Lucian took a deep breath, trying to finish his meal as quickly as possible. Eight minutes passed, and his meat and herbal tea were gone. He stood up, glanced briefly at the cashier before stepping out of the shop.
The bell above the door chimed softly as he pushed it open. But after only a few steps, a cold voice called out from behind him.
Reflexively, Lucian turned his head. In the doorway, Hana stood staring at him intently, her eyes cold, but there was something strange behind that gaze.
Lucian only glanced back briefly before turning away and continuing on his way. He didn't want to think about anything other than going home and resting.
A faint smile appeared on Hana's lips. She walked slowly, following from a distance.
Meanwhile, inside the shop, one of the waiters looked at the table where Hana was sitting with a frown. The girl's order was still intact, even though it had been paid for. The man who had served Lucian came out and looked at the street, which was starting to quiet down.
There was no one outside. Finally, he just sighed and threw the food in the bin....
Meanwhile, Lucian was uncomfortable with Hana's presence, as she always wanted to talk to him. He walked cautiously, glancing behind him, hoping Hana wasn't following him.
Suddenly, a wild idea popped into his head. He planned to walk straight ahead, hoping to make Hana lose track of him so she wouldn't follow him anymore. But whatever her real purpose was, the first time he met her, he felt as if his shoulders were being weighed down by something invisible.
Instinctively, he felt that he would be in danger if he stayed with her. Not long after thinking that, Lucian suddenly turned into a small alley on the left. This confused Hana, and she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Because Hana didn't want to lose track of him, she finally picked up her pace. But when she turned the corner, just as she had feared, Lucian had disappeared from her sight as if he had been swept away by the wind.
Her eyes widened, her heart pounding. She walked straight ahead, making sure Lucian was still around. Two minutes passed, and she gave up, finding no trace of Lucian's presence.
Meanwhile, from a distance, still on the same street, Lucian hid behind a house wall, watching Hana's movements. People passing by glanced at him with cynical looks, making him uncomfortable and embarrassed by his childish behaviour.
He sighed. He took another route home. He no longer cared if Hana was still following him. Suddenly, his head felt a little dizzy and his body felt like it was about to collapse.
"I'd better just go home. There's no point in dealing with her," said Lucian, taking off his hat.
The journey home was a little long, as he had to walk around for about five minutes. Finally, he arrived home, and Hana was no longer following him.
He tried to open the door, hoping his mother had returned from her trip. The sound of the hinges creaking could be heard, and the door opened as he had hoped. Lucian put his hat back on and entered the house.
"Mother... Are you home? Could it be that Isabelle came home first?" Lucian looked up, hearing the echo of his own voice.
His house seemed empty, with no answer heard after that. Lucian was a little suspicious, so he walked to his mother's room first.
The door was open. He saw no sign of his mother's return, not even the bag she often carried was on the table. Lucian felt something was strange, so he turned around and closed the door tightly.
He moved, this time stepping slowly. He climbed the stairs and stood in front of Isabelle's door.
Lucian turned the doorknob, and of course, the room was locked.
"Huh. Something's strange," Lucian said, trembling, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. "So who opened that door? That's really strange." He muttered, feeling that something had played a trick on him.
The front door opened with a loud bang. Lucian, who was upstairs, was startled and quickly turned around. But his vision suddenly blurred, yet he knew that two people had entered his house.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Lucian shouted, then decided to go downstairs to get a closer look.
Suddenly... In the middle of the stairs. His body was pulled by something, Lucian couldn't resist the pull, causing his body to slide towards the door and destroy it.
Fresh blood came out of his mouth, Lucian couldn't move after that. From behind, the two people walked towards him.
One of them held a gun and pointed it right at Lucian's head. Meanwhile, Lucian turned around, hearing clear footsteps.
And then, bang... The bullet split the air, piercing Lucian's skull.
"Ahhh..." Lucian screamed, blood smearing his face and eyes. His body suddenly became cold and empty, and he felt as if his body was enveloped by shadows.
After that...
"Sir... What exactly happened to you? Why are you screaming in this shop? The other customers are uncomfortable..." whispered the bearded shopkeeper, giving Lucian advice.
"What! Since when did I fall asleep here? Wasn't I just..." Lucian was confused, then he realised. "Huh, yeah. I was inside the house, and someone shot me in the head." Reflexively, Lucian grabbed his hat. He held his entire head to make sure.
Stunned, there was not a single bullet wound on his head. Lucian put his hat back on and said to the man standing in front of him.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to disturb you and the people in this shop." Lucian muttered with a worried look on his face, bowed his head and left the shop.
In his heart, something arose that could not be explained in words. He felt that the nightmare he had experienced was a reality.
"Hana Voltiane, yes. Who is that woman? And did she really talk to me?" Lucian thought to himself, still anxious about the nightmare.
His body suddenly staggered, and his head felt like it was about to explode. He decided to go home and sleep to recover. Since he first came to this world, he had felt something strange in his body.
He glanced around every corner of the street, hoping that nothing strange would happen to him. "Nothing strange, I'd better hurry home."
Lucian was shocked when he arrived in front of his house. His eyes widened as he saw the door of his house smashed to pieces, and on the ground he saw a pool of fresh blood.
"Huh." Shocked, he continued, "This isn't a dream, what actually happened?" Lucian was confused when he saw it, he sighed, trying to calm down. But his heart was pounding wildly, making him even more anxious.
His legs suddenly trembled, and Lucian swallowed reflexively. But he chose to enter his house. As he had expected, this world was terrifying, making Lucian determined to resolve the problem he was facing.