1 Ch 1: It's a cute attempt [pt1]

[The end is approaching. Humanity is weak, so you won't be able to overcome this obstacle. Your best bet would be to give up and die.]1

Cold blue eyes closed, and the human feet jumped from the tower top. The reddish-golden rays of the morning sun shined into those blue eyes, but they could not melt the ice within.

It was too early for people to come out and walk around. So, the streets beneath the tower were empty of any obstacles.

[Are you sure this is the best way to end your life? Don't you want to live a little longer? If you beg me, then I will give you a chance. So beg me. Beg me for power and come to our side.]

Once again, the voice was calling out to Lea. The more she tried to ignore it, the louder it became.

The voice inside Lea's head was ever-present. She did not remember when it started to call out to her. But it had been two hundred years of this torture.

'This time, I will end my life for sure. This fall should kill me on impact.'

Lea closed her eyes once she reached the ground. The impact would hurt, and her mind braced itself for it.

*crash*

The loud noise woke up the citizens sleeping in the nearby houses. They all came out to check what happened.

"Oh my god! Is she dead? H-Hey, that mark! Isn't this a guide mark? Why would someone this precious be lying dead here?"

"Oi! What should we do? Should we call the police? O-Or maybe, we should not. What if they accuse us of killing this guide?"

"Shh, don't be stupid. Can't you see that this is a matter of life or death? Sentinel or Guide, it doesn't matter. Those people are human as well."

"Forget about the police; call the hospital first. We need emergency treatment here."

The crowd increased in size slowly. From two, they became four and then eight. Soon, a small ring had formed around Lea's body.

"T-The ambulance is on its way here. What should we do in the meantime? Should we stop the bleeding?"

A citizen reached out to Lea, but he never got to touch her. Lea's cold blue eyes opened, and she glared at the citizen.

The poor man backed away and fell on his ass. His body shook when he looked at the cold beauty before him. 

"S-She's alive? H-How? Did she not fall from the tower top?"

"So you think she is a Sentinal in disguise? Maybe she lost her mind and did that. I heard that Sentinals were unpredictable when they lost control."

People continued to gossip while Lea cracked her joints. Her body still hurt, but it was manageable. Her cold eyes also warmed up, and her thoughts began to catch up with her.

"I decided to jump down the tower and end my life again. And just like always, it did not help me. *Sigh* When will my attempts finally work?"

The crowd looked at Lea with a hesitant expression. They no longer knew what to think of her. But they all agreed on one topic - Lea had lost her mind.

Finally, an elderly lady decided to step forward and take the initiative to talk to Lea.

"Excuse me, dear child. But are you alright? The fall you took was quite nasty. Your head must be ringing after such a significant fall. We have called for an ambulance, so please rest."

Lea sighed as soon as she heard the elderly lady's words. She knew that the older lady meant well. But an ambulance was not going to cut it out for her.

Besides, Lea was currently on the run from the government. If they caught her, they would force her to attend the 'special school' established to teach people to control their powers. 

Lea was a ticking time bomb in such a place, and she should be nowhere near such a hectic place.

'It's time to run away.'

Lea stood up before anyone could deliver shocking news to her. She looked at the old lady with gratitude-filled eyes and bowed.

"Thanks, Grandma, but I am alright. I am also in a hurry, so I need to leave now. I hope you have a good time today."

Lea was out of her way before the old lady could say anything. The crowd could only watch this happen with hanging jaws.

They looked at the bed patch on the ground and blinked slowly.

"Hey, do you think this is a dream? By all accounts, that lady should be dead, right? Or am I hallucinating?"

One of the onlookers blinked slowly, and he tried to gather his thoughts. But another placed his hand on the first shoulder and shook his head.

"If you are dreaming, I must have the same dream as you. Maybe we all are having the same dream as each other."

When the ambulance arrived, no one knew what to inform them anymore. They all looked at the blood patch on the ground and sighed.

The security camera may shed some light on this case.

...

"Phew, that was a close one. I cannot believe I let my impulses get the best of me and jumped down that tower. It was a futile attempt on my part."

Lea sighed and walked around the city. Her eyes moved from one attraction to another while she pretended not to notice.

The world has changed a lot in the past 200 hundred years. Technology has advanced and become an integral part of today's society.

It was all a result of the apocalypse occurring for the past 200 years. And the proof of that was the blackish-red sky outside the sky-dorm that covered recent human civilizations.

Humanity found ways to survive in the most desperate times, and that was their beauty.

[Humanity is foolish. A few fools managed to survive, but this result is built on the sacrifice of so many others. Humanity destroys everything it touches, so it should be destroyed in return. Allow us to pass through, and we shall teach them all a lesson.]

Lea shook her head to get rid of the Rift's voice. It was her constant companion, and it taunted her every step.

But over the centuries, Lea had learned to control it quite well. Her energy no longer fluctuated when she felt emotional, and Lea could live an everyday life.

Well, a relatively everyday life. But that should be enough for someone like her.

*tap*

Lea stiffened. She stopped moving, and the sound following behind stopped as well. 

'Am I being followed by someone? Should I test this theory out?'

Lea was curious to know if someone was following her. But she did not want to alert anyone of her intentions. 

So she decided to stop at random spots and pretend to admire the scenery. The footsteps following her stopped when she did and continued when she walked.

It was evident that someone was following her.

'Tsk, this is annoying. My head is still spinning because of my failed suicide attempt from an hour ago, and now I have to deal with a stalker. This is annoying.'

But a stalker was easier to deal with than a headache. Lea had too much experience with people trying to kill or kidnap her because of her 'guide' status.

Even if a Sentinal might not be confident that Lea was a guide, they still felt the attraction to her aura. It could lead to several…annoying situations.

To ensure this was not the case, Lea walked into a side alley and waited for the person following her to enter. 

The person looked around before following after Lea. She was confident that she had a stalker now.

Lea climbed the smooth wall and waited for the stalker to follow her into the alley. The stalker did that and stopped in confusion. He was sure his target had entered this alley, but she was nowhere to be found.

Finally, he looked up and noticed Lea. She was hanging on the wall but decided to drop atop her stalker.

"Following someone like this and trying to hurt them is not a good idea. You can get into massive trouble if you do this to a normal person."

Lea scolded her stalker and stood up. 

But before she could take a step back, the stalker reached out and grabbed Lea's leg. 

She reflexively kicked the stalker, but he refused to let go. His red eyes blinked up at Lea, and the intensity of emotions took her aback, she noticed in those red eyes.

"Oh my! It looks like you are a Sentinal who lost control of your powers. I wish I could help you. But it is not up to me. I am sorry, but let me go."

Lea tried to get her foot out of the Sentinal's grasp, but he held on tightly. He was getting on Lea's nerves now.

"You bitch! How dare you try to run away. A guide like you wants to run away from me? Dream on!"

The sentinel attacked Lea, his hand reaching toward her throat. But she was neither surprised nor did she move away.