"You seemed to have changed," Alina said to me as we were walking towards the bus station after the college ended.
"So, what has changed about me? Tell me." I asked her with a slight laugh.
'This shadow is clearly doing things according to his own. The way that I won't do is the distant personality I created in all these is being broken by it.'
"The way you are talking, you have never laughed before, nor have you spoken more than one word in reply." She said while walking ahead.
"Do you have a problem with me talking too much?" I asked her as we waited for the bus to arrive.
"No, it's just why so sudden. You seemed to have completely changed after the party. You never mention how you know those people." Her voice was a bit uncertain.
"Well, they are one of my few friends. They are quite nice people. I will introduce them to you someday." I said in a casual voice.
As we were talking, the bus had also arrived, and I stepped in, followed by Alina. I sat beside the window, while she sat beside me. The bus moved on, passing busy streets. I was looking outside as usual. The sky was clear and filled with light, but the mark of darkness had already manifested; it's just a matter of time before this world entered a cycle of destruction.
I looked at Alina, who was half asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I lay back on my seat, closing my eyes slightly.
After an hour-long journey, the bus stopped. I opened my eyes and gave a look at Alina, who was still sleeping. I gently shook her head, waking her up.
When we got home, Mom and Dad weren't at home. After changing, I went to the kitchen and made some noodles for us. The two of us sat together enjoying our meal.
As she was eating, her eyes were continuously staring at me. I knew she was staring, but I ignored her and continued my meal with a faint smile on my face.
Once done with the meal, I stood up and went to clean the dishes, while Alina was still staring at sitting there. Her eyes squinted like a cat's, but she didn't say anything, just continued to stare at me.
After this, I went to the living room, sat on the sofa, and watched the TV. A cartoon shows for kids because of this completely different behaviour, Alina was continuously watching me from the kitchen to the living room. She was sitting on the sofa just beside me, but her gaze was on me instead of the TV.
"How long are you planning to do this?" I asked her, but my gaze was locked on the TV.
"Until you tell me, who are you? Lucian wasn't like that." Her voice was sharp and clear.
'What the hell? Why is she being so reckless? If she knew it wasn't me, then why make it so obvious and bring trouble on herself?'
Her words were true, but restless. Fortunately, this shadow didn't take her as a threat, saying flatly, "Hey, if I am not your brother, then who is? Stop watching those trashy horror shows; they are messing with your head."
"Hmph," she snorted and continued her staring game.
Time continued to pass, and half an hour later, Mom and Dad returned. We all sat together; this type of scene was really rare. Usually, I would be in my room.
It was really rare for me to sit with everyone. This wasn't any special, nor did I talk about anything. I was just there sitting with them, which was making this ordinary scene special.
After some time, Mom went to cook dinner. While Dad was watching the news, Alina was watching me.
This scene was quite odd, yet lovely at the same time. If not for the chaos hidden beneath the surface, which ignited my thoughts.
'If not for the coming destruction. I would have loved to live this life. Even without power, just being a normal human would have been enough.'
'These smiles and upcoming despair. I don't know why I don't want to lose them. Well, a selfish person like me will never achieve anything, because I am afraid to pay the price.'
I continued to watch them, as I was happily eating dinner with my family, the smile, the warmth, I could see everything. This was a scene that I always wanted to experience; instead of hiding, and joined them.
"Alina, why are you staring at Lucian this whole time?" Suddenly, Mom asked Alina, who had been staring at me since they came home.
"Mom, don't you think he is behaving a bit oddly?" Alina said to Mom.
Her words made the mom pause for a second. Mom's gaze was directed at me like she was looking for an answer, but I continued to eat my food, ignoring Alina's words.
"Eat your meal, or it will get cold." Mom said to Alina, dismissing her doubts.
The dinner continued, and the atmosphere of the dining table was calm, as everyone was enjoying the food. While Alina, like a little cat, continued to stare at me. Luckily, this shadow didn't seem to be interested in her, or she would have been in great trouble.
This shadow current target was most likely those Dragon Kings, and other big fishes, before the disaster descent. If it succeeds, maybe the disaster could be delayed for a while.