[BL] Guardians of Fate

Chapter 1: Demise

Adrien Lowell woke up in cold sweat.

Breathing heavily, he shook his head as he buried his face in his hands, trying to make sense of the empty feeling threatening to take over his body. This time, the dream's effects seemed to have amplified, and Ardyn was stumped over what he should do.

He closed his eyes and remembered the man's words, his soft yet sad voice echoing slightly.

["Come find me..."]

"Who the hell are you?" Ardyn mumbled aloud, his voice a strangled whisper. Once again, he was having the same headache that pounded at his brain, the same longing feeling that was ripping his heart out.

It was always the same frustrating sensation and it was driving him absolutely crazy.

Just what is going on with me? Why?

Just why...

However, the more he tried to think about it, the more his mind grew blank.

It was strange. Bit by bit, his thoughts turned empty as though his head was being wiped clean, leaving it an empty slate.

He couldn't remember the dream anymore.

Ardyn sighed heavily, the thought of it leaving a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He licked his dry, chapped lips and wiped the sweat from his forehead using the back of his hand.

It was always like this. Whenever he had a dream that left his heart racing like crazy, feeling like he had lost a part of himself somewhere in a world he couldn't reach, the memory of it was erased from his mind, leaving him no chance of recalling what really happened.

He just couldn't understand why he felt so lonely.

Blankly, his eyes swept across the room. The surroundings were dim, thanks to the thick curtains that covered the closed windows. He figured he should have bought light-colored curtains instead, but he didn't like the sunlight streaming through his room when he woke up, so he just put blinds on the windows and dark curtains to keep the sun out completely.

For him, the darkness was calming.

What time is it? Ardyn wondered absently. Still groggy from sleep, he shook his head once more, trying to regain his clarity. Stifling a yawn, he reached for the lamp on his nightstand, switched it on, and peeked at the alarm clock.

7:21 AM.

His eyes fluttered wide open in an instant.

"Shit! I'm late!" he exclaimed in shock, hastily throwing away the blankets from his body.

The lingering feelings from the dream instantly forgotten, Ardyn made a run for the bathroom, hoping that he could somehow make it in time for his college graduation.

"Why the hell didn't the alarm go off?!"

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"Where are you? Ardyn? Are you there? Are you listening to me?"

Ardyn groaned as he shifted impatiently in his seat, glancing nervously for the hundredth time at the flock of suspended cars in the surroundings. "Calm down, Mom," he whined. "I'm in the middle of a huge traffic jam right now—"

"What?!" Ardyn had to lean away from his phone to save his poor eardrums from his mother's startled screech. "You idiot son! Do you know what time it is right now? Your graduation ceremony is going to start in less than five minutes! Your professor has been looking for you nonstop! If you don't get here right now, you might not be able to get in—"