The Forsaken Destiny

The light dawned, and the sun began to rise as I opened my front door. I jumped, startled, my eyes dilating as I saw a man standing there, sword at his side.

"C-Covyn?" I stammered, my expression a mixture of surprise and alarm. "Do you need something else?"

His lip curled into a smile. "Remember the deal we made?"

The corner of my mouth involuntarily twitched. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

My expression remained blank. "Yeah, and I really need that five bucks."

This boy is insane, driving me crazy. What was he supposed to do with five bucks in this broken society? There were no goods here; only a sufficient amount of food, which still caused starvation.

I sighed. "If he escaped, do you think you could find him?" My question made him chuckle—for no reason. Was he losing his mind?

"Don't forget, I'm the legendary owner of the Blade of Shadows," he stated, swaggering. The legendary arrogance. "I'm good at finding anything." My eyes widened as he leaned his head close to mine.

He slowly pulled away. "What the fuck are you doing?" I asked firmly, glaring. "What would people think if they saw us, you little—" I gritted my teeth, which seemed to amuse him.

"This isn't funny!"

"So what? The deal's still on. If I catch that lunatic, give me the five bucks," he demanded, his index finger tracing the side of my face, patting my cheek.

I glared at him, but he ignored me, turning and walking away. I hated this so much. How could he do this? I hated having to deal with this arrogant guy, a thorn in my side. If he crossed the line, I swore I wouldn't think twice before slashing him.

I heard footsteps behind me, walking downstairs, until I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Did he hurt you? Did he demand anything from you?" Claudia asked, concern evident in her voice.

I clenched my fists, took a deep breath. "No, he didn't hurt me, but he did demand a favor."

"Let's get inside," Claudia said, taking me inside and closing the door behind us.

---

We talked about why Covyn Reeve had suddenly appeared. I told Claudia about the deal we'd made yesterday: if he caught the scientist, I'd give him five bucks. Five bucks? Seriously? I couldn't believe this was happening.

A knock at the door interrupted us. I went downstairs. Opening it, my mind went blank again, like a storm had ripped through my brain.

"What do you want?" My voice was flat.

He cleared his throat loudly. "Make that four hundred bucks. Five bucks is insulting." My eyes snapped open in frustration; I almost hadn't heard him.

"What?"

"If you want me to catch that jerk, you will—" He was making my blood boil.

"No, thanks. Mind your own business," I replied. His eyes widened.

He scoffed. "You're backing out of the deal?"

I nodded. "You're unbelievable. Don't even think about it, I'll cut you in half." His lips curled into a smile again.

"But I don't have four hundred bucks, mister!" I yelled, drawing the attention of people nearby.

I glanced at them, noticing their stares, but Covyn ignored them. His expression was unreadable. My gaze caught Neima in the distance, staring at us with a look that seemed… threatening. Jealous? Damn it. I don't like this obsessive boy, and what was she thinking? This boy is hopeless.

"Don't draw attention," he gritted, his eyes menacing.

"Only five bucks, I have."

"Fine," he said calmly. "Five bucks it is." He pointed at me, his expression a slap in the face about my poverty. I held onto that resentment.

I couldn't stand his childish behavior. How was he accepted as a "Warrior"? He was more arrogant and evil than any demon. He didn't eat human flesh, but he demanded good deeds—and probably thought he'd get rich. No one got rich in this broken society; everyone was struggling, and there was nothing we could do about it.

If he thought the money would let him escape, he was wrong. No one escaped this nightmare; everything he had would likely turn to dust.

— UNKNOWN PLACE—

Covyn dragged me to an unfamiliar place, my heart pounding as my instincts screamed danger. I yanked my hand away, then heard a crazy laugh echoing nearby.

"Why the hell did you bring me here?" I demanded, eyebrows furrowed.

He didn't answer, just smiled like a lunatic. "Covyn, answer me!" I slapped his arm, earning a glare.

"To watch me capture the scientist." My mind blanked. Realizing what he was doing, my heart skipped a beat. The world seemed to spin.

I blinked, regaining my balance. I watched him jump, run, and leap over a tree, sword raised, aiming for the mad scientist. He almost lost his footing, narrowly avoiding a strike from the scientist's invented electric gun.

I couldn't believe how crazy he was—risking his life for five bucks?! I wanted to laugh at him, at his obsession with money. Didn't he know that no amount of money could grant his wish to escape the worst nightmare imaginable, just like everyone else? In this broken-down society, just like everyone's dreams eight years ago turned to dust and were left like a blank canvas, his life and everything he'd dreamed of might end the same way. No one's permanent, and if he thought this mad genius scientist's disappearance would make his wildest dreams come true, well, he was probably mistaken. This scientist had nothing to do with it, but my instinct told me he might be the reason for this apocalypse.

Covyn jumped again, about to slash him. The scientist used his invention, twisting the button until the sky slowly darkened, the clouds grew gloomy, and a furious thunderclap ripped through the air. The scientist laughed evilly. I moved quickly, running toward him, picking up stones and throwing them. I kept running until I reached resembled like stage where he stood, fighting to reach him, to steal his spot, to turn off the button.

"You shouldn't do this!" I yelled, anger flaring in my chest, my head burning.

The scientist laughed like a devil. "If I didn't do this, I'd lose my hard-earned popularity," his voice deep, bragging about his achievements.

"Covyn, help me! You arrogant fool!" I shouted. His eyes finally landed on me; he circled his blade, pointing it at the scientist.

My eyes widened as I watched shadows lift the scientist. I scrambled to turn off the mad scientist's invention before the swirling wires and white, circular object were struck by lightning. I guessed that if that happened, it would create even more destruction in this broken-down society. The shadows, emanating from Covyn's blade, were slowly ripping his body apart, and I could barely watch.