Chapter Text
They said it was a waste how he turned out this way- how his beautifully sculpted face never let out a smile and his golden eyes never shined as brightly as they should. For someone with such an eye-pleasing face, a body that many people would envy and tattoos that drew people's curiosities, Mydei was never surrounded by a crowd. He was a loner. There were literally only four numbers saved in his contacts. One belonged to his mother, one belonged to his co-worker and best and only friend Hephaestion, one belonged to his annoying co-worker that he had hired who keeps complaining about the salary, and the last belonging to the fucking police department that is automatically saved to every fucking phone. Not a great social life, he knows, but he can't help it.
Ever since Mydei was young, he's never been great at connecting with people. The main reason was undoubtedly because of Eurypon, his unfortunately biological father. Apparently his father used to be a successful business man, creating a company unrivalled by any other however, just after Mydei was born, his company went bankrupt and his father went into a spiral of madness. The man began despising the world around him and blamed everyone but himself for his company's failure. He believed that there was no mistake in his ruling, but it was the betrayal of others that lead to his bankruptcy. He named his son 'Mydeimos' meaning 'terror'. Perhaps it was because he believed that Mydei's birth began the end of his prime, or because he wanted Mydei to become a powerful business man just like himself, but even better- undefeatable to the enemies all around them with only his own strength to rely on to force the others to give him the unwavering loyalty that Eurypon doubted he had. However, his father didn't just teach him all the skills on how to become a businessman- no it would've been fine if that was the only thing he did, but Mydeimos could not forgive him for the cruel hands that he had laid on his own family.
Eurypon was an abusive man. He drank his days away to forget the sorrow that was tearing him apart on the inside, but that had led to tearing his family apart instead. His thoughts of violence were no longer suppressed, and his harsh words were no longer the only thing digging into the flesh of son Mydeimos and wife Gorgo. Gorgo however, had always been a tough woman. Her mind was extremely sharp and her strength was even stronger than Eurypon's own. She had only held back from releasing her anger back onto Eurypon because she did not want her son to witness anymore broken holes in the family. One angry man in the house was enough, there was no need for there to be two. As long as he did not physically harm Mydei, she would not show her teeth in front of her son.
Gorgo was the complete opposite of Eurypon. She was not abusive, instead she was kind but strong. Her toughness and soft words led Mydei away from the man that he would've become under the influence of his father. She had painstakingly used up all her efforts to raise Mydei into a boy with heart, understanding from wrong to right unlike his own violent father, but she could not show him all the joys that life could offer or teach him the ways of expressing his heart onto his face. She did however, let out a laugh every time he tried to hide his thoughts and tell him that his eyes were brutally honest. The days of enjoying his mother's company and teachings of course, did not last forever. Nothing good ever lasts forever for Mydei who seemed to be born for nothing but pain.
There was a day where Gorgo could no longer take Eurypon's abuse. She had challenged Eurypon to a fight in hopes of making him stop his abuse towards his family, but it didn't go the way that she wanted. Mydei who had just arrived home, had witnessed a horrifying aftermath; a dead corpse laying on the ground, and standing above it: his mother. He was terrified at the sight, his whole body freezing up and going stiff, his eyes unmoving from the corpse of his tormentor even as his mother began walking closer before crouching down in front of him with her hands on his shoulders.
"Listen to me my sweet Mydeimos, I did this. I was the one who killed your father," she repeated softly to him as if she wanted to make sure that he heard it. "It was me ok Mydeimos? It'll be ok, I promise."
The sound of sirens were drawing closer from the outside- faster than when they'd arrive when Mydei had once called for help because of his father's abuse. They had arrested his mother for murder as soon as they arrived. She confessed to it without hesitation, walking away with an apologetic look in her eyes directed at Mydei who still stood frozen in trauma. He didn't know whether to feel conflicted at the murder, or disgusted at the police who had arrived so quick to take away his mother who was more of a victim than an evil soul. Eurypon was an abusive father and husband, but the public didn't care about what he was and only saw his mother as a killer. Thus, Mydei became the "murderer's son" in front of the public and in the eyes of his classmates.
Mydei became even more isolated at school. He was pointed at, made fun of, and even bullied in front of others who only watched but never interfered. Mydei never fought back. He just silently endured all the harassment towards him, feeling that if he were to show violence towards the others, he would turn into the shadow of his father. He was not an angry red man. He was not a violent attacker. He was not the 'terror' his father wanted him to be, but he was the son of a murderer, no matter how justified he thought his mother's actions were.
Through his lonely days in high school, he came across an online novel, 'The Deliverance of Dawn'. The protagonist, Phainon Khaslana, was a charismatic and righteous man who sought to bring peace back to the world corrupted by the appearance of the black tide that brought dangerous trials and monsters. He was a regressor that went through numerous cycles with the same goal in mind, standing firm on his aim to achieve an ending where the world no longer had to suffer. It was Phainon's personality that had Mydei drawn in. He was a selfless man, sacrificing his own needs and mental wellbeing to deliver the harmony that the world pleaded for. No matter how much he lost and what he went through, his heart stayed the same and he still stood strong- something that Mydei doubts he could do. Phainon was described to be a guy with the brightest smile alive, which was something that Mydei could not achieve, even though he has not suffered as much as Phainon who had experienced painful deaths and sorrowful goodbyes thousands of times. Mydei was honestly jealous. He felt astronomically weak compared to the sturdy Phainon who kept walking forward towards his goal, but undoubtedly, Mydei felt comfort in him- he felt comfort in pretending he as strong as Phainon.
"I am the deliverer of dawn," Mydei would sometimes repeat to himself quietly in a lonely corner. He wished he was someone strong, someone stable- someone needed but he was not the hero that people wanted or stable in anyway. Mydei was a ticking timebomb, waiting to explode at any moment with the barbaric blood in his veins. Sometimes he wondered if he had enough of this world, but the stubborn part that his mother had left him in his genes made him refuse such a way to escape from the terrors of life. Mydeimos was the terror that his father created, and the child of Gorgo, he shall not die a quiet death like his father, but must survive to become the complete opposite of what that man wanted. His mother had traded her life for his freedom after all, even if he felt that her life was wasted for him who did not know what to do with all the time he has left.
Before being sentenced to prison, Gorgo had left behind an inheritance for Mydei. She was from a wealthy family and wedded to Eurypon to extend her family's influence as Eurypon used to be a successful businessman, so the money that she had left behind was definitely enough for him to live a comfortable life for a while. She had kept this money a secret from Eurypon, knowing how greedy he was and how he'd leave not even a single scrap for his own flesh. Mydei wasn't only left with Gorgo's money however, as the only useful thing that Eurypon had ever done was bring some life insurance money to Mydei after his death. With the money from the life insurance and inheritance, Mydei was able to survive on his own as a teenager. He lived his life quietly in high school, never spending more than he needed. Then when he graduated, he bought a library for himself.
The library he bought was rundown when he first saw it. It was completely lifeless and cold unlike the cosy warmth that Mydei had transformed it into now. The previous owner didn't have much money to repair the broken library and sold it to Mydei who did his best to care for the old library. This was the path that he chose for himself, he chose to be a librarian, surrounded by the books that brought comfort to his life. He was now surrounded by the stories that saved him and made him feel even just a tiny bit of joy. At first, he was the only one working at the library, however soon after, Hephaestion came.
Hephaestion first came after Mydei needed another pair of hands as the library contained many books to look after and customers were coming in more and more as the library got renovated... and probably also partly due to the handsome librarian that owned it. Hephaestion was gentle and kind, he was very cheerful and completely the opposite of Mydei. Though they had many differences, Hephaestion became the change that Mydei needed. He dragged Mydei out on weekends and helped him feel more connected to society. Mydei, although was not good at expressing things with words, greatly appreciated Hephaestion's friendship.
Then came Mydei's second employee, not as kind and understanding as Hephaestion.... Skott. The man definitely knew how to bargain and deal with the online stores that their library got their books from however, his personality was not the best. Skott demanded a higher pay than Hephaestion very frequently, arguing that he was getting good deals for their library and always handled the bargaining which both Hephaestion and Mydei did not know how to do. Mydei at first, obliged since he did agree that Skott was indeed a good worker at his job, but Skott's demand for more and more bonuses slowly got out of hand. As time went on, Mydei decided to just ignore Skott when he went on his rants about his pay. Mydei could not take a guy who wore round sunglasses everywhere he went including when he was indoors seriously. Besides, Skott had not brought up quitting at all in the years that he's worked for Mydei, so he wasn't worried about that guy leaving at all.
"Tiring day isn't it, Mydeimos?" Hephaestion took a seat next to him on the crowded train. "Would've been much easier if Skott helped us in putting all the new books in. That guy never wants to do any physical work and just sits there on the computer. He's 'securing deals with the online bookstore' he says."
"Just let him be, it's not like he doesn't get us any good deals," Mydei replied with a tired huff. "If you have problems just say it directly to his face." Skott, was in fact, in the same train cabin as them however, he was sitting far from them in the back.
"I'd rather not," Hephaestion let out an awkward laugh, "if I bring it up to that guy he's just gonna start going off on how he's doing so much for us and stuff. None of his rants are fun."
Mydei just let out a small groan at the reminder of Skott's long rants before pulling out his phone. The Deliverance of Dawn updates the same day every week, and that day was in fact, today. However, today's update was especially special because today would be the last chapter. The web novel series that had kept Mydei up and alive for the past ten years was going to be over today. Although saddened that today would be the last of the story's updates, Mydei really appreciated the author's dedication. Though the novel was doing alright at first, the chapters began to drag on and on because of the countless cycles that Phainon would go through. Because of how repetitive it could be, most readers abandoned the story very early on and he, alone, became the only one to continue reading as the viewer count stayed at one for many chapters. But even though he was the only reader, the author still continued writing like there was no tomorrow. Every week, the author would update without break, and sometimes even multiple times a week as if knowing that their one and only reader, Mydei, might collapse without it. His phone suddenly vibrated, a message had been sent to him.
[DLS336: Thank you]
Isn't that... the author of The Deliverance of Dawn...? Why were they messaging him all of a sudden? Was it because of the comments he left? Maybe they always knew it was him who continued to read their story because of those comments.
[Thanks to you, I was able to finish writing TDOD. It was able to win a small writing contest and will now be paid content. Hurry! Check your email for a surprise thank you present!]
'... My email...?' Mydei furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, 'how did they get my email...?' Just then, his phone vibrated once again. When he opened up the new email sent to him, he was surprised to find the entire story of The Deliverance of Dawn sent straight to his email. This was... the thank you present? The author wanted him to be able to reread the story for free without needing to pay? This was indeed, the gift that he really needed.
"Are you reading that story of yours again Mydeimos?" Hephaestion looked over his screen before letting a sigh, "maybe it's time that I start it like you said. Let me see..." he took out his phone to search for the series, "it's... gone? Mydeimos, did the author give up and delete it?"
"Delete it...?" Mydei froze..... do authors delete their stories once it's paid content?
"Whoa- what's happening?!" a passenger shouted in panic. The lights of the train had turned off unexpectedly. Before anyone could sit still in confusion, the train began to move at an incredibly fast speed, the sound of the wheels scraping against the train tracks were loud and the screams of the passengers even louder.
"Careful!" Mydei extended his arm over Hephaestion's chest, using it as a makeshift seatbelt to keep Hephaestion from falling out his seat while Mydei held on tightly to a hand rail.
"Thanks!" Hephaestion shouted back over the loud noises. When the train finally came to a stop, everyone let out a sigh of relief and stood up to see what was going on.
"Hey... what's that?" someone spoke with disbelief. In the air at the front of the train cabin, a blue light sparkled through the air. What appeared next was a small blue creature with four legs however, it was not a cat or a dog as it had the tail of a fish and a pair of tiny wings. Mydei's heart dropped. He recognised that creature, it was a chimera.
'No way... how could this be real...?' Mydei's eyes widened in shock at the appearance of the chimera in front of him. Chimeras were not supposed to be real, they were supposed to be a myth- fictional even, but now there was one right in front of his eyes. The darkness of the train cabin.... the train that suddenly came to a stop... the appearance of a chimera... it was like fiction had merged with reality.
"#@$@%^^!" the chimera smiled and opened its mouth, "!#$%& &#^@ ^@@" .... no one understood a thing it said.
"What is it saying?"
"Is this a twisted reality or something...?"
No one knew what was going on, no one but Mydei. The appearance of a chimera marked the beginning of The Deliverance of Dawn. Phainon Kaslana was taking a train home one afternoon however, when 7pm hit, the train suddenly stopped and a chimera appeared, bringing the black tide along with it and trials for the enjoyment of the observers.
"Awoo! Testing! Can everyone hear me?" the chimera's words were now comprehensible. "Gosh the language patch was malfunctioning a little bit. Can everyone hear me now?"
"Hey! What are you doing? Are you filming a movie? I have to go to my audition," a man in the front crossed his arms with an annoyed look. If Mydei were that man, he would do anything BUT try to anger that chimera.
"An audition at this hour? Haha! I should've done more research, they told me I would have the most customers if I put up the paywall at 7pm," the chimera made a pondering face. "Ok everyone! I have an important announcement to make! Why don't you all take a seat and listen awoo!"
"Like hell am I listening!"
"You can't do this without our consent!"
"You can't stop the train! I have somewhere to be!"
"It sure is noisy here isn't it?" the chimera did not seem to appreciate everyone talking over it. "I told you... to be quiet!"
SPLATTER! The man who was annoyedly crossing his arms in the front fell onto the ground, blood pouring out his exploded head. Silence overtook the train cabin for a few seconds before screams began erupting from everyone. Mydei winced and closed his eyes... his worst fear had come true.
"We're not filming a movie," the chimera clarified, "this isn't a dream or a novel... and it certainly isn't the reality that you all are familiar with! Do you understand!?" the sound of multiple heads exploding continued as the chimera spoke. "All of you have had a cushy life this whole time haven't you? You were able to breathe, eat, excrete and reproduce without paying the costs awoo! You've all been living privileged lives! But it's all over now! Nothing in life is free, isn't that right?!"
"... Is it money that you want?" Skott approached the chimera. No matter how over Skott's ranting Mydei was, he hoped that his co-worker would be alright. "If it's money you need I'll give you all that you want! How much do you need? A million? Two million?"
"Awoo... so you're offering me money..." the chimera stared at Skott.
"Yes! So if you let me out of here I'll give you all that you want!" Skott nodded rapidly, scrambling to take out the credits from his bag.
"Money is good, it is an object that signifies the agreement between humans," the chimera flicked its tail and the money in Skott's hands were set on fire, "but it's only valid within the confines of your space-time. Those credits have no value in the macroscopic dimension. This is a warning, if you ever try another stunt like that, I'll blow your head off."
"A-augh..." Skott backed away from the chimera, terrified.
"Awoo... there is no time for chit chat, your debts are piling up as we speak. I won't bother trying to explain it to you. It's better for you to experience making money yourselves," the chimera flicked its tail again and glided through the air. "Channel #BI-3305 has opened. The observers are now making an entrance." Ding! A blue screen appeared in front of Mydei.
[THE BLACK TIDE'S MAIN TRIAL HAS ARRIVED]
[MAIN TRIAL #1- PROOF OF VALUE]
~ KILL ONE OR MORE LIVING ORGANISMS
CATEGORY: MAIN
DIFFICULTY: F
TIME LIMIT: 30 MINUTES
REWARD: 300 COINS
PENALTY FOR FAILURE: DEATH
"Well good luck everyone, I expect to see an interesting story awoo!" the chimera disappeared.
The truth filled Mydei with a sense of dread. Fiction has overlapped with reality.