Deep was standing behind the counter, one hand on his cheek, lazily supporting his head. With the other, he scrolled through the feed of a popular short video app. He was eighteen years old and had been working in this antique shop for five years. Naturally, if asked, he would claim he had only worked there for two. Laws and regulations forbade child labor, after all.
At the moment, the shop was empty. From time to time, he raised his head to watch a passerby glance through the vitrine into the store. Bustling Figgs Street was visible beyond the glass, making him marvel all over again at the fact that the business kept afloat. As a rule, the monthly customer count never exceeded fifteen.
How does that guy even make money? Deep often wondered.
"That guy" was the shop owner, a man of undecipherable age named Velis Pit. He was quite handsome, sporting lengthy auburn hair and a beard, though he looked mostly unkempt. Velis only showed up two or three times a week to check sales and do inventory.
The shop's clients were an equally eccentric bunch, paying with random trinkets rather than paper money—trinkets that rarely looked particularly valuable to Deep's eyes. Given the nature of these transactions, it was a miracle Velis managed to cover his wages at the end of every month.
Still, Deep didn't care, so long as he could pay his utility bills and the rent for his small apartment just five minutes away. Aside from the general weirdness, it was a cool gig, if slightly boring.
Still, it beat begging on the street for a pittance.
The somber thought came out of nowhere. Deep's eyes glazed over as he reminisced about his life before meeting Velis at thirteen, back when he had been a mere street rat.
The door's bell rang, pulling him from his musings. He placed his phone on the counter and greeted the customer with his usual absent expression. The woman who had just entered turned toward him at the dry sound.
"Hello, I am here for..." She paused, reached into the back pocket of her jeans, and pulled out a card. Glancing at it briefly, she continued, "Mr. Velis Pit?"
"He's not here right now. I'm the shopkeeper. How can I help you?" Deep answered mechanically.
"Well, I came here on someone's behalf to pick up an ancient deck of cards."
"Ah. One minute, please." Remembering the arrangement, Deep headed through the back door into the dusty storage room. Climbing a ladder, he retrieved an antique case from a high shelf. Who knew how long it had been sitting there?
He casually blew across the surface, raising a small cloud of dust to reveal an intricate pattern of unrecognizable creatures. The case was slightly smaller than his palm and felt impossibly light, despite material that suggested it should weigh much more.
Deep shrugged; it wasn't the first time he'd seen bizarre things around here.
Stepping back out, he found the woman seated casually on a couch, engrossed in a book pulled from the shop's numerous shelves. It had to be said that despite his unkempt personal style, Velis had masterfully decorated the interior. With beautiful wooden chairs, long desks, and a cozy living area lined with fluffy couches, the shop radiated an old yet welcoming vibe.
Deep waited quietly to the side so as not to interrupt. After a few minutes, the woman looked up and started, blinking in surprise at his silent presence.
"Oh, I apologi—" she began.
"No worries. Here's what you were looking for."
He handed her the case. The moment her fingers brushed the object, she fell completely silent, her eyes locked onto it. She closed her eyes, tracing the carved patterns on the lid with a gentle touch.
Weirdos, Deep muttered inwardly. Every client acted as though they had just struck gold.
He coughed politely to break the spell. The young lady snapped back to reality with an awkward smile.
"Here you go." She stood up and handed him a crystal. If forced to describe its color, he would call it crimson, though that felt inadequate for the viscous liquid swirling inside with every slight shift.
"Transaction completed. Thank you for your patronage," Deep said after inspecting the stone. Smiling, the woman excused herself and hurried out the door. Deep picked up the book she had left behind and returned it to its proper shelf.
He was about to toss the crystal into a storage box when his phone chimed.
"Just on time," he muttered, answering the call.
"Deep, how are you doing?" Velis's voice sounded slightly strained on the other end.
"Fine. The client sent someone and picked up the card deck," Deep reported, ignoring the muffled background noise. He knew asking questions was pointless; Velis was a deeply private and mysterious individual.
"Good. You can close up shop. I don't think there will be any more clients today," Velis said before abruptly hanging up. He wasn't one for idle chat—which suited Deep just fine.
Deep shrugged and slipped the crystal into his pocket alongside his phone, completely forgetting to put it away in storage. Pleased to be heading home early and feeling the first pangs of hunger since morning, he locked up the store.
Stepping out onto the street, he noted that dusk had already settled. He decided to stop by the coffee shop at the end of the block for some snacks. Slips of pedestrians hurried past him, returning from work or heading out for dinner, as he reached the small cafe.
It was packed, par for the course at this hour. Deep joined the long line, scrolling mindlessly through his socials while he waited.
He wasn't particularly extroverted, and his follower count reflected it, barely cracking a hundred. Most were fellow web novel addicts. Spotting a notification that the next volume of a favorite series had just dropped, his mood instantly lifted.
Thirty minutes later, it was finally his turn. He grabbed a few pastries and a tea-based drink, paid at the counter, and stepped back out into the night. Accelerating his pace, he navigated a series of quick turns.
When he slipped into the alley leading to his apartment building, it felt as though he had stepped out of the world entirely. All ambient noise vanished, and the city's lights seemed utterly absent.
Deep paused in surprise. This wasn't his first time taking this shortcut, but it was the first time he had witnessed such an unnatural stillness. Normally, the alley was well-lit and bustling enough.
As he stood pondering, heavy footsteps broke the silence. He looked up.
A man in a long cloak stood before him, a wide-brimmed hat casting shadows over half his face. He wielded a massive hunting knife.
"Give me the crystal, kid." The man's voice carried a deep bass that made the narrow brick walls vibrate.
"Who are you?" Deep tensed. Alarm bells shrieked in his mind.
"Not important. Give me the crystal."
The man took a step forward; Deep stepped back. But before he could draw breath, the man vanished from his sight.
Not good.
That was the only thought Deep managed before a punishing strike pierced his chest, plunging deep into his heart. He couldn't comprehend it. How could a human move that fast? The figure had crossed ten meters in the blink of an eye.
Just before unconsciousness claimed him, he caught a clear look at his assailant. The man was all skin and bone, resembling a skeleton wrapped in loose, sickly hide.
What manner of creature is that?
Deep collapsed to the pavement, blood soaking through his clothes to pool on the cold stone. Looking up at the dreadful figure looming over him, his vision faded entirely to black.