Chapter 2: The First Payment
The rain was coming down in sheets now, cold and sharp against my skin. But for some reason, I didn't feel like shivering. The rusted phone in my hand was humming, sending a strange, warm vibration through my arm and straight into my chest. It was a feeling of safety—something I hadn't felt since my father was healthy.
Standing across from me was the man in the pinstripe suit. Mammon. Even in this dark, dirty junk yard, he looked like he belonged on a gold throne. But his smile was gone. His golden eyes, which had no pupils, were fixed on the glowing blue whip in my hand.
"That weapon..." Mammon whispered, his voice shaking for the first time. "That is the Whip of Eternity. It belongs to the Agency. How can a filthy scavenger like you be holding it?"
I didn't answer him. My heart was thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird, but I wasn't going to show him my fear. I thought about the twelve dollars in my pocket. I thought about the hungry nights and the way the rich people in Manhattan looked through me like I was made of glass.
"I told you," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "I'm the one who's here to collect your debt. 500 years of Human Luck. Give it back."
Mammon's face twisted into a mask of pure rage. "You want my gold? You want my power? Then you can die for it!"
He snapped his fingers, and the two shadow-dogs lunged. They weren't animals anymore; they were blurs of black smoke and green fire. The first one jumped toward my throat. I didn't think—I just moved. It was like the phone was guiding my muscles. I rolled to the left, feeling the cold breath of the shadow-creature pass just an inch from my ear.
As I came up, I swung the blue whip. Crack!
The sound was like a thunderclap echoing through the metal scrap yard. The sapphire light of the whip sliced through the shadow-dog's chest. The creature didn't bleed. It simply dissolved into a cloud of blue sparks that the rain washed away instantly.
"One down," I muttered, gasping for air.
The second dog was smarter. It circled me, growling a sound that felt like metal grinding against bone. I could feel my muscles burning. I wasn't an athlete; I was a kid who skipped meals to pay bills. My body was reaching its limit.
[WARNING: USER STAMINA LOW.]
[ACTIVATING TEMPORARY BOOST: THE COLLECTOR'S ADRENALINE.]
Suddenly, a jolt of energy hit my legs. Everything around me seemed to move in slow motion. When the second dog jumped, I saw every detail—the green fire in its eyes, the smoke trailing from its claws. I stepped under its leap and lashed the whip upward. The blue light coiled around the dog's neck like a snake and squeezed.
With a final yelp, the second creature vanished.
Now, it was just me and the God. Mammon's suit was wet from the rain, and he looked smaller now. He tried to raise his hand, golden energy swirling around his fingers, but the blue whip was already glowing brighter.
"Don't," I warned. "The phone says your debt is overdue. If you fight me, I don't just take your luck. I take your soul."
Mammon froze. The gold in his eyes flickered. He knew I wasn't lying. The "Agency" that owned this phone was something even Gods feared. He slowly lowered his hands, his shoulders slumping.
"Fine," he hissed, his voice full of hate. "Take it. But know this, boy—the other Gods will not be as easy as I am. They will hunt you. They will tear this city apart to find you."
"I'll be waiting," I said.
I pointed the screen of the broken phone at him. A message appeared: [START COLLECTION?] I tapped 'YES'.
Suddenly, a beam of golden light shot out of Mammon's chest. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The light was thick, swirling with images of happy families, successful businesses, and winning lottery tickets—all the "Luck" he had stolen from humans over the centuries.
The light poured into the cracks of my phone. The phone grew hot, almost burning my hand, as the percentage bar on the screen climbed.
[COLLECTION: 20%... 50%... 90%... 100% COMPLETE.]
When the light stopped, Mammon fell to his knees. He looked like he had aged fifty years in a single second. His hair was gray, his skin was wrinkled, and his eyes were now a dull, tired brown. He was no longer a God. He was just a pathetic old man in a wet suit.
[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: FIRST COLLECTION SUCCESSFUL.]
[CALCULATING REWARDS...]
The phone vibrated violently. My bank app opened on its own. I watched, my mouth hanging open, as the numbers started to change.
$12.00...
$500.00...
$5,000.00...
$25,000.00...
Final Balance: $50,000.00
I stared at the screen, a single tear mixing with the rain on my cheek. Fifty thousand dollars. For a guy like me, that was more money than I had ever seen in my life. I could pay off the hospital. I could buy a coat that didn't have holes in it. I could finally stop being afraid of the landlord.
"Thank you," I whispered, though I wasn't sure who I was thanking. Maybe my dad, wherever he was.
But the phone wasn't done.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: THE SCANT-HEART OF GOLD.]
(Effect: You can now sense where other hidden Gods are hiding within a 5-mile radius.)
[PHYSICAL REWARD: BODY RECONSTRUCTION LEVEL 1.]
A sudden, intense heat washed over me. I felt my bones snapping and resetting. The old scars on my back from when I used to carry heavy metal scrap started to fade. My muscles grew lean and hard. My vision, which was always a bit blurry in the dark, became sharp as a hawk's.
I looked down at my hands. They weren't the hands of a weak scavenger anymore. They were steady.
I looked at Mammon, who was shivering on the ground. "Where are the others?" I asked.
The old man laughed, a dry, hacking sound. "Everywhere, boy. The CEO of the biggest tech company? That's Ares, the God of War. The famous pop star everyone loves? That's Aphrodite. You've just declared war on the rulers of this world. Good luck... you're going to need it."
I didn't stay to hear more. I heard the sound of sirens in the distance. The police—or maybe someone worse—were coming. I grabbed my backpack, tucked the glowing phone into my pocket, and ran.
I didn't feel tired. I didn't feel hungry. I felt like I could run across the entire Atlantic Ocean.
As I reached the edge of the junk yard and looked at the glowing skyline of Manhattan, I knew one thing for sure. The Ethan who walked into this yard was dead. The Debt-Collector was born.
"The bill is due," I said to the wind. "And I'm coming to collect every cent."