"Mr. Kunikuzushi, please get in." The chauffeur held the door of a purple Citroën open. He had no choice but to oblige. He got in the car to avoid the eyes staring at him. The driver floored the pedal and the car lurched forward.
Kunikuzushi gazed blankly at Liyue's afternoon cityscape. Though the buildings exuded grandeur, he couldn't appreciate any of it. The road and foot traffic grew heavy towards the heart of the harbor.
Kunikuzushi sighed and threw his hands up in annoyance when the car crawled at the speed of a scarab beetle.
"Can we go a bit slower?" He ridiculed, knocking the glass divider.
"We are going as fast as we can, Mr. Kunikuzushi." Stated the driver.
"A real shame, mister. I could walk faster than this scrap metal."
Kunikuzushi was about to prove his point, but the chauffeur locked the doors to the car. Sensing his intentions, the driver spoke up sternly, "Sir, for your safety and the safety of others, I must ask you to remain seated and under restraint until we reach Sumeru. Orders from the Mayor." His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt or negotiation. He glanced at the impatient boy from the rearview mirror.
Kunikuzushi realized that he'd better comply with the driver's directive, at least for the time being, so he decided to stay quiet and bide his time for a while longer.
He scrolled through his phone to check the online maps and see where he was headed. According to the GPS, it would take approximately two hours to reach the border of Sumeru, and another hour to get to his new home. Frustrated with the long journey, he pounded the seat in annoyance. As boredom crept in, he tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
Seconds turned to minutes and Kunikuzushi's fist was craving a knuckle sandwich. He took out his earphones, laid down, started his R.O.C.K. playlist, and started at the car ceiling. The song Go Hard by Neffex played out.
'And we gon' make it all the way
We don't care what they all will say
Don't listen to the hate, no
Listen to my fate, yo
Yeah, we like to go hard'
He felt peeved that he couldn't do what he wanted. Staying awake to think about his frustrations would not lead to a good end. He closed his eyes with lyrics swirling in his mind.
In his dream, he tumbled from the sky, plunging through the thick, damp, purple clouds. He eventually hit the ground hard, landing on wet grass, causing him to groan as he struggled to get up on his elbows.
As he slowly woke up, he noticed a dense blanket of grey fog surrounded him. The smell of freshly mowed grass felt real. He couldn't see anything beyond a few meters in front of himself so he proceeded with caution, careful not to trip over anything.
After a few minutes of walking, he saw something towering, standing tall amidst the green wastelands. Despite his instincts telling him to stay away, he couldn't resist his curiosity and approached it. As he got closer, he realized that it was a truly massive tree with its branches reaching up to the sky. The bark looked rough and knotty.
But as he stood there, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was not quite right. He could sense a faint eerie presence lurking in the shadows. Despite his unease, he couldn't bring himself to leave the tree just yet, and stood there, transfixed by its magnificence.
He pressed his palm on the tree bark expecting it to be rigid and coarse. But strangely, it felt like a thick coat of foam. He stirred his hand playfully in it and felt something tough. Kunikuzushi felt its warm strings roping onto his fingers and his arm, pulling him in. He reflexively pulled his hand out with the strange device wrapped around his arm.
A chill went up his spine as he held the item. It was hot despite the cool fog. It was red and squishy and it was the size of his fist. A dark fluid trickled through its maroon and indigo tendrils that hugged his arm tightly, numbing his fingers and making them purple. He panicked as he realized what that thing was. He really wished he didn't have to live with vivid dreams.
YOU ARE READING
As You Fade Away
Fanfiction『" If something is bothering you, you can trust me. Didn't we agree on that?" Lumine sat opposite the boy. His hat blocked his emotions from her, but you could feel his sorrow with every breath he exhaled. Although he was rough to the blonde, she b...
