End Of Haruya Suketo, Beginning Of Melicsto

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Unh?!"

I sleepily gazed at my alarm clock. As my blurry eyes focused on the interface, I saw the time.

7:30

Crap! I'm late for work!

Violently I fell out of bed. I dug my fingers into my purple, fluffy carpet and grabbed my clothes from my wardrobe.

***

Before I knew it, I was out of the door and on the bus. My name is Haruya Suketo, let me correct myself, my name WAS Haruya Suketo. I was 36 years old and currently worked at a contracting firm. I liked my life. Well, I wouldn't have objected to having a girlfriend or maybe even a wife, but otherwise life was good. I had no time for a significant other anyway. I was so swamped with work those days and was suffering from insane levels of sleep deprivation. I was lucky I'd had any time at all to play MMOs and indulge in some of my otaku habits occasionally.

I was walking to work, just after exiting the bus. It was a day like any other. The smell of cigarettes and coffee swarmed my nostrils with each stride I took towards my office block. As I navigated my way through the high rise jungle I finally arrived within eyeshot of my work.

Finally!

I breathed a sigh of relief to myself. I hated other people. The bustling crowds engulfed me and all of their noises merged together into a deafening raucous; at least, to any normal person. I had never been the talkative type. You know that one guy who always stands at the back wall in a party, embraced in an aura of solitude? That was me. As such I'd developed a unique, albeit useless skill of picking up on other people's conversations even in a big crowd like this one. I was a silent listener to all of these people's daily lives. Cheating lovers, immeasurable debt, a friend's death, or a baby's birth. I picked up on everything that was said around me. I never used that to my advantage though. Attempting to blackmail someone never seemed appealing to me; not because I'm some kind of white knight or anything, it just seems like too much trouble.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh?!"

An ear-splitting shriek echoed throughout the masses.

Huh? What's going on?

I attempted to peer through the tiny gaps between the interlocking arms of a couple in front of me. There was a man. He was holding a knife, soaked in crimson.

Wait. Has someone been stabbed?

Sure enough a man lay there on the ground, excessive amounts of blood drenching a stab wound in his chest. He seemed to be around the same age as me, although at first glance one would assume he was younger than me. The knife man's lips opened and a twisted voice emerged from his mouth.

"Not good enough," he said.

By now the initial jarring effect of seeing the stabbing had worn off and people began to panic. Chaos! The busy crowd quickly turned into a stampede and everyone surged past me, double the speed they were at before. The couple I had been gazing past now turned and bumped into me as they ran.

"Sorry," a high-pitched voice rang out in a terrified tone.

It was the girl. I'm surprised she could even muster a 'sorry' after what had just happened.

I had been knocked to the floor and had no choice but to cover my head as a collection of feet swung rapidly past my face. I could feel cold, blasts of wind caress my face every time someone passed. Finally they had cleared and I hesitantly stood up. The man wielding the knife was now stood right behind me.

Crap! I'm done for!

Sure, my life hadn't exactly been remarkable, but I wasn't ready to let it end. Especially not like this.

I bolted. I was moving faster than I ever believed possible for me. A sudden adrenaline rush had overtaken me and I could feel pure energy coursing through my veins. Reluctantly, I glanced back to check if he was pursuing me. Sure enough, he was. My pace grew even more rapid and irregular. I felt like I could've collapsed at any second but I still pushed forward. I couldn't stop. I'd be killed.

It was then that I noticed a petite woman crumpled on the floor. She had likely been knocked over in the human tidal wave, just like me. I turned back again and this time locked eyes with the knifeman. They burned with an insatiable bloodlust. In fact, they even seemed to shimmer red. But then I saw it. Just for a second I saw him avert his eyes to look at the woman. It was then that I realized; he had no motive. It seemed obvious but I'd never stopped to really think about it; I'd never met this guy before. What reason could he possibly have for killing me? None. And that means that he'd kill just about anyone he could get his hands on.

The woman rubbed her eyes with a shaky, bruised hand and weakly began to stand. I quickly ran towards her and, before even realizing what I was doing, grabbed her and desperately pushed her towards the killer.

"Oh?" he smirked.

Then, without even half a second of hesitation, he plunged his knife deep into the woman's chest. Time seemed to stop.

What have I done?

I noticed her wedding ring. Then I caught sight of her wallet slowly falling from her pocket. As it flipped open in midair I saw a neatly-placed photo at the very front of it. It was her. Several other too, friends I assumed. This woman was married. This woman had people who would care if she died. She was more important than me.

Dammit! I'm so selfish! I was only looking out for myself, only thinking of my own pathetic life and now look what's happened. Even if I survive now, what do I have to show for it?

I froze and just gazed at the killer as he dropped the woman's corpse to the floor, blood now spraying violently from her open wound.

No! I can't think like that. She died, that's that. At least I'll survive. At least it wasn't me.

I was consumed by these thoughts, justifying what I'd done. I wanted to survive; to make this woman's death worth something. Yet still, no matter how hard I fought for my will to live, my body ceased to move.

"Interesting. You'd gladly sacrifice an innocent woman to spare your own, pathetic life."

What? What's he talking about? He thinks I was glad to do that.

"Well, that woman was no good, but I think you'll do just fine."

"Wiat. What are you- ?!"

With that, he drove the now blood-soaked steel blade into my chest.

Huh? It's just the same spot as he stabbed that guy earlier and that woman just now.... Wait, why am I thinking about something like that now? I'm about to die! Just over 36 years in this life and what can I show for it? A menial salary at a boring job and a dirty apartment. No friends, no surviving family. Ha. I'm such a loser.

I made peace with death. Sure, I wasn't going to go out the noble way but I never really cared about that stuff all that much anyway. Suddenly, a tinge of pain rattled throughout my body. It was the killer. He was driving the knife in even deeper. Then, I managed to catch a glimpse of his face beneath his grey hoodie. I made out two crimson-red eyes and an eerie white smile flashed just beneath them.

"Oh. I think he'll like you," he said as I felt my consciousness begin to fade.

I was surrounded by total darkness. Pitch black as far as they eye could see.

So this is... death?

.....

Some time passed, and nothing. Looked like I was going to have to spend eternity floating around in this void. Could be worse. If the christians were right about things then I would've been in Hell by now, so I thought it best not to complain too much. Not that I had a mouth with which to do so.

Flash!

A sudden jolt of light pierced my dark-accustomed eyes. I realized then, I was standing in a room.

When did I get here?

It was a room made of stone. Cold, wet stone. There seemed to be a red tint hovering above it all though, illuminating a strange gaseous substance hovering about the floor.

Am I in Hell now? Took 'em long enough to send me here.

I must've been in the darkness for several months so even being in Hell would've been a welcome change.

"So you're the one he sent me?" an overpowering voice rang out.

"Huh?"

I peeked upward and saw a giant figure looming over me.

Satan?

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Devil King, the one who shall someday become ruler of Exstrephia!"

Huh? Exstrepha-what?

"And your name will be Melicsto. You will henceforth be my most loyal servant. I hope you will use the immense power you have been granted wisely."