What religion does God actually belong to?
Stepping out of the hospital, Lucas couldn't help but entertain that very question.
It was ridiculous, really, for Lucas, of all people, to be thinking about it.
Lucas had been an atheist all his life.
He'd grown up in a world where religion had pretty much lost its grip on society.
Sure, people who worshipped deities and believed in higher powers still existed—many of whom adapted their religious beliefs to fit the modern times—but they were shadows of their former selves.
It was a far cry from the Middle Ages when simply believing in a different god could get you burned at the stake.
But if gods were real—if they even actually existed, that is... which religion had gotten it right?
And, more importantly, how pissed would they be if he picked the wrong one?
While holy wars were a thing of the past, Lucas didn't want to make the mistake of messing up and worshipping the wrong God.
They already did prove that they were highly petty…
Lucas shook his head with a sigh. However, he'd have to worry about that later, as he had more pressing concerns right now.
Like getting the hell away from the hospital building before the creepy blond returned!
Arthur had insisted they attend the welcome ceremony together, but Lucas had absolutely no intention of suffering through that torment.
That was precisely why Lucas had kept his other problems to himself, such as the floating blue holograms that flickered in and out of his vision like persistent ghosts.
He even went as far as to hide them, not even mentioning them to the nurses.
Hallucinations weren't exactly something you wanted to report to the hospital staff.
If they found out that the silver-haired boy was having brain problems, there was no way they'd let him out.
As for the matter of the holograms themselves… Lucas decided to simply ignore them.
The day he started validating his delusions would be the day he'd be diagnosed as a schizophrenic.
'… Let's just skip the entire assembly and go to sleep. The last thing I want is to sit through a long, over-glorified sermon, especially one where that crazy woman… I mean… crazy rich woman is heading.'
The mere thought of Scarlett sent a shiver down his spine. That woman was utterly unhinged.
Who knew what borderline psychotic things Scarlett would do? That woman already proved how delusional she was.
Lucas felt a chill go down his spine just thinking about it.
Since he'd already decided not to help her with her student council presidency campaign, it was best to sever any and all connections they had as quickly as possible.
'Not just with her. I need to tell that blondie to take his friendship and shove it.'
Anyway… that was a matter for later.
Right now, Lucas needed to somehow find his way to his dorm room.
According to the nurses, his bags had already been delivered there while he was still unconscious, so all he needed to do was find his way to the dorm building.
Pulling out his phone, he typed the address into the maps app.
"I think this is where that nurse said?"
After waiting several moments for his phone to process the route pathway, Lucas was about to click the 'start navigation' button.
However... before he could do so, his eyes caught something in the corner of his screen.
[BATTERY LOW. PLEASE CHARGE.]
"…"
As if on cue, his screen flickered off.
Lucas stood there in stunned silence.
'…What the fuck?!'
Lucas barely managed to suppress the urge to chuck his phone into the nearest garbage can.
'Didn't that bastard say this was supposed to be 'top-of-the-line'?! Why the hell is the battery already dead? I haven't even used it for anything except playing music!'
Unfortunately, throwing a tantrum wouldn't bring his battery back to life. In fact, there wasn't anything Lucas could do to recharge his phone. After all, his charger was in his bag… which was in the dorm room he needed to find.
However, there was one positive aspect about his situation.
Moments before his phone shut off, Lucas managed to catch a glimpse of the dorm's approximate location on the phone screen.
All he needed to do was somehow find his way there.
'Should be easy enough, right?'
Brimming with confidence, Lucas took a right at the hospital parking lot…utterly unaware that he was walking in the exact wrong direction.
***
When Lucas was still on the train, it was in the dead of night, but now the midday sun was already shining brightly in the sky.
As he made his way down the white sidewalk, his eyes locked onto a massive white tower in the distance, its marble surface gleaming in the sunlight.
The towering structure stretched impossibly high as if trying to pierce the very heavens.
"The Tower of Babel…"
Unintentionally muttering under his breath, Lucas stared at the majestic structure with a mixture of awe and fear.
Lucas had only ever seen that tower once before in his life, but soon… It was going to be a common occurrence in his life.
Tearing his gaze away, he continued onward, sure he was heading the right way.
However, when he finally arrived at his supposed destination, he found himself staring at… an empty parking lot.
And beyond it, a decrepit, crumbling building.
Lucas blinked his eyes several times in disbelief.
'…Where the hell am I?'
He turned, searching for any sign of the elegant dormitory he was expecting. However, there was none. It was just an abandoned, decaying factory that looked like it belonged on the set for a low-budget horror movie.
No matter how low his intelligence was, Lucas was one hundred percent certain that that decrepit thing was not a student dorm.
Well… at least he knew how to get back.
Or so he thought.
As he tried to make his way back to the hospital, Lucas didn't know where, but somewhere along the way, Lucas must have taken another wrong turn because now, the familiar, bustling streets of campus were gone.
Instead, Lucas somehow found himself stranded in the middle of a slum.
The sickening realization drained all colour from his face.
'Am I… lost?'
His expression fell.
How did he get lost that easily? He was on a man-made island, for crying out loud!
How much space could there even be on a structure fixed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for Lucas to get lost the moment he stepped out of the hospital doors?
Even if Lucas didn't like interacting with people, much less strangers, at least on the main road, he had the option of asking a passerby for directions.
But here?
Lucas swallowed.
The gazes the people around Lucas were giving him… were most certainly not friendly.
In fact, if anything… they were dripping with greed and malice.
Nervously swallowing a lump in his throat, Lucas prepared to turn around and hightail it.
However, it was already too late.
Several of the people nearby stood up and moved to block Lucas's route of escape.
Trying to mask his fear, Lucas slowly opened his quivering mouth.
"U-um… g-guys? W-would it be p-possible for me to… y-you know… walk around? I-I have a s-school assembly to a-attend."
Despite having no intention of going earlier, Lucas immediately switched his tune.
A tall, skeletal man stepped forward, his ragged clothing hanging loosely from his frame. He grinned, revealing yellowed, broken teeth.
"Ah… don't worry, kid. We'll only take a moment of your time." His voice was sickly sweet, like rotting fruit. "Just hand over your money and valuables, and you can be on your way."
Lucas felt his stomach drop.
'Oh shit… I'm about to get mugged... again.'