Sunlight is streaming on the grass around the young man. His eyelids shake before they open, his green eyes narrow at the sight of the sun.
He pushes himself upwards and finds himself sitting on what seems to be a bench. He looks around him and rubs his eyes before letting out a yawn.
"Where am I?" he wondered.
A voice speaks in his head, and that voice is calm and soothing. "My majesty! I am glad that you're awake."
"Gale? What happened when I was sleeping?" Nicholas replied through his head.
"Nothing much but you need to find a place to live, my majesty," Gale replied.
"I'll just go back to the apartment where I am living with Juan." Nicholas stood.
The fresh warm air touches his skin, blowing his dark hair like a wave. Nicholas begins to walk, and he slides his hands in his pockets.
"I really wanted to know what changed during my disappearance," Nicholas said in his mind.
"My majesty, nothing really changes that much. The Philippines remains the same, and so as the structures, and tangled wires," Gale replied through their mental connection.
The walk of Nicholas comes to a stop after walking many miles, and crowds of people.
He looks up, seeing a tall hovering building whose walls are painted red. Nicholas steps closer to the wall and touches it. He felt the rough sensation of the wall rubbing against his palm.
"This feels old. I think I've missed this building after many months. I can clearly feel its cracks and rough texture." Nicholas lowered his hand away from the wall.
The door clashes against the small bell hanging on the ceiling. An old lady with white short hair, and brown eyes turns her attention towards him.
Nicholas looks at her. Before he opens his lips, the old lady nods. "It looks like you're new here."
His lip closes, and the almost forming smile on his lips turns into a thin line. Nicholas clears his throat and speaks, "I am a close friend of Nicholas and Juan. Do you know where he's living?"
The old lady pushes the door, and she looks at Nicholas. "Come. Let's talk about it with a cup of hot lemon and honey tea."
"My majesty, is she trustworthy?" Gale asked through his mental connection with Nicholas.
"Yes, she is. She's kind, and she was the one who gave me and Juan a one-month free rent," Nicholas smiled at the memory that appeared in his head.
The warm herb aroma of the tea fills his nose, and Nicholas holds the cup by its handle and sniffs it before drinking from it.
"You see," the old lady placed her cup on the tiny round plate, "Juan has moved on to Bulacan with his family."
"He got married?" Nicholas asked.
The old lady simply nods. "They are such a lovely couple. They look good together you know."
Nicholas is staring at his cup of tea; the same herbal tea that reflects his face. He shifts his eyes up at her. "What happened to Nicholas, may I know?"
The old lady just emptied her cup, and she replied with a calm expression. "Nicholas has disappeared for 1 year. Juan didn't stop finding him; he posted his pictures on the wall.
"He never gave up on Nicholas. Every day, he makes sure to go to the police station to see if they have found him."
Her eyes close, and she swallows the lump in her throat before wiping the tears from her eyes using a cloth on her lap.
"I'm sorry, I was just so sad that Juan wasn't able to find Nicholas. I just couldn't stop feeling emotional." She raised her hand with her cloth on it.
"I understand," Nicholas' eyes narrowed not from anger but from his sadness.
The time moves on swiftly, and Nicholas is standing with eyes fixating on a tall building. He inhales deeply and walks towards the door, and before pushing the door, he whispers, "I hope that I get accepted in this job."
Entering the establishment, multiple crowds of people, sounds of cheers, and several machines dispensing cash fill the atmosphere.
"This is a casino, huh? It looks like a wet market to me," Nicholas commented.
He continues to walk, and he talks to a guard. "I need help finding the interview for the janitor role."
The strict tall guard looks at Nicholas, and he points in a certain direction without speaking any words.
Nicholas looks at the guard and in the direction where he's pointing, and Nicholas nods. "Okay, thanks..."
He begins to stride while carrying the awkwardness of the interaction between him and the guard.
Nicholas is now sitting on a chair across from a man in a black and white suit. The man in the suit nods slowly as he reads every document placed in a folder.
"My majesty, how did you pass a document?" Gale spoke through their mental connection.
"I found a magician who accepts money for something like this," Nicholas smirked mischievously.
"I find your tone... malicious," Gale replied through their mental connection.
The man in the suit looks up at Nicholas, and he erases his smile as he looks straight with determined eyes.
"Since this is a job where we need janitors to clean the entire casino," the man extended his hand, "you're hired. You'll take on the schedule for the afternoon. You'll start working tomorrow, congratulations."
"Oh. So, my salary is weekly?" Nicholas asked.
"Yes."
Nicholas' eyes grow wide. "When will my time start working and what time will I get dismissed?"
The man in the suit replies calmly. "3:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Oh, here's your reward for being accepted."
He brings out a bring envelope from his suit, and lends it to Nicholas. He gently grabs the envelope, and peeks inside.
As he is walking towards the doors of the casino, amidst the crowd, a young woman with long dark hair, and purple eyes is staring at him.
Nicholas stops walking as his eyes widen, and every hair on his skin stands. He looks over his shoulder and sees nothing but the crowd of people surrounding each machine, and some who are walking.
"Did you feel that, Gale?" Nicholas asked through their mental connection.
"No, my majesty. But I can feel that you're shocked," Gale replied.
"That feeling, it's like, a heavy stone fell on my shoulders," Nicholas replied through their mental connection.
Later on, the door of a room opens. The same old lady from earlier walks inside the room with Nicholas walking behind her.
"Thank you, Esther, for accompanying me and giving me a discount on the rent." Nicholas looked around him.
The floor is made of cement, smoothly made. The ceiling is made of wood with a round ceiling light. There's a door leading to the dark restroom, and a few furniture that will help Nicholas in his needs.
"Just call me when you need something," the old lady walked towards the open door.
Nicholas looks at her and smiles. "Thank you, Esther, really."
Nicholas looks through the window beside him. There, he sees the sight of multiple tall buildings, and vehicles going on their different routes.
"This is my new life? I just want to sleep already, geez!" Nicholas lay his body on the mattress.