A young man with an exhausted face was sitting at the desk. His hands were on the mouse, his fingers scrolling relentlessly. He was so lost in numbers and graphs that the coffee beside him had gone cold. A thin layer had formed on top. And it would have remained that way
If a thick pile of papers had not slammed onto his desk.
Bang.
"Ethan. Your report is trash. Fix it. Now."
No sooner had the words landed on him, Ethan's nerves tightened. His fist clenched, not to strike, but rather as a way to control his rage from exploding.
"Boss, if my memory serves me well, it's the tenth revision? Just set it aside for now, I don't even know how many times I've read through it."
Ethan stood, pushing back his chair.
Then, pointing at his screen, he continued, "It's the eleventh… and I will do it. Only this last time. After this… I'm done. No more revisions."
His boss, who was wearing a black suit, smiled. Pure and harmless.
"See, the thing is, you have to do it until I'm not satisfied with the outcome. Did you get it? Well…"
He paused, the smile on his face growing wider and wider as he added, "Leaving is also an option."
The clicks and clatter fell silent. The previously lively office had now become dull, as if its soul had been stripped away.
Now, all eyes were fixed on Ethan. After all, where else would one get to watch such drama every day, especially in this boring office premises.
Meanwhile, Ethan, whose endurance had been tested brutally before, had now finally broken. He reached out to grab his boss by the collar, letting go of all control.
"You bastard, Peter!" Ethan snapped. "You think I don't know your pretense? To hell with your report and your job. Take this fucking job of yours and give it to that woman. We all know how she pleases you under the table."
The sudden attack left Peter dumbfounded. His jaw worked, but no words came out. What came out instead was sweat from his face.
For a moment, he was frozen in his place before he finally called out.
"Security… security."
It did not take long before two sturdy guards hurried inside. The blue uniform barely contained their massive frames. The batons in their hands no longer seemed like weapons compared to their own hands.
One stepped in, pulling Ethan back and removing his grip, while the other helped Peter sit on a nearby chair.
Peter's face was red. His breath hitched, gasping for air. Even his tongue hung out of his mouth, asking for water. As he scanned around, a glass of water was placed on the table. With no time to think, his hands moved.
"No, boss!"
One of the employees shouted to stop him.
Too late.
The glass lifted, and in the next second it slipped, breaking and scattering its remains all over the floor.
"Darn it! Who's this? Who the hell had placed the hot water here?" Peter growled, yet no reply came.
Even the employee who had warned him before pretended to look around, as if he was also unaware of the deed.
At that moment, Peter's gaze was drawn to Ethan. The latter was smiling, clearly happy about his misfortune.
"Get this wretch out of my building. Quickly. And make sure not a single hair of his remains in this office," Peter ordered, enraged. Without wasting another second, he headed to his cabin.
The guards nodded and moved at once. Soon, they dumped all his belongings into a dustbin, as they took it outside along with Ethan.
Thud.
Hardly had the lift in the parking opened when the guards thrashed him down onto the ground. It was not over. They brutally emptied all the garbage onto his face.
Hopefully, there were no sharp things. Otherwise, his poorly featured face might have been compromised even more.
Ethan gulped this humiliation down. He wanted to fight. But there was no way he could do it with his thin stature.
Silently, he picked up a few of his belongings—only a pen and his phone—while everything else was just paper and more paper.
"I swear, I'll pay you everything back a hundredfold," Ethan vowed.
However, the next moment he grimaced as he saw the balance on his phone.
"Only $216. Fuck you, Peter," he cursed as he realized that in two more days he would have had received his salary. But now, not a chance.
Frustrated, he walked on.
A taxi was not an option. His meagre savings could not afford to part with that much. He had to make a living with this amount, not sure for how long.
"Two years. And I saved this much."
Though Ethan decided not to use money for commuting, a drink was a must. If he didn't, then how could he vent his anger?
There was a store ahead on his way home. But he couldn't wait; he wanted to drown himself quickly.
So, he took a detour.
A nearby 24/7 was around one kilometer away, situated behind a construction site.
After arriving at the store, he went straight to the beverages section. He chose very cheap, low-alcohol beer cans. It was not only to save some money, but simply to have enough so that the whole day would pass and sleep would take over afterward.
"Should I take some chip packets?" Ethan thought, as his gaze fell on the shelf a hand's length away.
"Let's round it off to $20."
Picking up some spicy ones, Ethan rushed to the billing counter. It was already afternoon. He had yet to reach home.
"Cash or online?" the female cashier asked.
In response, Ethan scanned the code and settled the amount. His phone buzzed with a notification. The remaining balance made him frown.
"Never mind. Good days will come," he consoled himself as he walked out of the store.
With three six-pack canned beers and chips in a carry bag, he was on his way back.
Matt's shift should have ended by now?
Passing by the construction site, Ethan thought of his friend. Since he was raised in orphanage, the friendships he had with others were all from minor families and office colleagues. And Matt was his closest friend, also working at this nearby site of the 24/7 store.
However, as he arrived at the location, his pupils constricted.
There was no one. Cranes, cement mixers, stacked steel rods, and a parked excavator were left behind, as if the project had been abandoned.
"Weird?"
Ethan took out his phone, but the battery had run out.
"…No, something isn't right." His grip tightened as he decided to leave.
But before he could act, a dark, hollow crack appeared behind him. The space around it vanished instantly as faint red wisps began to emit from its center, widening the crack.
"Dimensional Rift..."