Eyes of destiny

"What should I do?" the boy whispered, exhausted and confused, leaning against the cold wall of one of the buildings. His thoughts spiraled, while the world outside pulsed with life. Bystanders were drawn to his strange clothing, or at least that's what Edo assumed. He, with his black hair and unusual accessories, appeared different among the half-human creatures passing by. He had never been the center of attention, and now this feeling was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.

He had always tried to blend in, enjoying his anonymous life. For as long as he could remember, he preferred to stay away from crowds, liked knowing what was happening around him, and when no one was paying him any attention, he could easily stick to the routine that gave him a sense of safety.

"Why are they staring at me like that? Am I really that ugly? Maybe it's this jacket or the headphones around my neck?" he thought, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Removing the headphones that had always bothered him brought momentary relief. The metal part connecting the headphones always pressed uncomfortably against his head. He shoved them into his jacket pocket and moved in the direction indicated by the lizard.

He hoped to reach the outpost that dealt with travelers. However, doubts swirled in his mind. What good would a visit to such a place do? How was he supposed to find his way in this new world? Throughout his life, he had avoided confrontation and action, and now he was facing a completely new reality. He realized how comfortable his old life had been, where everything had its place.

"Before I get there, I need to think a few things through. I probably ended up in this world without a way back, or maybe I have to meet some condition I don't know about, or find a place I have no idea where to find. Great," he grumbled internally. Though he had some solace—he could communicate with the local beings. His conversation with the lizard had been in a language he knew, maybe slightly modified, but that was probably due to the lizard itself. The creatures and people passing him spoke a language he understood. Only the writing he encountered was completely different. Symbols he couldn't comprehend added to his frustration.

"I wonder what that's about? Maybe coming to this world automatically gave me a built-in translator?" he wondered, feeling increasingly lost.

The pain in his eyes was becoming more unbearable, reminding him every few moments. "Here we go again, chasing the light, like an idiot," he muttered under his breath, drawing even more attention from onlookers. He was slowly getting used to their stares, but every sight of a cat, lizard, or other humanoid creature sent shivers down his spine.

The pain, growing in his right eye, was becoming unbearable, and small hallucinations started appearing around him. Edo felt surrounded by words he knew, but their sheer volume overwhelmed him, making understanding impossible. He didn't know where these visions were coming from, but they were certainly not a feeling he wanted to experience right now.

"Damn it, what are these symbols? Why do I see them? The flood of these damn signs is going to blow my head apart," he thought, growing impatient. Finally, he left the crowded alley where he had been wandering since his arrival in this world. Where there were fewer people, the pain slightly eased.

Before his eyes stood a building that stood out from the others. It was wooden, medieval in style, and around it gathered a mass of strange figures in various outfits, nothing like what he had known before.

"This must be the building the lizard mentioned," he said to himself, observing the symbols above the door, painted in four colors: red, green, white, and blue. Each color had its own symbol, but their meaning was a mystery to him.

Hesitating, he opened the door. They were lighter than he had expected. As he stepped inside, he felt a dense atmosphere, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the diversity of creatures sitting inside. On the right side was a reception desk combined with a bar. People drank, traded, or played various games whose rules he didn't know. On the left, he saw tables where others ate or waited for orders.

"I see travelers' goods are in high demand," he thought, noticing the looks of disgust and bloodlust directed at him. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, he moved toward the reception to ask for a room.

Unexpectedly, before he could reach the bar, someone tripped him. He fell to the floor, the loud creaking of the wooden boards drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Look at this weakling! What's a weirdo with black hair doing here? Get out of here, filthy demon!" shouted one of the men, laughing at his own malice.

Edo looked back and saw the culprit. It was a tall, muscular man who had been sitting at a table with three companions just a moment before.

"We don't want you here. We don't need demons in this country," added another man, two heads shorter, probably the second of the group.

"We'll never forget the wrongs your kind did to us!" chimed in the third, who didn't even bother to get up. His obesity made it a wonder the chair he sat on hadn't broken.

The two men who had stood up were slowly approaching Edo, and the boy felt the tension rising. "What do they want from me? I didn't do anything to them, for God's sake, screw this," he thought, ready for the impending attack.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. It was the old man sitting at the table, the fourth companion of these thugs.

"Leave him be! Can't you see he's defenseless? What are you going to do to him, idiots? Dispense justice? You bunch of fools, that's not your job! Stop dwelling on ancient history. The war with the demons happened ages ago. Don't look for excuses and get back to work. I'm not counting these coins myself!"

The two men looked at the old man in fear, gulped, and then both replied in unison:

"Yes, boss!"

They returned to their tasks as if nothing had happened.

"What was that all about? Why do they think I'm a demon? Do I stand out that much? Maybe that's why everyone's been giving me those looks?" Deep in thought, the boy sat down on a large, raised chair, which turned out to be more difficult than he initially thought.

He noticed that everyone in this world was much taller than him. He had never been particularly tall, standing at just 170 cm. However, nearly every person or creature he encountered seemed to tower over him by at least ten or fifteen centimeters. It felt like he was surrounded by a forest of towering figures, which only intensified his feeling of alienation.

The room had only one free seat, next to a man playing with a strange, glowing bag, and a drunken old man loudly chuckling to his right. Suddenly, a deep voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What can I do for you, esteemed traveler?" asked a waiter, dressed in an elegant outfit whose complexity emphasized his tall stature.

"Can I get a room? Is there an option to get a room without payment, or for me to pay later?" the boy asked, addressing the receptionist, who also served as a bartender. Edo tried to appear as untroubled as possible, though it was clearly a challenge for him.

"Yes, our establishment offers one free night without any payment. However, you'll need to wait a bit, as the room will only be available in about twenty minutes. That's when one of our clients' contract ends. Please be patient. Perhaps you'd like a drink while you wait?" added the bartender, looking at the boy hopefully.

Edo, after a moment of hesitation, looked at the vendor. He didn't drink alcohol, and at the moment, he didn't have a single coin to his name.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," the boy replied, and the waiter, disappointed, returned to his duties.

"Okay, maybe it won't be so bad. I have a place to sleep, at least. But what next? I have nowhere to go, I don't know what to do, or how to find a job. I'm screwed," he thought, discouraged and pitying his own fate. But after a moment, trying to shake off the negative thoughts, he began to analyze his situation.

"Why are you complaining? Think positively. Yes, exactly – positive thinking! I could've died, but instead I ended up here. I'm going to live in a magical world, meet new people. Maybe I'll become a powerful warrior? Or maybe a mighty mage? Anything is possible! Why feel sorry for yourself? Everything will be fine. Oh, I almost forgot – I still have that can of cola I managed to buy before I got here! This could be the start of something big!"

The boy reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the can of cola. He looked at it for a moment, then sighed and said to himself:

"Well, maybe this is the only can of cola I'll ever find in this strange world. I should save it for a special occasion... But on the other hand, what's the harm? I'm not even a huge fan of cola, and I have to admit, I'm thirsty."

Without much hesitation, he opened the can, but at that moment, he remembered something important. He had just fallen to the floor, and the can he had just opened had been in his pocket the whole time, where it had endured several solid jolts. Before he could react, it was too late. The drink began to spray everywhere, and some spilled onto the nearby man with the bag, who was sitting to his left.

The startled man dropped the bag, and a mass of blue crystals spilled out. One by one, they began to fall to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Each falling crystal emitted a soft, crystalline sound that filled the entire room. The man's face turned red instantly, and his eyes flared with anger.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" he shouted, abruptly standing up from his chair and shoving the boy with force. The boy stumbled but managed to regain his balance at the last moment, landing on his feet.

"So much for positive thinking..." he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists. "Fuck this."

The man, even more furious, approached the boy and, with rage in his voice, yelled:

"Do you have any idea how much effort it took to gather those crystals?! You're going to pay dearly for this, you scoundrel!"

"Look, I know how it seems, but it was an accident, I really—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR VERSION OF EVENTS!!!" the man interrupted, still seething with anger. "Those crystals would have made me enough to survive! And now what? What the hell am I supposed to do?!"

At that moment, the tension in the room began to rise even further.

Due to the man's loud shouts, a crowd of onlookers quickly gathered around the quarrel. However, no one was eager to help. Everyone was well aware that a fight could break out any moment, and in such cases, no one wanted to get involved in someone else's problems. Instead, they observed the unfolding situation from a safe distance, keeping their eyes fixed on the man who had now pulled out a knife.

Before the fight could begin, the boy was suddenly struck by a sharp, stinging pain in his left eye. It felt as if someone had pierced his eyeball with a needle. However, it lasted only a fraction of a second before everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. The boy furrowed his brow, but there was no time to think about it. The man with the knife was looking at him with wild determination.

"I don't know you, and frankly, I don't give a damn. I don't care about my enemy's background or their excuses. All you need to know is that you're going to pay dearly," the man said coldly, slowly advancing toward him.

The boy tried to defend himself:

"Listen, man, I'm really sorry! I apologize, it was an accident, I didn't mean to do it!"

But Edo didn't realize that his apologies didn't matter because the man was already running toward him, knife poised to strike. The boy barely managed to dodge, jumping to the side, but at the same time, he slammed hard into the bar. Pain shot through his right arm. He had most likely broken a bone.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Edo screamed in terror, clutching his aching arm.

Only now did the full gravity of the situation hit him. This was no longer a mere argument; it was a fight for life and death with a random adventurer who had no intention of letting go. Thinking quickly, Edo realized that, in a way, the man had a right to be angry. He had ruined the goods that could have helped the man survive. It had been accidental, but that didn't change the fact that this man had lost everything because of a stupid mishap.

"Maybe the only thing I can do now is fight… Maybe all those years of training will finally come in handy?" the thought crossed his mind. Adrenaline started kicking in, numbing the pain in his arm. He felt that he had to be ready for what was coming.

The crowd watching the fight didn't seem concerned in the slightest. No one intended to intervene, even if someone might die. In this world—or perhaps just in places like this—such fights were treated like daily entertainment, something akin to a spectacle. Edo had the impression that, to them, he was just another victim in an endless series of such brawls.

"You're pretty agile, boy, but constantly dodging won't help you," the man taunted, preparing to attack again.

This time, he charged once more, making an identical rush as before. Edo barely had time to react, scoffing:

"You think I'll fall for that again?"

But just as he was about to dodge, the pain in his right arm became too intense. Paralyzed by the previous blow, he didn't manage to move away in time. The man slashed with the knife, striking him square in the stomach. The blade sank deep, and Edo let out a muffled groan.

"Serves you right, brat. Be grateful I decided to kill you quickly," the man said coldly, pulling the knife from his body. Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and left the building as if nothing had happened.

Blood immediately began pouring from the wound, and the boy's face turned pale in an instant. He felt life slowly slipping from his body.

"Am I dying?" the thought crossed his mind. He knelt, then collapsed, as dark spots began appearing in front of his eyes. The people around him watched indifferently. No one tried to help. They likely figured his wound was too serious for any aid to make a difference. The pool of blood under him quickly expanded.

"Damn it, what did I do to deserve this? Why did this have to happen to me?!" he thought, feeling life drain away. "How many fools dream of getting transported to another world, starting a new life… And all I wanted was a normal life. To peacefully start a family, live without standing out from the crowd. To die among the people I love. What did I do to deserve this? Damn, I didn't want to be some warrior or mage. That was just a lie, an escape from this absurd reality... And now look at me. I'm about to die like a dog over a stupid can of cola. What a shitty world. Why…?"

The boy closed his eyes, completely drained. A few seconds later, he was no longer among the living. Silence surrounded him.