was a good thing he doesn't have a friend, so he could not share about the strange event.

In fact, it wasn't the first time it happened, only this time it turned scarier. At first, it started as a dream that kept repeating for seven days straight, which was a week ago. He was about to feel relief that he didn't experience it last night, but the unexpected discomfort assaulted him while in the middle of the class.

As obedient as he was, he asked permission to go out to the bathroom, and the teacher thankfully agreed. Realizing thirty minutes had passed since he was inside the bathroom, the teacher should have felt something was wrong, but it seemed she sent no one to check his circumstances.

"Maybe, the teacher only forgot about me…"

Sensing his negative thoughts returning again, Lucas quickly dispersed them. Anyway, he quickly connected the sudden discomfort to his repetitive dream, and it seemed they might be associated. Though, it was only based on a hunch.

"Just who is he? Why is he inside my body? He or it? A devil or the soul of a human? Argh!" Lucas scratched his head just thinking about it. "No matter what it was, I hope it will stop haunting me."

Lucas thought as he walked out of the bathroom.

***

Lucas was still far from his classroom, yet the familiar voices already entered his ears. He smiled lightly, understanding that the class appeared to have ended. Along the way, he already saw many students coming out of their classroom one after another, while most of them were in a group, together with their friends.

Glimpsing at them, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He had them once, but not before he entered the current school.

He lost them in pursuit to follow his dream… his fellow childhood friend's dream.

Perceiving his mood turning gloomy again, Lucas quickly distracted himself, contemplating whether he should apologize for staying long in the bathroom.

Before long, he stood at the side before the opened door, and the subtle increase of noise from his classmates' voices made him completely conscious.

Lucas didn't stand in front of the door because it was arranged at the front, adjacent to the blackboard.

Inside the classroom, a man was holding a white chalk, facing his classmates, and asked:

"So, who will prepare the food? Who wants to sponsor?"

Sadly, he was ignored, for Lucas had finally stood in front of the door conspicuously, attracting his fellow classmates' attention as they sat on their chairs. The man holding the chalk turned his head to the left and saw Lucas standing before the door.

"Oh, Lucas! Why are you standing there; come inside and join!"

Lucas recognized the man as he looked at him.

He is Michael, the idol figure in the classroom and maybe in the entire school. And Lucas was not exaggerating.

If it was before, Lucas was slightly jealous because Michael had everything, but it changed when, for some reason, Michael always tried to befriend him.

But when he finally knew the motive, he was quickly disheartened, so he didn't improve their relationship aside from interacting with each other unless necessary. Yet despite the cold treatment received, even being ignored on some occasions, Michael was still always amiable to him.

Lucas felt guilty at that time, so he tried to soothe his interaction with him, trying his best to be genial with him.

"Okay," nodded Lucas.

He was about to sigh in relief, receiving no question about the long disappearance, when suddenly, one of his classmates teased him.

"Did it come out, Lucas? Is your rod okay, though? Thirty minutes of doing it seems to overplay," said one of his classmates, chuckling.

Lucas was very familiar with the voice. The annoying voice that always bullies his classmates and humiliates them for the sake of the "joke" whenever he has a chance.

He had a real name, but he preferred to call himself, The Rock.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Most of his classmates exploded with a hoot of laughter, and The Rock quickly became delighted, knowing his joke had succeeded. He even winked after catching the girl giggling as she looked at him.

"Umm… What do you mean about the rod? I actually fainted in the bathroom and only awakened thirty minutes later, so I spent more time inside. I apologized, though."

His classmates were quickly off guard, not only because Lucas was actually oblivious to what the Rock meant, but were swift to confess the cause of his prolonged lingering in the bathroom. Furthermore, he talked it out like they were nothing.

Fainting inside and only waking up thirty minutes? He made it seem no one helped him, for he arose by himself. And for him to talk about it casually… It seemed that Lucas had become crazy.

"What?!" Michael's clamor startled everyone. "Are you okay, Lucas?" he asked while hurriedly walking in his direction.

Feeling Michael's concern, Lucas was stirred but felt a little unsettled. It had been years since he felt someone worried about him, not even his childhood friend, who had ignored him a long time ago.

He took a glimpse at his childhood friend, but not an ounce of worried expression from her, and she wasn't even looking at him, staring at the window at the back side of the classroom. She seemed like she was in her own world, where he wasn't even there…

He quickly shook his head, sensing it became pessimistic again, and faced Michael standing before him, and a clear concern painted on Michael's face. Lucas hastily assured him:

"I'm okay. Aside from my messy clothes and slight pain in my head, I'm fine."

"You call it fine?!" Michael asked, not minding his voice slightly raised.

Lucas was taken aback, he was completely surprised by Michael's reaction. After thinking for a while, he finally decided something as he asked:

"Why are you worrying about me anyway, Michael?"

Before Lucas could receive an answer, a blinding white light enveloped the entire classroom. No one has the time to react, and when the blinding white light disappears, they vanish alongside it.