You can only feel time when you're relative to someone.

In simple words, you cannot feel the flow of time when you are alone. It's just like motion. You can't tell if you are moving or not if you don't have anything to compare your velocity with. 

For example, if a baby is born inside an eternally moving isolated vehicle, a vehicle that has all its windows and doors covered and shut. Then it's dark inside will become the whole world for him. And he will not know that his world is actually moving, nor will he have an idea of how much it has already moved, since he would have never seen the outside.

But this same thing can also happen in another situation. This time let's take a person instead of a baby for example. This time the condition is that if that person in example refuses to look outside. Here he doesn't have to be born inside a closed world. But this time he will become the one who'll cover them. Even though he knows that a world outside exists, he'll just have to ignore it. And to do that he would lie to himself, just because he hates it.

…and that will be the time when he'll lose his touch with reality!

"I'm gonna always be with you…!!"

"NOOO!!!!" Reada suddenly woke up screaming as he heard a girl's voice echoing in his head.

…

Earth,

7th April, 220 A.B,

07:30 AM,

Alvish's POV,

Since that day Reada never brought that topic up again, plus we didn't get to talk much either. So yes, he still hasn't taken me to that academy that he had told me about. It was because he had suddenly stopped coming to school after that day. Only later that I found out it was because I had stopped inviting him to school. No, it wasn't that he was missing me or something. Shin actually told me that he just often takes leaves without any proper reason. So, I again started inviting him, that way aunty forcefully sends him to school and it's kind of fun to see him do things unwillingly. But still he would just come to school and sleep during class. And whenever I try to talk to him about that lord, he just changes the topic.

During these days I also asked my parents for permission (they said they'll support me) and also tried to look for that academy by myself while getting to know more about this area. But I couldn't find it. I even tried to look for it via the internet but it was still hopeless. In the end it couldn't be helped since my only hope was acting like a shut in.

I guess it's because he had asked me for some time, and so I'm waiting for his respected time to finish. 

But You Know What?? THE WHOLE WEEK HAS PASSED AND I'M SICK OF WAITING NOW! It's Even Sunday Today! I Can't Wait Anymore!! So today, I'm gonna ask that basterd how much more time is he going to take. 

I rang the doorbell and a woman wearing an apron over her clothes opened the door. Yes, she's the same woma- no wait, lady more specifically, whom I should be calling aunty. But gosh! It's too hard, she just looks so young!!

"Oh, Alvish!" She said as she saw me after coming out, "How come you came??" 

As gorgeous and young looking as ever, she is standing in front of me. But this time she has a wooden spatula in her right hand, which she came out with, and her hair is in a bun too. Also she is wearing an apron so I guess she was cooking something.

"A- actually aunty, I'm looking for Reada."

"Oh…!" She acknowledged. "Hold on, let me call him for you." She said and turned around. But suddenly her eyes landed on the spatula that she was holding and she remembered what she was doing. She turned around again and said, "Sorry Alvish, I'm cooking so can you get him, yourself."

"It's fine aunty, I can. Also sorry, I didn't mean to bother you while you were busy."

"Oh, come on, Alvish, you don't have to be sorry. You are always welcome here." She said and then invited me in.

I went inside and then she told me to go upstairs and his room would be on the right. So I went as she had guided and I found a door without any name plate on it, in front of me. 

I knocked on the door, hoping for it to be his room. But unexpectedly it got pushed a little.

Huh? It wasn't locked?

I pushed it more and it fully opened, smoothly without making any noise.

The inside of the room was completely dark, but there was a silhouette that caught my eyes after some seconds. It was of someone sitting on a chair and blurry light was surrounding it, like there was a big source of light behind it. 

He should be Reada.

I went ahead and took a peak to confirm and it was him. 

But This Pervert!!

He was looking at some animated girls playing volleyball in their bikinis. Also they had oversized breasts that were jiggling around as they were playing and he was enjoyingly watching them jiggle while sitting like a foot away from the monitor on the table.

I Had Thought He Was Different But He Is Not So After All!!

"Just What Are You Doing? Livin' Here Like A Vampire!!" I shouted with my right hand in velocity, intending to smack his head from behind. But before it could hit him, he caught it in mid-air.

Huh? He knew I was here??

I was surprised that he had actually caught it, because I hadn't made much sound when I came in. Or even if I had then it should have been covered by the sound of the anime he was watching. 

So how did he know? Was it because I shouted? But still how did he know about my hand and that I was about to slap him?

"Today's Sunday, why are you even here?!" Suddenly Reada turned around after pausing his anime, and asked in a ruff and annoyed voice, like he wasn't happy at all for meeting me.

"Hun- A… it was aunty, she was busy. So, she told me to get to you by myself." I replied as I came back to sense after hearing his words. 

But then I realised that he was still very irritated and angry, even after hearing me and was holding my wrist. 

"Anyways, why is it so dark in here?' I suddenly said to change the topic and snapped my hand out of his grip.

I looked around and tried observing the room since it was my first time here. And It was dark, blinding dark, as I had said before. So dark that nothing was visible except the monitor and his face along with the table the monitor was on, which were reflecting the light coming from it. It was his study table I guess, which he believably never uses to study. But when I looked at it closely I noticed a thin ray of light coming from the left side, behind it. It wasn't from the monitor so I stretched my hand out to reach it and I felt my fingers pushing aside a thick fabric, and the window behind it caught my eyes.

It was actually the curtain covering the window.

I completely pushed it aside and saw my home in front of it. Not only that but I could also see the window of my room being straight in front of me because they are both on the same level, his and my room, first floor from the ground. 

My room's window faces East so this window should be facing West, which is believably the reason why it's so dark in here even now, in the morning.

I turned around and his room had become more visible, that the light was coming in through the window now. And the condition of it was stunning, not in a good way though. It was surprisingly messed up and there were just clothes thrown here and there.

"Alvish, take a seat" Suddenly Reada said. 

"Huh?" I turned my head to him and saw him pointing at something on my right, with his finger. I turned my head around again and saw that it was his bed that he was pointing at. 

He is telling me to sit there??

It was a single person bed and the bedsheet on it was also twisted like someone had just wrestled with it. But even though it was messed up, I still took a seat there. Honestly I don't mind these things much but one thing that bugs me is that how can he live like this? Like doesn't his instincts tell him to clean it? Even a stray dog cleans the road before sleeping on it. 

While sitting there, I observed the room and every corner of it looked the same. It was a small room so I even considered thinking for a moment if it was the size of it, which was creating the illusion of it being a mess. But it was hardly covering the truth. I mean there was hardly anything noticeable, except for a few things which you can even count with your one hand's fingers.

But suddenly my eyes landed on a trophy placed on his study table, beside the monitor, on his right side. 

"Hey, Is That Yours??" I said excitedly as I saw it. "That's amazing!!" I stood up and went to it.

Actually I have never won a trophy or any kind of achievement in my whole life, for anything. Yes, even though I'm better than average, I'm not the best. And that's why I get excited whenever I see someone having one. I'm very fond of them, they make me jealous. And that's why when I found out that my shade is actually so powerful that it can stop even the whole world, I thought maybe at least in this, I can be at the top.

It was a big one, almost the size of my forearm, like the ones that are given to the 1st rankers. But as I reached it, after getting a top view from the other side, I saw that the trophy had a wrapper of chips inside it. 

"HEY, WHAT IS IT??" I shouted angrily.

He Was Using It As A Dustbin!! How Could He?? 

He heard me and turned around and saw me pointing inside the cup. He didn't say anything after that, but seemed to understand what I was talking about and pulled out a backpack from under the table.

Huh? How is that bag going to answer my question?

It was a different one than the one he uses for school. He opened the last zip of it and took out a completely packed bag of chips and said while handing it over to me, "Here take it, for you!"

"I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THAT, IDIOT!!" I said instantly again and slapped his hand out of the way.

"Then?" 

"This! Idiot, This! Why Are You Using It Like A Dustbin?" I asked as I picked it. But after picking it, I realised that not only was it being used as a dustbin but also it was covered in dust.

"Aa- that's because it is very efficient as a small dustbin."

"LIKE HELL IT IS!!" I shouted, "Geez, it's in such bad condition. It's so dirty!"

This bastard doesn't even clean it!!

Why is it that always people like him get them? Not the ones who really work hard for them??

I threw out that bag of chips and another wrapper of chocolate from inside it. And started cleaning the trophy with a t-shirt that I found beside the monitor, as I couldn't bear seeing it in that such condition anymore. 

"Oh-o, Alvish. You don't have to do that, you're not my maid!!" 

"SHUT UP!! Don't You Dare Think Of Me As Your Maid, Idiot!" 

"Yeah yeah I know, that is why I'm telling you to quit cleaning it."

But suddenly while cleaning, my fingers felt a label on the trophy and my eyes got driven to it. It was a little broken and tron, so the things written on it were a bit difficult to read. But it had something like 'Annual Drawing Competition, 1st…' written on it.

That's a surprise!!

"You draw?" I asked shockingly as I looked up at him.

It is because this guy has like the messiest handwriting in the world, I've seen it in school. It's hard to believe that he can draw well enough to win a competition.

"No!" He replied.

No?? That's another shock. Does that mean he doesn't draw? Then how did he-

All of a sudden while I was looking at him and wondering, my eyes landed on another trophy. It was laying on the ground, peeking out a little from under the bed I was sitting on a moment ago.

I went to it instantly while the first trophy and that t-shirt were still in my hand, and crouched down to pick it up. It was the same as the one in my hand in condition and size. But two things that I noticed were different after I picked it up and started cleaning it, were that this one had a slightly different design and its label was completely ripped. Yet, it had 'Quiz' written on it, that someone had written in cursive writing with a black marker.

Quiz and drawing? This guy really has talent.

Suddenly I noticed another thing about the trophies. They were of the type that have a lid on themselves, but both of them were missing them. 

I looked around and found one straight in front of me, without much effort. It was on the inner side of the bed's leg that was beside the wall. I got on my knees and reached my hand out to it and grabbed it. But while I was pulling in my hand, my middle finger suddenly touched something cold, under the bed. 

It was strange because it was dark under the bed and I couldn't see it. But it had felt like a cold piece of metal. 

I took out my phone and turned its flashlight on. And when I looked down there, under the bed, what I saw completely stunned me.

There Were Trophies!! So many trophies!

Around over 20, but they were all lying dead there, buried in dust and rust. It was almost like a graveyard of them.

No, Wait! Not a graveyard but more like they were thrown in there, one over another after brutally being murdered by someone who killed them emotionlessly without even caring a bit about their bodies.

"Hey, Why Are They Here?" I asked angrily, immediately as I turned to him after seeing those trophies.

"Because mom ain't letting me get rid of them."

"Get rid of them? What do you mean by that?! Don't talk like they are a curse! You should be respecting them! They are your achievements!" I shouted after him, "Also you better decorate your room with th-"

"My respect is not for stupid things, Alvish!" Reada interrupted and he left me speechless by saying that.

Stupid things? Here people like me are dying for them and he thinks they are stupid…

"And they too aren't things to be used for decora-" Suddenly while saying he stopped and started looking at me very profoundly. He seemed very surprised. 

I was sitting on the floor and was also confused, wondering what had stopped him.

He stood up and came to me, crouching down beside me. And then he said in a cheerful voice as he snatched that trophy's lid, that I was holding, out of my hand and started observing it from different angles, "Alvish, you found it!!" 

"What??" I asked. 

"It's a great toy!" He said and stood up, and then immediately walked out of the room.

"A toy? Huh? How? Hey, wait!!" I tried calling him from behind but it was too late as he had already left. 

In the end I didn't have any other choice than to follow him.

I left the trophies and that t-shirt on his bed and rushed out after him. But when I came out he wasn't there. He had already gone somewhere. Just how fast did he walk? Lastly, I looked around for him cluelessly as I thought he shouldn't have gone much farther.