A World Without Him

A World Without Him

Chapter 13

He's back yet again. You must already know what he's talking about. His void, his dreamscape, his personal hell hole. Call it what you want.

Although, it hasn't changed from the last time he remembered coming here. He can still feel the warmth that encompassed him when he was caught. How the tension the original place held seemed to melt into the new atmosphere.

It was kind of overwhelming; the drastic change probably overcompensates for something else he was worried to even think about.

So, he pushes those paranoid thoughts to the back of his mind, embracing the surroundings. He even feels nice enough to open his eyes, still wincing at the bold, solid color. However, it was dimmed compared to his first time here: manageable.

He lets his eyes adjust before looking around, only seeing a burnt orange as far as his eyes could show him.

He could move his limbs, too, almost like swimming through water, but he didn't really need to go anywhere at the moment. Everything stayed that simple color no matter where he looked.

So he waited, slowly spinning in the weightlessness that filled this place. Tang had almost become bored at the endless silence. Everything was just so quiet. He couldn't even hear himself… he didn't know if that was a good thing.

Something saved him the chance to ponder on it longer, though, as the sound of grating metal reached his ears. It made him jump, the sudden sound raging through the original silence.

He couldn't tell where it was coming from, the noise seemingly coming from all over. He couldn't even tell which way was up at this point; everything stayed the same exact color.

It grew more intense as he frantically looked around the endless space, finding nothing as the sound only grew closer.

Then the grating stopped abruptly, letting the dreamscape fall back into complete silence. Tang was sure if he could hear himself at the moment, his erratic breathing would have been enough to drown out the whole void.

The new bout of silence didn't last long.

‘Hello again.’

The smooth voice sounded from behind. Tang could suddenly hear himself again, his breaths heavy with grinding teeth and a fast heartbeat drowning out the sudden noise. Tang whipped his head around to the foreign sounds source.

It was a person. Or, well, something that looked like one. It had an average human-ish figure, along with the right amount of arms, heads, and legs to assume.

But that was where most similarities ended. It glowed a faint orange hue all over its body, highlighting its translucent, golden skin. The limbs he could see were covered in many undecipherable symbols, with what seemed like steel rings on its wrists and ankles.

It had light, loose clothing covering its body, baggy pants and half of a robe to name some, with multiple pieces of hanging jewelry all over. Its hair was short with bright highlights and a wavy texture, floating around its head as the hair seemingly went by its own rules. Its eyes were pure white, giving away little to what it was thinking.

It smiled, huffing out a laugh that echoed in the void. ‘My apologies. I didn't expect you to be this… jumpy. I even made all of this more digestible for you.” It sounded out, almost condescendingly.

Tang stared wide-eyed at the newcomer, staying strikingly still even as he floated. “Wh-who are you!?” He nervously shouted at the unknown threat.

The being lolled its head to one side, looking Tang up and down. After a second, it seemed satisfied with what it found, giving Tang a wolfish grin. ‘You may call me Cian.’

Tang seemed shocked at getting an answer. He hasn't had an actual conversation in his dreams for months, so he expected to be thrown away or woken up by now.

Okay. This is weird. It seems familiar… But this is fine. It's just a dream. Everything here is your head mashing together memories. Tang weakly thought as he curled in on himself. His stomach flipped uncomfortably as he tried to reason with what was happening.

The being- erm, Cian, frowned. ‘I expected better than those foolish excuses. Is this not enough for you?’

Tang quickly looked back at it, surprise clearly on his face. It only sighed at the reaction, seemingly annoyed with its predicament.

Its body then seemed to adhere to gravity, landing on a platform Tang couldn't see, and walking towards the scholar with a new tactic in mind.

‘I know how much you’ve struggled. Pain, suffering, loss: those are things you have wanted to avoid so badly, yet keep finding throughout your life.’

Tang tried to back away, but he couldn't seem to find a grip as he kept floating in place, the feeling around him changing from being underwater to something more like being stuck in space.

‘You are WEAK. You have been thrown around from birth, treated as less than based on what you have failed to provide. How you failed to do anything meaningful.’

Cian’s voice shook the area, making sure that Tang couldn't ignore it as it drew closer.

‘But it doesn't have to stay that way. I can help you, little cicada. I can gift your body the strength to give back what those demons have done to you and those you cared about.’

It's right in front of him now; its eyes seem to stare into his soul as it talks. Tang tries to look away, but it grabs his chin and roughly turns his head to face it.

‘Just let me in; I have what you need. Stop fighting what you know you’ve been searching for.’

Tang didn't know what it was talking about. It looked sharply into his eyes, and it looked for a long time, trying to see something Tang couldn't fathom.

Small hairline fractures appeared in the colorful void in Tang's peripheral vision, but Cian didn't seem to care at the moment. It frowned in the end, letting Tang's face go as it stepped back, wisps of hair floating into its face.

‘I suppose this isn't working. I'll give you a token for now.’ It grumbled, yanking off a string around its neck that held a small bell as its charm.

Tang froze at Cian's actions, feeling uneasy at the behavior as he was worried the figure would snap at any moment. He stayed that way even as it walked closer, reaching towards his wrist to tie the bell around it.

‘There.’ It said softly, stepping back in front of Tang after finishing the knot. Tang lifted the hand to his face, trying to inspect what he was just given.

A sudden shake interrupts the moment, causing larger cracks to form in the color surrounding them. Cian looked up at the fractures, glaring at them as its body seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

“What's happening?!” Tang gasped, seeing the cracks grow larger and Cian’s body starting to fade away.

‘Those damned snakes.’ It spat to itself, turning slowly to Tang's panicked form as its body kept fading more and more.

‘We will see each other again. Keep that bell on you at all times. Just wait for me…’ Its voice faded out, becoming background noise as its body finally disappeared and the cracks overcame the color.

Pieces of color began to crumble down, revealing a familiar black void underneath. Tang couldn't hear himself after Cian vanished, so he could only feel himself screaming as he was sucked downwards by a sudden pull, taking him away from the warmth and stability.

Now everything was cold. Pieces of the former void changed to blend into the new one, giving Tang only darkness as he slowly started to lose himself. He closed his eyes and he continued to fall. He flailed his limbs as he did so, screaming at the top of his lungs to no result except silence; nothing caught him this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tang wakes up on the hardwood floor. His limbs felt numb to sensation, as he could only feel prickles as he came to realize he was awake. He couldn't remember much from his dream…

After staying in place for a good couple of minutes, he regained some feeling, but only the soreness in his arms and legs. It felt like the time he tried training with Sandy: like his muscles would fall off at any attempt to move them.

Still, he groans as he raises his head, trying to look at where he ended up this time. He was on his bedroom floor (again. Maybe that's why he felt so sore) near the open window, one arm hanging outside, almost as if he was trying to climb out in his sleep. The sky was dim, and he could feel the early breeze outside, causing a shiver to run up his spine.

He quickly pulled his arm out of the window, letting it fall to the floor when the prickly sensation became too much to continue. Staring at the ceiling was the only thing he could do at the moment when his body was out of commission, so he did just that.

Waiting for the exhaustion in his limbs to go away seemed to take forever. He could hear how more and more people began to go outside as it turned from dawn to morning. He saw how sunlight entered his bedroom, shining onto his torso as he laid still. The warmth was nice, he supposed.

He only tried to move after he saw his whole room lit up with the sun's rays, with a shadow suddenly blocking some of the light, most likely a cloud, then moving out of the way for light to come back with a vengeance on his face. He squinted, annoyed at the light now trying to blind his already crap eyes.

Moving forward, he pulled his arms in and pushed himself onto his elbows, then taking a knee as he pushed off from there. After grabbing the window ledge for stability, Tang was now fully standing!

That only helped so much as his limbs still felt like lead with everything else giving off prickling sensations, and his vision was blurry without his glasses. He sighed heavily, knowing he would have to get to his bedside table to have his sight back.

Slowly but surely, he wobbly stepped up to his bed, flopped on top of it, and rolled on his side, leading himself to the side table.

Mentally cringing that he had to do that, he quickly reached to where he put his glasses, and then put them on. He felt more secure when his vision returned.

Now with more stability, Tang slowly sat up, raising his hands to rub the drowsiness from his eyes. However, something snagged on his scarf as he did so, making him look down as his wrist confused.

It was a bell. A small, golden bell attached to a thin bracelet that was tied with a bow.

Wh-what… He thought, shocked at the piece of jewelry around his wrist. It was in my dream, how did it get here!? HOW IS IT REAL!?!?

In his panicked state, he tried everything to get rid of the thing. Pulling it off didn't work unless he wanted to dislocate his thumb. Ripping it off didn't work, as it only hurt his wrist in the process (it ripped off so easily earlier…).

Finally, cutting it off didn't work either, as Tang forced himself up to the kitchen, leaning on the counter, and then tried every sharp item he could grab to get it off. An assortment of knives: nope, but he did cut himself a few times, bleeding a bit onto the counter. Scissors: became crooked and useless after the attempt. Pizza cutter: couldn't even scratch the band.

Now tired and with a hurting wrist, he wobbled over to the living room, took off his glasses, now holding them in his hand, and flopped onto the couch face first. After a few seconds, he screamed into the cushions.

He wanted nothing to do with this. Whatever was messing with his dreams, and probably sanity, could go suck on a lemon for all he cared. He didn't want to put up with this anymore.

I want to leave. I'm going to leave. I'm going to go so far that whatever is affecting me can't chase me this time. So I can finally figure out what’s wrong with me. So I can get rid of it. So I can see my friends again…

He tilted his head to the side as he put on his glasses, seeing how his apartment looked like a hailstorm had run through it from his previous episode. All of his stuff was still thrown about; he could easily see everything that he had trashed around the room.

‘I can't ____ __em at ___.’

Tang quickly sat up, grabbing his head in frustration. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he stood up, grabbed the previously discarded backpack near his front door and started to rush around the apartment, grabbing anything useful. He's going to put this into action. He's not going to chicken out again.

A thermos left on the counter from his previous search along with a plastic water bottle and a small water filter get thrown in first. All of these items have signs of wear from continuous usage.

Then he walks towards a fallen pile, taking a pair of baggy black shorts and some t-shirt advertising a random acting troupe, extra socks and underwear, and a well worn sun hat from it and throwing most of the clothing into the front pocket, letting the sun hat hang from his neck.

‘Som___ing isn't _____ here, he ________ b_ ____.’

The voice was muffled, being drowned out by Tang's erratic movements, digging through the piles of junk looking for specific items.

He came up with one of his old journals, the leather binding making it seem older than it really was. He picked it up harshly, opening the strap and looking through the pages.

There was a big number 3 circled at the start of it. Tang used to number his journals when he just started writing, but he let up with it when he started to mainly doodle instead of write.

He looked further through the writing. It was his travel journal; it was something he kept as he went from place to place, writing about his days and interesting events that he saw or was involved in.

There were a good couple of pages left in the journal. He remembered he stopped writing in it when he came to Metrapolis in his 20's, getting an apartment and settling down in one place.

After a moment of thought, he took the journal and packed it into the main part of his backpack with the water bottle and thermos. He then grabbed a small umbrella on the floor near the pile, putting it into one of the water bottle pockets on the side.

He then walked briskly to the bathroom, ignoring the mirror and looking under the sink. He grabbed a small zipped up bag containing first aid equipment. Things like bandaids, antibacterial packets, tweezers, a small pack of sunscreen, bug bite patches, and other small aids were inside.

‘Why is __ __ing so ____ like th__?’

He ignored the voice again, harshly putting the first aid pouch in front of his backpack next to the clothes. He quickly goes back to the kitchen after leaving the bathroom, taking out as many non-perishables that he can fit into his bag. Things like chip bags, canned food, and some fruit strips plus granola bars.

After he finished, he seemed to just stare at the bag. Looking through its seams, almost like he was trying to reason something from the backpack. His breathing slowed as he did so, becoming deep and rhythmic as he continued to stare, letting his adrenaline drop.

He took the plastic water bottle out, then zipped up the bag. He quickly filled it up with water before putting it in the other pocket on the bag's side, matching the umbrella.

Taking some time to rest, he left the backpack on the counter and walked to his living room window, looking down at the people below.

Down on the street, he saw the grannies on their way to class together, walking past people in uniform serving the outside tables of a popular chain restaurant. Kids walked with their parents, and a hoverbike raced by above traffic causing some napkins to fly up and away in the daylight.

He felt the warmth of the sun through the window. This was all regular. This was all normal. No shocks, no loud noises, no orange. It helped him relax, letting the tension bleed from his limbs and shoulders.

Leaving the living room, he went back into his bedroom for his phone. Its screen was cracked like his glasses; he grabbed it off the bedside table (he tried to turn it on, but it was dead again) and put it into his pants back pocket.

He then opened the drawer under it, taking out a solar powered battery bank and his wallet. After wrapping the battery cord in his hands, he looked to the floor, seeing The Origins of JTTW open on the ground.

After a bit of hesitation, he crouched down and picked up the book. It was open to the page of the Great Monk, how he was involved in the original story and how he differed from the legends based on what remnants archeologists could find of him.

The Great Monk took up a few more pages after that, most of it being clear pictures of the scrolls and other items recovered proving his existence. Tang closed the book and tucked it under his arm, walking back to the kitchen and packing the book, letting the solar battery hang on a zipper like a keychain to charge as he walked.

He didn't really have anything else to do now. He leaned on the counter, glaring at the backpack, like it was the one who made him crazy. After a few moments, he bowed his head and sighed, walking back to the living room and looking at the mess.

There was nothing else he needed; nothing else jumped out at him to take it along with him. Well, that was until he saw something reflecting the sunlight from the window, buried under ripped paper and post-its.

Walking to the small pile, he brushed aside the pieces of paper, finding his old combat boots underneath. He didn't need to use them much when he first got them, as he mostly stayed in place as he read at his station.

They looked like they would still fit him; he deflated a bit as he noticed that he hasn't grown much since then. Slowly pulling them out of the scraps, he took them to the couch. As he changed from his new-ish flats to thin socks and his old combat boots, he thought how nice it was that he didn't have to shave his head to wear these again.

After tying up the laces and tucking the top of the boots under his embroidered pant cuffs, he stood to grab the bag from the counter and reached for his key ring near the door.

Leaving his apartment, he closed and locked the door softly, making sure he wouldn't be heard leaving. Putting his key ring in his other pants pocket, he went down the stairs towards the building entrance.

Standing in front of the double doors, Tang hesitated. Will this be alright? I'm not even sure that leaving will get rid of these voices… But what if I can find some answers? What if I can finally get better? I might as well try.

He steps out the doors determined. The white noise washes over him; discussions, multiple vehicles passing by, and nature blurred together in the community.

Tang starts to walk. He walks past familiar spots like Lazy Susan's, unfamiliar people that walk by just the same, and the new visuals popping up as all of this keeps changing with the times.

He walks, and walks, and walks. His ankles feel like you would give out, but he needed to keep walking to get away from the familiarity and sameness of Metrapolis. He won't find closure here: he needs to find answers elsewhere, and on his own.

Zoning back into his surroundings, he sees that his muscle memory has led him somewhere he recognized. He was right in front of Pigsy's Noodles, in all its glory.

He saw how the metal blinds were drawn and the sign signified it was closed. The entrance wasn't the same as the window, though, still open for anyone to waltz in if they like.

Sighing to himself, Tang checks inside the restaurant to make sure no one was looting the place, then reaches up and pulls down the metal entrance cover with a bit of effort, locking it at the bottom for Pigsy.

After shaking his arm at the slight effort (the bell on his wrist never rang out), he figured that he should probably let someone know where he was going so he wasn't plastered on a missing poster or something.

Remembering his dead phone, he grumbled as he reached into his bag, pulling out his journal and first aid kit, then ripping out a page and some medical tape. After putting the materials back in the bag, he took a small pen off of his key ring and wrote out a note for Pigsy.

Hey Pigsy, this is from Tang. I'm just letting you know that I'll be out of town for a bit. I probably won't have any cell service most of the time, so I'll message you when I can. Also, I closed the restaurant entrance for you, protecting it from any potential thieves! I think that my actions deserve a free bowl of noodles when I get back.

—Warm regards, Tang ♡

After finishing the note, he used the medical tape to secure it to the metal blinds over the window, mainly under its awning to protect the message from the elements.

Now someone knows I'm leaving. Maybe people will actually listen if he's the one to tell them. Tang thought as he walked away from the shop, not thinking about it too much longer for his remaining sanity.

He continued to walk, seeing the neon on the skyscrapers and tall buildings thin out to smaller houses next to small Mom and Pop shops. He sits on the edge of a cleaner sidewalk to take a small break, taking the solar battery off the zipper and plugging in his phone.

He checked the time on it when it was charged enough, seeing it was about 2:37 PM at the moment. That's probably why the sun is glaring down at him right now, making him put on the sun hat and take a drink from his water bottle.

After putting everything back into his bag, he rolled up his sleeves, put his phone into his pocket and continued his walk to the outskirts of Metrapolis.

The buildings seemed to dwindle as he went farther and farther out, only seeing a few houses spread across grassy fields as he came closer and closer to the exit.

After he walked for a few more minutes, he could see the exit sign (more like a billboard) in full. It said, “Now leaving Metrapolis, we hope to see you again soon!” In bright yellow, pink, and blue.

Tang huffed at the bright colors, looking past the sign at the road leading out of the city. No buildings filled the sides, no signs lit up the road, and no one seemed to be walking along its side like he was. Only a flat road led out of the city, showing how different the inside compared to the flat plains ahead.

This was it. He only needed to walk a bit further to be out of the Metrapolis. Away from his city and friends. He could finally start to figure out what was happening to him.

He took a deep breath, focussing on the path ahead, and stepped past the sign.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun had barely started to set when Tang arrived at his first destination. It was a small gas station, a piece of the city between the rolling hills and fields around them.

A car that looked like a taxi was parked near one of the pumps, with a person no older than 25 seeming to be having trouble with it as he kept kicking the pump near the taxi.

Ignoring the person, Tang walked inside the gas station to refill his water bottle. He exchanged pleasantries with the cashier before exiting again, seeing the presumed taxi driver still going ham on the pump, seemingly not letting up since Tang saw him last.

Sighing internally, Tang tried to walk past the unfortunate driver, but was stopped when the kid started to shout at him. “Hey! Hey you! Can you help me out here? This stulid pump ate my card, and I have a time limit to make it back!”

Tang looked back suspiciously, trying to see if he was about to get kidnapped or not. The person looked decent, short shaggy brown hair with a navy button down along with gray leggings and white tennis shoes with a panicked expression: not that suspicious. He also saw the cashier had a clear view of this specific pump, and some cameras were sprinkled around the gas station, so Tang was willing to risk it.

As he got closer, he saw the card was too far in the reader to get it out with your fingers. Tang nodded his head in sympathy. “Erm, sure. Just give me a second.” He pulled out his first aid kit and took the tweezers out, starting to try and pull the thing out of the reader.

The driver talked his ear off as he did so. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I tried to do a long drive for someone down at the Golden South province all the way to Metrapolis, but I ran out of gas on my way back. I got a lot of tip money from it, but now I might not make it back in time to turn in the taxi. I don't want to have to pay the late fee again: my boss racks it up depending on how many times it's been turned in late, and I've already been late 6 official times-”

“Here you go.” Tang interrupts, shoving the now free card into the driver's face. The driver lit up at receiving his card back, pocketing it and unlocking the taxi, getting in after pulling the pump out. Tang goes to wipe the tweezers down before putting them back in his bag.

Then before Tang could leave, the driver rolled down the taxi window, poking his head out. “By the way, do you need to go anywhere? I'm just going back to Open Border, but I can drop you off anywhere along the way, free of charge! I can even take a shortcut for you if need be.”

Tang debated his options. He did need to get to Golden South as it had one of his old colleagues there that he could consult with, and getting there purely on foot would take a while. It was also that Tang didn't really want to waste any time in getting rid of his problem. The driver seemed nice enough, no big dents or scratches on the car and no oddities as far as Tang could see.

He decided to accept on a whim. It's not like there were any nearby hotels anyways, and he didn't want to sleep outside this time, especially with what's been going on. “Oh, sure. Just drop me when you stop in Golden South; I'll find my way from there.” Tang accepted, opening the door and getting into the back seat.

“That sounds good to me! I'll let you out before I turn in the taxi. By the way, my name is Zach.” Zach introduced after getting back into the driver's seat and rolling up the window.

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Tang” Tang replied from the back seat, quickly taking off his backpack and putting it on the car floor.

“Will do Tang!” Zach then put the car out of park and into drive, pulling out of the gas Station, and then driving down the smooth road away from Metrapolis.

Tang looked out the back window,seeing more and more of the city fading from view. He looked away after some moments, going to look out his side window, out at the grass and setting sun. He closes his eyes.

‘Are you done?’

Tang shoots his eyes open, trying not to freak out when someone else is currently in the car. He attempts to look around discreetly, but he already knows it won't result in anything meaningful.

Just ignore it. It's not like it'll talk to you again. Just let it babble along and fade away. He reasoned, going back to looking out the window.

‘Are we really doing this?’

Tang didn't react, ignoring the voice and letting himself disassociate.

‘You are making this difficult.’

Tang didn't reply. The hands on his lap held onto his pants with a death grip.

The voice sighed heavily, then let the car ride fall into silence yet again. Tang sighed in relief, sagging into his seat…

A huge flash of light suddenly came from the seat beside Tang, causing him to jump at the blast. “You okay back there?” Zach asked concerned, stopped at a traffic light.

Tang took a second to respond. “Oh! Oh, yeah, I'm completely fine. Don't worry about it!” Zach looked unconvinced, but returned his eyes to the road when the traffic light turned green.

Tang quickly looked to the empty seat beside him, jaw dropping at the figure now sitting there, jogging the foggy memory from his dreams. It was Cian.

‘Will you converse with me now?’ Cian asked, a bit smug.

Wh-what the hell?! How is this happening?! Tang thought, panicking internally.

Cian scoffed at the question. ‘Do I have to spell everything out for you? I’m projecting my body through the token I gave you. Only you can see and hear me as you're the one wearing it.’

Tang started to spiral. Token? Does it mean the stuped bell?! Have I finally snapped…

Cian seemed like it was about to snap itself, deeply frowning at Tang. Suddenly, it reached out to grab Tang's wrist, physically pulling on the bell he woke up with. Tang fell onto his side at the sudden pull, alerting Zach again. “Are you sure you're okay? You're completely fine if you have motion sickness! I can pull over if you want.”

Tang quickly refutes. “No, no, it's alright. I just dropped something.” He sat up slowly, rubbing the now sore wrist from the pull.

‘Will you acknowledge me now?’

Tang grimaced, staring at his feet as he scooted as far away from Cian as he could. You're real. How are you real? Were you the one messing with my dreams for some sort of sick amusement?

Cian sighed, getting closer and lifting Tang's wrist up by the bracelet. ‘To answer the last question, no. How I'm here is because I'm connected with you through our shared abilities. I was once able to harness the same power you used against the Lady Bone Demon.’

Cian then let his wrist go, letting it fall onto the car seat. ‘But now you have them. So I think it's only my duty to help you before those flares get out of control. They mainly affect your perception of reality, which is why you've been experiencing more and more visions as time went on.’

Tang took a deep breath, still staring at his feet. Then how can I get rid of them? The visions, voices, whatever's affecting me.

Cian leaned back and looked out the window. ‘They stop once you get control over your powers. However, you're too weak at the moment to even try overcoming anything by your own will.’

Tang laughed bitterly to himself as he ran a hand through his messy hair, dislodging his sunhat. That figures.

Cian grinned widely out of Tang's view at the scholars's response. ‘I do have a solution to help, though. I can offer my previous strength to help you overcome your weaknesses.’

Tang looked up to Cian, a condescending smile on his face. And why should I trust you? For all I know, you could be the one giving me these hellish visions in the first place, or I'm still hallucinating! It's not like I'm being coerced by a random voice that only I can see and speak to in my mind at the moment.

Cian didn't take the sarcasm lightly; loose dust and other debris floated up from the floor as it looked Tang in the eyes. ‘I can easily let you keep living your days alone and paranoid, plagued by visions. I am trying to give you an escape and some way to fight back. And you're judging me this quickly? What would those so-called friends of yours think when they find you huddled in your trashed apartment, trapped within the confines of your mind and reliving the worst moments of your life over and over? You would become useless to them. They wouldn't give you a second glance before leaving you in your filth.’

Tang didn't grace Cian with an answer, keeping a white-knuckled grip on his pants.

Before either could break the new silence, Zach spoke ahead. “I'm going to take a small back road if that's okay. Be warned, it's a little bumpy as it's mainly gravel and dirt.”

Tang just gave a hum of affirmation, looking back out his window at the dimming sky and the trees now blocking his view as the car detoured to the back road.

Cian didn't speak again after that, disappearing from view. The dust dropped abruptly as it did so, letting Tang continue his car ride with some semblance of peace.

Previous | Next | Start