Cole reversed a few steps, unsure of how to act. "Indeed, I'm screwed."
What stood before him definitely wasn't human, despite its appearance being hidden by the dark shadings occupying the place, he could discern that much.
The creature walked towards Cole slowly as he reversed, until Cole had his back against a wall, literally.
Subconsciously, he darted to his left, concentration gleaming in his eyes. The creature dawdled, and at first, it seemed Cole had managed to gain a respectable distance.
Unfortunately, beneath the dark shadings further ahead stood the same figure he had tried to escape from. Pressing his feet against the ground, Cole reduced his speed, yet ended up drawing closer than he wanted, as if an invisible force dragged his body towards it.
Since Cole was left at a dead end, he had only one option: to fight back.
Folding his palms into fists, he swung his right hand towards the creature's face, but it dodged with relative ease. Instead of attacking, the creature brushed Cole's face with its grotesque hands, covered with blisters and grayish skin.
The mere feeling of its cold, rough palms on his face was enough to set Cole ablaze in a furnace of rage.
Cole shot a precise kick at its torso, the hit landed but was nullified by the creature's skin. Cole gaped in disbelief, and without hesitation, he spun and fired a horse kick.
That too was ineffective, the creature stayed insultingly still, as if it weren't being attacked at all.
Cole was aware he'd be out of his league, but to this extent was simply comical. He had the urge to let out a pained, hollow laugh, but instead, he snickered and stepped back.
The creature grinned, revealing its sharp maw, a pleased expression painted on its ugly face. Finally, it stretched its hand and slapped Cole from his chest's side.
Cole's bones crunched as his body bent.
BAM!
Like a fired missile, Cole was sent launching through the abandoned buildings. He stopped after crashing through 5 walls, luckily his body was slightly stronger and more resistant than the average human.
Regardless...
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Cole was practically at death's door.
"What to do now?" He laid partly injured on a pile of rubble.
'Wait a minute!'
The creature darted forward, its speed blinding. Reappearing before Cole, it extended rusty claws out of its fingers, intending to land a finishing blow.
"Help me!" Cole yelled in a desperate roar.
Before the long tip of the nail could scratch Cole's skin, the creature was wrapped by long, dark bandages bending like they were made of foil. Its hands, legs, abdomen, and neck were restrained.
The bandages originated from small distortions at the far end, the distortions spanned and shattered like glass, leaving cracks. As the cracks grew bigger, they intertwined at the center and broke, revealing a dark subspace within.
Cole was flabbergasted, the atmosphere turned depressing and suffocating all at once, everywhere dimmed to a melancholic gray. Apart from the sounds of elastic stretching and bending, the place was basically silent.
From Cole's perspective, it looked like eyes swirled within the subspace, depraved eyes with an unsettling, sharp glare. Cole squinted his eyes to see better, and he caught a glimpse of a long line stretching in between the chaos of eyes.
The line he saw tore open, unveiling a set of razor-sharp fangs lined accordingly in an oval shape. Seeing this made his heart pause for a brief moment, shuddering at the unnatural sight.
The creature struggled, ultimately getting sucked into the subspace like it were caught in a wormhole, its body stretched into the mouth's direction until nothing remained.
After which, the cracks mended together, and the environment reverted back to normal.
From nowhere, people and cars filled the streets once more, the wrecked structures disappeared and the tension dissipated, leaving only the everyday bustle of city life.
Cole laid flat near a dumpster in an alley, the wounds on his body vanished without a trace. Once again, everything occurred like a nightmare or hallucination.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Cole gripped his head tightly as he chuckled, curling into a ball as he rolled away from the dumpster unintentionally.
"I've been in the business for over 10 years since my teenage days, whether it was infiltrating military bases, stealing confidential info, raiding dangerous locations, and killing others. Never in my life did I think I'd be this powerless after all those years."
Cole spoke like someone about to lose his mind.
Forcing himself, Cole stood and walked out of the cramped alley. His face looked drained of life, as if he were a fugitive who had narrowly escaped a chase.
"This can't be my life now. I have to do something."
Cole walked back to the bakery and stared through the glass window, observing the young man as he cheerfully carried out his job.
'Will I ever be this happy again?'
He bowed his head from the weight of his thoughts.
"Alright, thanks, ma'am. My shift is over, so I'll be going home now," the man's voice seeped through the bakery window.
Cole gasped when he heard. 'Has that much time passed? Even with everything, I still can't...'
"See you at tomorrow's shift, guys!" The young man waved.
Closing the door, he met Cole, who stood outside, his blunt stare gleamed with a certain eagerness.
The man was captivated, or so the expression he gave suggested.
"Good afternoon, sir. Your here early, Mr...um..."
"Cole Raden, just call me Raden. And you are?"
The man bowed politely and spoke with an excited tone, "My name is Snider. But you can call me SD."
Cole furrowed his brows, displaying a large, ugly frown. "I'd like to continue our conversation from before."
"Of course, Mr. Cole, but not here. We can't let normies overhear us."
Cole raised his brow. "Oh, then where?"
Snider wiggled his finger. "Follow me..."
Cole complied accordingly, and both men walked through the busy city streets, beneath the hot afternoon sun. When Snider reached a small coffee shop, he stopped and gestured for Cole to go inside.
As Cole entered, the soothing and strong scent of coffee greeted his nostrils. The interior had a dim decor with brown walls and a blue carpet. The old receptionist brewed a strong cup of coffee at the left side of the room, where the counter was.
Snider navigated through the occupied tables, eventually stopping at the wobbly round table at the far isolated back end of the shop. Cole followed closely, grabbed the second chair, and sat.
"Are you going to order anything?" Snider asked, a curious expression painted on his face.
"I'm good," Cole declined.
"If you're not ordering, then I'm not as well."
"Suit yourself." Cole cracked his knuckles. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"
Snider nodded in agreement.
"Good, now please explain who you are and..."
Cole quickly scanned through his memories and decided to wing it.
"What faction you're from? Your ability, and who's behind you," Cole confidently asked.
"I've already told you my name, as for faction... I'm with Eerie Gothel. I haven't manifested an ability yet because I haven't undergone a trial," Snider scratched his head. "As for who's behind me... I don't quite understand that question since I'm still a freshman."
"One more question, how did you know I was an indulger?"
Snider stared at the wall as he pondered. "Indulgers have a certain air around them. It's kind of difficult to explain, but I can just feel it."
Cole's mouth twitched. "Okay. I guess."
"Alright, my turn!" Snider's expression turned serious. "What is your current indulger status? If you're below mine, then I'll kill you right now."
'That's not good in the slightest. Is it?'
Cole crossed both palms. "I'm an..."
"...adherer, that's what I am."
Snider froze from deep shock, nearly falling off his chair.
"No way! I'm in the presence of a senior! Please forgive my ignorance," he fell on the floor and apologized.
"There's no need, I'll forgive you this once."
'No, but you're making a scene.'
"Thank you, sir!" Tears of gratitude streamed down his eyes, his behavior exuding a sort of relief.
'That just came out. Before that, a really cold breeze brushed my face. Are we even alone right now?' Cole introspected. 'Or...'
He shifted his gaze.
'Are we being watched?' Cole frowned.
"What's wrong, senior?" Snider asked.
"Do you get the feeling we're being watched? Or at least there's an extra presence with us?" Cole inquired in a composed manner.
"If you fail, your life will be the penalty. Consider this a test."
'What! Is he still mad?? I thought he forgave me!!'
Snider scratched his chin as he concentrated.
"Yes, there's something on your shoulder, perhaps a man-eater or a soul drainer. I can't tell the class," Snider answered, his tone a bit shaky from uncertainty.
'But why's he so casual with it? From what I sense, it's like the entity is killing him... unless, he's using his familiar to test me!' Snider thought
"Get rid of it," Cole ordered in a stern, commanding voice.
'I knew it was a test!'
Snider stood up from his seat and stretched his hand towards Cole's shoulder. He wore a focused look as his entire demeanor shifted.
'I've not awakened yet, but I can still interact at my current stage.'
The air around Snider twirled as his finger grew closer to Cole's shoulder. He carefully placed it below the dark murk cloud that was the creature's body.
'It's still in the underdeveloped stage. As expected from an Adherer, he's even going easy on me.'
SNAP!
The creature dissipated, leaving only dark fragments that gradually faded.
"Finished, I'm so glad you nerfed it, sir. Thank you for going easy on me! If it was further developed, everyone here may have died."
Cole clenched his fist as he tried to resist displaying shock. "I've taken an interest in you, boy. You might have potential."
"You think, si..."
"But the test's not over just yet," Cole's eyes shrank as his face became engulfed in spots of darkness, showcasing a malicious expression.
"To test how much you know and assess how far you'll reach, explain everything you know, like I were your student. Let's see if you've kept up with your books, JUNIOR."