《Ages Online》Chapter γ - Side-story: Ouroboros
Advertisement
He met her while he was in high school.
By a stroke of chance, they met each other at a school event, where they were supposed to show designated guests around the school facilities in what was termed as a promotional tour. She fell. He caught her. She awkwardly expressed her gratitude before heading to admonish those who had pushed her. He discovered that they were taking a class together. Somehow or another, they exchanged contacts.
He was a lonely reclusive boy who would prefer nothing but to play online games in the solitary haven of his home every day, while she was a brooding misanthropic only-child who could not be bothered to fit in with the girly girls her age. That was probably what gravitated them towards each other - the common feeling of being social pariahs out-casted by their peers.
It was thereafter that they spent time hanging out after school, where she told him everything and anything about her and her life. How her friends laughed at her for being tanned. How she skipped practice because the coach was a jerk. How difficult the mock tests that day were. In return, he spent days listening attentively, always quick to relate with her joy and share suggestions for her problems.
He had not realized it then, but it was the catalyst for things to come.
One day, she told him thus.
“Hey, you know Ben? The one I told you I met at the library?”
“Yea.” Ben was a senior that he was well acquainted with, neighbors even.
“I think he likes me.”
“Oh?” It was not news; Ben had been asking him about her.
“But I don’t like him at all. And he’s bothering me a lot…”
He went to confront Ben one day about his borderline stalking behavior while they were travelling home together. What the latter said was all forms of shocking.
Advertisement
“She said she likes me. What the hell are you talking about?”
He stopped in his tracks, stunned. “What?”
“You heard me.”
His eyebrows furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? How could two opposing parties have completely contradictory statements? Who should he believe? One was his respected senior and friend, while the other was as dear as a sister.
In the end he decided to do nothing.
Soon enough, Ben graduated and disappeared into anonymity. But while he might have been the first, it was definitely not the last. It was not long before a similar case happened again, this time concerning another mutual friend named Neville. Neville was a jerk through and through, but that did not diminish how eerily similar the situation played out again.
“She doesn’t like you, Nev, so give it a re-”
“She told me she likes me so you give it a rest.”
Without a stand in the matter, he let the situation play out to its non-fruitful end again. There was a quarrel, or so she said, and Neville left, never to contact them again.
Months after the incident, while he was hanging out with her at their usual place, she suddenly became all shy and awkward. It was unlike her usual loud, abrasive self.
“Seb… I want to tell you something.”
“Yes?” He replied in between mouthfuls of food.
“I-I love you.”
It took all he had not to accidentally choke and die.
Even though she might be troublesome at times, he likes her. It was the main reason why he had spent so many hours listening to her. Had it been someone else, he would not have bothered a long time ago.
But what did he like her as?
A lover or a sister?
Advertisement
He did not know. Then came the question,
Why him?
He was not special, just an ordinary person who did nothing extraordinary. He did not even put any extra effort into making her feel important or loved.
“Why me?” He muttered.
“B-because you are always there for me.”
Yet, even as he looked at her in the eye, he could not help but pull up his defenses against her, both Ben’s and Neville’s recounts echoing in his mind.
What if he was simply her third ‘prey’?
No. They were close. He should give her the benefit of the doubt.
But the seed had been planted and would not go away. There were too many questions, too many unknowns. He did not know what to make of it. This ‘love’ she claimed of, he had no idea what it was nor what it was based upon.
She was too immature to talk about love.
And so was he.
The more he thought, the more he felt lost. It was a spiral that would not end.
The words swirled around and around in his mind, reinforcing each other, as though waves overlapping into bigger ones while crashing away at the shore of reason. It is an ouroboros of thought and with every iteration, a cycle of self-propagation occurs until the one point a single conclusion is reached.
No.
The logical conclusion to this drama would be to refuse.
But when he told her of his decision, all he could see was her face on the verge of crying. The heart-breaking imagery only served to make the torrent in his mind more chaotic than ever.
“You mean to tell me you never felt anything for me?”
He shook his head, even though it pained him to do so.
“And I loved you. How could you…”
The guilt. It hung.
“You… BEAST!”
“Jo-“He reached out for her, but she had run away in tears, leaving him all alone feeling as though he had screwed up his world.
Advertisement
Remnants of the Dawn: The Complete Trilogy
Author edits content regularly, genre is decidedly High Fantasy with other elements throughout. Synopsis: The Armies of Xanavene have declared war on the world of Silex, and march their black armies across the lands, leaving confusion and ruin in their wake. Led by the Necromancer Osric, their motives are as unknown as his origins. The armies of Xanavene cuts a swathe of terror towards Elysia, home to The Order of Dawn and the Priestess Renata. After his affair with the High Priestess is discovered, Grandmaster of The Knights of Dawn, Aichlan, is sent to the fort of Arlien along the Elysian border, as punishment. His rank in The Order of Dawn prevents a public sentencing, but it is the hope of the Cardinals that he will perish when Xanavene inevitably attacks. Faced with the insurmountable task of defeating an army the likes of which hadn’t been seen in over three millennia, Aichlan is given a coveted second chance to save the Priestess and put an end to Osric’s mad ploy. Aided by the remnants of fallen kingdoms, he must gather an army to combat the Xanavien horde, as well as the horrors Osric unleashed. Horrors not seen on the planet since the last time a doomed mortal attempted to wage war on with the gods.
8 169Magica Storia
Benjamin "Benny" Estrella is an average kid living under the shadow of his high-flying family. He resigns to his fate that he will always live an average life, overshadowed by everyone around him. That is until he receives a mysterious old family heirloom. Benny doesn't know its significance until after a series of events where he is transported to Mundo Magica, a parallel world of Adventurers and Magic. There he meets Tenryu Fyreroar, an Adventurer with a penchant of setting things on fire with his Fire Magic and Swordsmage Skills, whom he seems to share a strange connection. As Benny acquaints himself to his new surroundings, he is thrust into a world filled with new possibilities and adventure. In this world, he might possibly find the true potential he has deep within. That is...if he can survive.
8 240Vacuous Void
The story of an half human and rift-sovereign's, journey and adventure. His power is above the gods and he is omnipotent. With the power of an ruler in his blood he travels dimension. Whatever.. I cannot give an good synopsis! This is the story of an lazy writer (I don't consider myself an author, because I'm torturing myself here, I will refer to myself as an author in the story, though).
8 86Technomage
Captain Michael de Graaf returns home to the capital after a long mission abroad. Upon his return, however, he does not get much rest. On his first day, he is assigned to a new mission. In one of the States, Captain Crocan is murdered, and the investigator which sent after him is missing. Follow Mike's journey in a world that bears some resemblance to our Earth and his investigation that will affect the fate of many on this planet. Author here. This is my first book. So, you can expect inaccuracies and mistakes in the text. Especially since my native language is not English. What won't be in the book: harem, system, Isekai, and romance. What will be: slice of life, magical realism, politics, investigation, techno-magic
8 184Heart of a Dungeon
New Description A dungeon slowly builds up his strength, with only one goal in mind, to take revenge on those who betrayed him while slowly diving into the abyss. Trying to become invincible, the dungeon betrays all standard boundaries of species and evolution. Mature for possible cursing, I´m leaving the previous description to stand as it is --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dungeons, there are many forms of them, but what is the best one? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my first story on here, I'll work out the description better later.
8 64LARRY STYLISON FROM THE BEGINNING
This story is about how harry and louis first meet at the xfactor and that they start to get feelings for each other what do you think will happen will they tell each other their feelings for each other or stay secret for a while
8 71