That morning, the sun rose brightly from the east. A clear sky and fresh morning air greeted the young man with short brown hair as he woke up.
Beep beep beep!
The sound of the alarm clock woke the young man. He sat casually on the edge of his bed, gently rubbing his tired eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse, but there was also a hint of indifference.
"Oh... It's already five o'clock."
The man stood up slowly, walked to his desk, grabbed a towel, a change of clothes, and briefly looked at the computer screen that had been on all night, before leaving it to go to the bathroom.
Clearly written there was a news article: "A mystery hidden in a verse of poetry. Is this one also one of their masterpieces? Can someone really solve it?!" It attracted fantastic attention, evident from the several million readers seen below the article's title.
In front of the computer screen, a piece of paper filled with abstract and unclear scribbles lay scattered, most likely the young man's scribbles the night before.
A moment later, the man emerged from the bathroom, his damp brown hair being dried with a small towel. His body was now neatly dressed, his trousers paired with a belt and a small chain as accessories, giving him a gothic touch.
With the phone pressed to his ear, he walked leisurely toward the kitchen, his facial expressions constantly changing from moment to moment. One moment he showed longing, the next he showed sadness, followed by a look of disappointment. Setting his bag on the dining table, he moved freely into the kitchen to cook.
A faint voice on the other end of the phone could be heard... "Nichie, when are you going to grow up? Just leave poetry or whatever it is."
Nichie wanted to argue. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and ultimately remained silent.
"Besides, Dad has offered you a promising job as a lawyer. Why are you still standing there? Are these poems going to give you a life of luxury and prosperity?"
Nichie didn't argue, but smiled wryly and continued making her sandwich... she prepared the bread and all the other ingredients.
"Yeah, sis, I hear you... Maybe next time. Oops, I have to go, the signal is bad. Bye, sis. I love you." Before her sister could respond to her escape, Nichie had already turned off the phone.
Preparing the sandwich didn't take long. She quickly stuffed the sandwich box into her bag. Then she walked out, locking the door to the empty house... Leaving him with light footsteps behind her.
Nichie didn't feel like she cared much about family or relatives. She was just the youngest child left alone in a big, bustling city. Facing the world on his own terms.
Passing parks and tall buildings, she strolled leisurely several times, also casually navigating obstacles in the middle of the street, demonstrating her familiarity with the fluidity of maneuvering through obstacles using parkour moves.
Shortly after, Nichie arrived in the city center. Although it was still early morning, the hustle and bustle of the city was still very dense, and the surrounding buildings were already buzzing with life. She moved at a relaxed but hurried pace. Dusting the dust off her body, Nichie walked, ignoring the stares of the people around her.
She entered a small cafe at the end of the street. With the tinkling of the bell, she walked freely past every obstacle, consisting of tables and chairs, and sat at a table near the window, where several people were seated. Three people were seated around a table of food and drinks that appeared to be halfway through their meal.
"Nichie... why did it take you so long to get here?" A man with messy, shoulder-length black hair to her right asked, slightly displeased, but a smile still tugging at his lips.
"Normally, it only takes you 10 minutes to get here, right?" the man across from her chimed in. He had paler skin and thick eye bags under his equally tired eyes.
Nichie sat quietly, sighing, then echoed her friends' comments. "Actually, nothing major happened, but... let's say, some people who disagree with my decision to live here alone are now starting to tell me what to do... even if it's against my will."
"Pheew," another whistling sound came from the only person who had been silent the entire time. It was a young girl with quite unique eyes, as she had heterochromia, with both green and blue.
"Oh come on, Sel, is that the only response you're going to give your friend? I'm starting to feel like you don't really consider me a friend," Nichie responded to Selena's cold whistle with a light sarcasm.
The two friends chuckled lightly, but soon everyone went silent, going about their own business. Kevin, with his messy hair, finally spoke up. "What do you think of this poetry puzzle?" he turned to Edgar, who was sitting across from him.
A pale Edgar glanced around for a moment before finally taking out his book. "From what I understand, this puzzle isn't structured; it focuses more on wordplay and the implied meaning."
Kevin nodded, "This one seems different from the ones from a while ago. What do you think, Selena? Did you find anything strange?"
Selena just looked at Nichie and said weakly "I doubt he offered anything as a gift like we did in the past."
Nichie, who was eating his sandwich, clearly didn't expect that answer to come out of Selena's mouth
Nichie put down her sandwich and retorted, "Of course I prepared it. Why wouldn't I? If you guys prepared it in the past, too?"
Selena and the others chuckled lightly at this joke. Kevin then chimed in.
"Okay, okay, of course, Nichie, we won't tarnish or even tarnish the Phantom Poet's name." Kevin ate his cheesecake slowly before continuing.
"So, what have you prepared this time?" Kevin looked at Nichie, who smirked in response.
"1 million..." Kevin raised his eyebrows and said disapprovingly, "Rupiah? Isn't that too little?"
Nichie simply chuckled before adding, "...Dollars."
When Edgar and Selena heard this, they were shocked. Selena almost spat out her drink. Edgar asked, "Now, isn't that too much?"
Nichie just laughed and replied, "It's okay, this is what I get from the public's enthusiasm, and who knows, maybe someone will actually become one of us." Finishing her sandwich, she continued, "Just like you guys used to."
They all ended up just spending time together laughing and joking around, just like a normal circle of friends.
Unbeknownst to her, evening finally arrived. Edgar and Kevin had long since left since they still had their own affairs to attend to. Nichie and Selena, who were left behind, also looked like they were about to leave soon.
Selena, standing in front of the shop with her back to Nichie, asked casually, "Hey Nichie... do you think someone will actually accept our invitation? Even though it's been years since we formed, the fact is, there are only eight of us, right?"
"You just have to believe that there will be others sooner or later, trust me." Nichie waved goodbye to Selena with a wave and a warm smile, which the other party returned with a small wave and a smile Nichie would never see.
Afterwards, Nichie re-entered the cafe building and sat down to pack her belongings. Suddenly, she felt a violent jolt and the sound of screams everywhere before finally, she could see nothing but emptiness and darkness.