The first rays of dawn struggled to pierce through the curtains, revealing Roy's chaotic room, filled with scattered papers, brushes, and paints spread out like an explosion of thoughts. He lay across the table, his head resting on his hand, eyes half-closed. The clock showed that the lecture had already started. Suddenly, he jolted upright, eyes gleaming with panic:
– "Damn it… I'm late again."
He quickly threw on his jacket, ignoring his paint-stained shirt, and grabbed his bag carelessly, as if appearances meant nothing. Stepping out into the street, the cold morning light brushed against the faces of passersby, while he felt the heavy weight of the sleepless night pressing down on him.
He entered the classroom late, as if he didn't belong in this world. Students shot him mocking glances and chuckled quietly. He sat at the back, resting his head on the desk, surrendering to exhaustion. The professor paused mid-lesson, raised an eyebrow, and called out in surprise:
– "Roy… since you're awake… can you explain this passage?"
Roy lifted his head slowly, his eyes scanning the board without any apparent interest, then responded in a calm, precise, and deep voice:
– "The main idea lies in the interplay of elements, where each element influences the other indirectly… leading us to a deeper understanding of what lies beneath the text."
The room fell silent. The students' mouths dropped open in shock, and even the professor paused, stunned by such an accurate answer, delivered despite Roy's apparent lack of attention. Roy lowered his head back onto the desk as if nothing had happened, a faint smile playing on his lips unnoticed by anyone.
At the end of the lecture, Roy exited with slow, weary steps, when he was met by his classmate, Yura, a girl with dark hair and curious, lively eyes. She smiled teasingly:
– "You look exhausted… Did you spend the entire night on your usual work? What did you create after all that effort?"
Roy answered, his eyes glittering with shadows of the night and secrets:
– "I was painting what hides beneath the surface of this world… secrets that no one has ever seen."
Yura laughed softly, though a trace of worry lingered:
– "Delving too deeply into things can be dangerous… you might lose your sanity someday."
Roy gave a strange, cold smile, a mix of humor and mystery:
– "Sometimes madness gives birth to ideas never seen before… brilliant ideas come at a price."
Yura stared at him in astonishment:
– "Your ideas…? Are you talking about your paintings? Can I see them?"
He replied in a calm, confident tone:
– "Of course… but know that entering this place is like stepping into another world… a world not everyone returns from the same."
Yura followed him silently as he led her to his small studio on a narrow city street. The wooden door was old, the interior dim, filled with the scent of oils and paints. Roy opened the door slowly, as if unveiling a gateway to another world.
Yura stepped inside cautiously, her eyes widening at each painting she encountered. The walls were covered with enormous canvases—strange creatures, distorted faces, beings with simultaneously human and terrifying features, writhing in a dark space, their colors pulsating as if alive… Her heartbeat quickened, as if the room whispered things she couldn't comprehend.
She spoke in a trembling voice:
– "Ro… Roy… what are these creatures? They look… real."
Roy smiled broadly, his eyes glowing with a mysterious light:
– "These are not mere paintings… they are reflections of hidden worlds, worlds that ordinary eyes cannot see… they are what I see."
Yura stepped forward hesitantly, fingers trembling as she touched one of the canvases, then quickly pulled back:
– "I feel… like I'm looking at something alive… something that wants to speak to me!"
Roy laughed softly, a whisper-like sound:
– "Perhaps… or perhaps it's just a reflection of what lies within you. Everyone who sees these paintings sees something different… their own world."
Yura stood frozen, eyes locked on the details, her heart racing. She did not know if she was witnessing a genius artist… or a madman dwelling in hidden realms.
– "Ro… Roy… are you okay?"
– "I'm fine, but the world is not…" he said, his eyes wandering through the shadows, his smile widening.
He paused, then whispered:
– "Look… everything has a secret, and every secret has a story… and every story begins here."
Yura shivered, feeling something strange brushing against her mind… something that could change everything she thought she knew about the world.
End of Chapter One.