LightReader

Chapter 15 - Mental Health Compromised

Ah right... I still need to register as a hunter at the Hunter's Hall.

Should I start now?… I guess I'll need to get stronger first if I want better commissions.

I sighed, continuing my walk. My eyes drifted to the clock tower on my right, studying the arms. The smaller one pointed at six, the larger close to eleven. 6:35, huh?… Guess I'm getting late for the carnival show. I did say I'd think about it.

The Hunter's Hall can wait for future me.

"HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

I stepped aside as a two-wheeled carriage, led by four horses, barreled past. The driver stuck a finger at me.

"LOOK AROUND NEXT TIME, PRETTY BOY!" he yelled before rattling off.

Rude… though I guess I was blocking the road.

Scoffing, I kept walking, eyes on the stalls I passed.

"GET YOUR FRUITS! FRESH FRUITS! ONLY FIFTEEN COPPER QUARTERS EACH!"

"BUY OUR SPICES! BRING FLAVORS BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION!"

"LIMITED NEW FOOD! TRY IT BEFORE IT'S GONE!"

The same vendors as always. Loud. Always loud. Too loud—LOUD—

No! Stop. Get yourself together, Vincent.

I slapped my own cheek.

"They're just making a living… No need to get angry. Angry…" I muttered, brushing past a stranger who gave me a strange look for talking to myself.

I glared at him, then shook my head, forcing my thoughts straight. Damn it…

Still not over that. Not over the hallucination either.

Wait—huh?

A flicker of two corpses crossed my vision. Not vague—detailed. Too vivid to ignore. Whose memory was that? Cassian's? No… it can't be. Then whose? Mine?

A sharp stab of pain ripped through my head. Like my brain was frying alive.

The agony shot down my nerves, burning every inch of me, stabbing me again and again.

Then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished.

My body trembled. I barely kept a shout from escaping. Sweat poured down my face, chest heaving—slow rise, fast fall. The pain rooted me to the street.

"What… what was that?…" I whispered, shaking. My legs refused to move until I forced them to.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I muttered, "What was that pain? That god-awful pain?…"

A few people stared. To them, I probably just looked sick, maybe feverish.

"I… what was I trying to remember? No, not remember—what did I see?…" I asked myself, waiting, almost hoping for an answer. Nothing came.

The circus tent appeared ahead, the clown from earlier slipping inside. A long line of eager customers stretched toward the entrance.

My breathing slowed. Stabilized.

A long line. Really? People willing to wait hours for some performance?… Pathetic.

What an awful day. What did I do to deserve this?

I walked past the circus, dismissing it as a waste of time.

My head throbbed. The aftershock of that sharp pain hadn't left.

Slow, steady steps. My eyes avoided strangers rushing past, weaving through the crowd without thought.

The house was finally in sight.

My breathing turned heavy, ragged. My hand gripped my head.

Vision dulled. For a moment, the street blurred into haze.

Ringing noises swallowed every sound, repeating, echoing, stabbing at my ears.

"What's… happening?…" I muttered, digging into my pocket for my keys.

My hands fumbled, clumsy. Wrong key after wrong key until finally—click. The door unlocked.

The pain spiked. My pupils quivered. Sweat drenched me.

My skin burned, like I was submerged in water just shy of boiling.

I stumbled inside, slammed the door shut, and forced the lock. My hands slipped. The key fell to the floor with a faint clatter.

"Ha… what's… w-what's… happening…"

My knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor.

The sharp pain dulled, but heat swallowed it. My body burned alive. My jaw clenched until my teeth ground against each other.

My vision blurred. Control slipped away. Limbs heavy. Strength gone.

What the fuck is happening?…

The last thing I saw before the world drowned was darkness swallowing me whole.

---

-End of Chapter-

---

More Chapters