First Light

Teri snapped his eyes open.

He froze.

The first thing that greeted Teri was a rough stone ceiling that seemed to be made of paper. He closed his eyes. He didn’t think that the very first thing he would see in this dungeon would already be this weird. Still, it was a nice thing to start with. He let out a long breath to relax as he kept himself spread eagle on the cold floor, deciding that he would process this place one thing at a time.

The floor could be made of paper too. Still keeping his eyes closed, Teri tapped the ground with his knuckle. He could tell that it was stone based on its sound. However, it felt like he was knocking on a sheet of onion skin paper. Then, the fragrant smell of roses and ink—which he could argue was good—made itself known. He also became aware of the silence that filled his ears, broken only by the sound of rustling plants without the gentle whisper of the wind. Teri figured that it was about time he opened his eyes.

And so he did, slowly.

Teri now found the sight of the paper-like ceiling to be comforting. He felt a little braver. He turned his head to the side. He froze again.

It was a rose. It was made of paper too, and it was wet with beads of black ink instead of dew. After ten seconds, it moved and rustled without the wind’s call.

Teri closed his eyes again.

So, he woke up in a garden of paper roses inside a dungeon that might also be made of paper. And also, the room was bright and golden like it was five in the afternoon.

He thought about the light source.

It was the windows.

Keeping with the theme, they were pasted evenly over the paper-like stone walls that surrounded this room. Some were also tilted, which annoyed him. He could also pick himself up for a closer look, but nah. Teri was sure that it led to nowhere, that it had nothing but a flat yellow or golden color on the surface. A part of him couldn’t believe that his rest was found on spraypainted graffiti of handsome gangsters and generic dark-eyed bad boys handing their audience a rose.

“Hulloh, goOd siiir!”

A shadow was cast over him, complemented by the warm, citrusy smell of a familiar body spray. Teri blinked, trying not to let his emotion show.

It was a sweaty fatass with an overly gallant voice. Unwashed hair dangled from his round and oily but baby-bottom-smooth face. He also wore a black shirt that didn’t fit him. Still, by his choice of body spray alone, Teri could tell that this man had good taste.

The man stepped back, giving Teri the room to breathe. Respect. And to assert some kind of accent, he raised his right hand, pinching the air with his thumb and pointing finger like he was holding a dainty teacup. He pursed his lips and raised one of his brows.

“My name is Murakami Takayuki, you can call me Taku. I’m twenty-two years old, about to turn twenty-three this fall. I like anime, though I really love the dark but sometimes fucked up ones since they’re the more… thought provoking—nothing too wrong about the cutesy ones, I love them too. Girls doing cute things is such a vibe, you know! Oh, also, I like to play games. I mainly do fantasy turn-based RPGs, since they have the most intricate combat, party-building mechanics, and sometimes killer love stories! I also love cooking. I do it a lot at home. My mom loves them, though sometimes I worry about it since my mom loves everything I do. But I think I’m getting better. Like, enough to attract my very first girlfriend. That’s pretty much about me.”

This man abandoned his accent quickly.

Teri did not understand half of what he said. But he seemed smart.

“I’m Teri.”

Teri looked away and back at Taku. The man was standing there, gazing at him with a pure smile as if he wanted him to say more. The roses around them rustled, unnerving him further. With color draining from his face, Taku clenched his jaw and lowered his head. This man reminded Teri of a very special friend who bashed his face with a rock.

“I’m nineteen.”

“M’kay…” Taku replied with a bit of gallantry in his voice, his head still down. “Hi, Teri… who’s also nineteen.”

“It’s okay, Taku, who likes anime, games and cooking… Who’s also probably an NGSB.”

Taku tilted his head.

“No girlfriend since birth,” Teri followed, widening his stupid grin.

Taku squinted. He started smiling too. “Can I sit down?”

Teri nodded and pointed Taku to the space in front of him. It was about time he picked himself up from the ground. A part of him was glad to admit that the man in front of him, with his innate weirdness, was a pleasant sight. His presence made this dungeon a bit more bearable.

“By the way, thanks for asking,” Teri said as he sat cross-legged.

Taku plopped down the same way, keeping his pure beam of a smile as he met Teri’s eyes. “You striked me as a man who uh… has a clear sense of space.”

He eyed Teri up and down.

“I also don’t want to get punched in the face.”

“Thank you.” Teri leaned forward, his glare firm and head low. “You can drop the accent too. It’s not going to make you any cooler, just so you know.”

Taku nodded and cleared his throat.

“I wanted to ask if you would be interested in clearing this dungeon with me.”

Taku raised his hand, doing that thing again where he would pick up an invisible teacup. Teri lifted his hand as well and begged Taku to drop the act, especially the pursed lips. The brows were fine, but not the lips. Taku widened his smile at his feedback.

“I originally planned to build a harem, given that we just got… You know?” Taku rolled his hands forward, about three times. “It involves three simple steps: get OP real quick, impress some chicks, and make some kids! But since it's like this…”

The roses around them rustled once more.

Teri felt a bit of peace, even when the wind refused to brush his skin. He still couldn’t understand what this man was saying. At least he finally completely dropped that stupid accent. If not, he would’ve punched him in the face.

“Im afraid this dungeon isn’t the type where you could get stupidly OP.” Taku crossed his arms. “This is a horror dungeon, one that requires careful exploration, picking fights, and ultimately teamwork. Do not be lulled by this room’s beauty. NO! NO! NO!” He wagged his finger three times. “DO NOT EVEN ADMIRE IT. If you go out there thinking that you’re in a museum or a theme park, I guarantee that you’re gonna get fucked! Fucked, I say! And not in the way you like!”

“What makes you so sure?”

Taku combed his hair, exuding his extreme confidence and flashing Teri his moist armpits. “I have prior experience. I have been in this type of dungeon before—not literally, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Teri cracked his knuckles.

Taku used two particular terms Teri couldn’t understand, but he didn’t have to let him know. This man knew things. He was goofy, but he treated their situation seriously. On top of being a man of good taste, he was a man of plans too.

“Let’s go back a bit,” Teri said. “There’s other people here too?”

“Yes.” Taku lowered his head. “They formed their own groups and uuhh…”

Teri looked at Taku. This man was cool, but Teri would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t feel a bit of happiness and hope after hearing there were other people in this dungeon.

But it meant that he had to worry about other people too.

“I mean… assuming that you saw what everyone saw too… With the moth-like thing… You probably want to survive, get your wish, and get out of this hellhole. See, we have something in common! We can work together. We can be bros—”

“I’m in.”

Taku froze. “What?”

“I’m in—”

Taku turned into the iceberg that sank the titanic. He blinked three times. His eyes seemed a little red. He smiled.

Teri was going to ask if he was doing okay, but he raised a finger and excused himself for a moment. He picked himself up, walked a few steps away from Teri, and fist bumped the air. He also jumped in celebration a few times. At some point, he looked like he was doing jumping jacks to hype himself up. As a bonus, Teri caught the man’s asscrack in the corner of his eye.

Finally, Taku faced Teri, smiling and relieved. He wore the kind of grin someone makes after making their first friend in elementary school. The reaction was welcome, honestly a breath of fresh air for Teri, so it felt natural for him to meet Taku’s enthusiasm head on.

Teri approached him for a handshake, but Taku hugged him tight instead of taking it.

“I’ll think about my wizard name later. But for now, my friend, I promise you that when the time comes for me to choose my one and only from my harem, you can get first dibs on the other girls I rejected,” Taku whispered passionately in his ear. “We’re gonna get aaaaaaallll the bitches…”

“A wizard?”

“Yep,” Taku replied, still keeping him wrapped like a spring roll. “I mean look at me. It’s perfect, down to the last minute detail! The personality, the shape, and the ability… Well, you… You have a tight rockin’ bod. You prolly went to the gym a lot or something.

Teri was having second thoughts about hugging him too. Sometimes, it felt alright and he would ask himself why not. But the bastard would hug Teri tighter and press his chest against his, putting him back to square one. But Teri guessed it couldn’t be helped. It seemed like how a mother’s hug would feel, which he was admittedly not familiar with. He settled on giving Taku firm yet gentle taps on the back.

“You know that’s a pretty fucked up thing to say when you’re hugging another dude.”

Teri was surprised to find himself smiling.

Maybe this wasn’t bad.

“Are you sure that magic exists here?”

“Fuck yeah,” Taku replied with the same level of confidence. “It may not be as cool as I think, but I will find a way to be stupidly OP.”

That word appeared once again.

The roses around them shivered once again without the wind.

“Hey Taku… what does being OP mean?”

“Oh…” Taku finally let Teri go, giving him back his well-deserved space. He faced Teri with a pure smile, like a child’s that finally got the chance to talk about the most interesting thing in the world. “It means overpowered. It means you’re crazy strong. If someone calls you stupidly OP, then… you’re so strong that it’s dumb to explain why or how you’re like that.”

“That’s…” Teri’s smile felt a bit more natural. Taku’s reaction was welcome. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeeeeeeep.” Taku stretched his arm toward a wall as if to cast a spell. “That’s what I wanna be. So, you wanna be OP too?”

Teri kept his grin.

For now he could forget about him getting stabbed and getting his face bashed by a rock. It didn't mean he would let his guard down. He could tell himself that Taku’s presence was welcome, that he and this guy would get along just fine. For now.