Lucas Silvius was a person who lived comfortably, not harshly.

But in a way, this sort of life was a hopeless sort, one with aimless wandering. He thought this, brushing back his raven hair, messily tying it back with an old rubber band he had been given by some lady a few years back, and stood up.

There were some strands that stuck out, two longer parts beside his face loosely hanging, covering the middle of his face slightly as well. He couldn't be bothered fixing it.

Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over him. His lips tugged down as his head seemed to tremble momentarily, before the sensation faded away as fast as it had come. 

There was a spike of anxiety, his pulsing heat, and for a second his vision blurred together, and he couldn't see. His vision dimmed, and he was temporarily blinded.

Lucas didn't know why, but he scrambled for his phone again, fingers sliding across the screen to his most recent chat, squinting to make out the black and white splotches. Not that he chatted to this person often, but this person often came to him to proclaim their love over his novel.

What was he doing? Not even he knew, as instinct took over.

[Lu: Are you there?]

[cam0311: yes, sir! what can I do for you?]

The reply was almost immediate, as always.

Lucas paused, wondering if he was overthinking. But even if that feeling was ridiculous, his fingers itched to type out the question.

[Lu: Did you like the ending?]

[cam0311: ending??? ENDING?? that's weird... i've been online all day and i haven't seen it. i'll be right back!]

[cam0311: hahaha author, i adore you but have you just made a rare joke?? there's no update, i triple checked]

The frown on his face deepened as he lowered his eyes, the soft glow of light making his confusion more evident.

[Lu: Not a joke.]

[cam0311: ...? wait... ah? the story was deleted? it won't let me open the chapter! AHHH NOOO!!]

"......" The strand scratched against his eyes and his scowl deepened in irritation.

As soon as he tied his hair again, the world suddenly roared to life as the tremors violently ran through the ground. Lucas's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped forward to grab something to hold, only to crash into the ground and tumble against the stair railing.

Through the pain, he gritted his teeth while cursing, quickly grabbing onto the railings as tightly as he can.

For safety measures, he pushed his shoes between the space in between, firmly trapping himself in the metal bars as everything swayed.

Really, staying up in the tall clock tower was probably the worse choice, surrounded by little gears and mechanisms that could collapse on him at any moment.

Kiiiik— Kiiiiiik—

The gears ground against each other to fill the air with a painful, ear-splitting sound. Lucas uttered more curses, more vulgar this time, before he presses against the railing even more.

Screw looking decent!

His entire body was wrapped around the railings like a monkey clinging onto a tree as his eyes crinkled at the corner from being squeezed shut. He continued to mutter curses like a mantra as his body was tugged and pulled.

"...tsk."

Getting crushed by a bunch of heavy metal pieces that may or may not take a long time to completely kill him?

Yeah, no way. Lucas wasn't a masochist.

Finally, when the shaking subsided, he struggled to wiggle his foot from the staircase's grasp, grabbing his laptop and rushing down the stairs. He grabbed the metal railing and pushed off, swinging his whole body over as he arrived at the bottom in a flash.

However, he was huffing like crazy.

Sure, he was a delinquent who participated in fights almost daily, and he was damn good at it too — but after almost dying in an earthquake in a not-so-painless way, then jumping down an entire set of sketchy stairs, he was a little tired.

More like very exhausted. He was also born naturally lazy, and preferred not to move around if unnecessary.

But it was quite thrilling.

Exciting, even.

Regardless, he tiredly dragged himself out of the building and was immediately surrounded by chaos and screams. Loud.

Some were panicking, hiding wherever they could, while others were trying to figure out the situation while the earthquake subsides. Cars were flipped over, alarms were blaring, and there were likely to be several people who had died, crushed under the sheer weight of toppling items.

Humans were ones that often behaved the worst in the face of unexpected disasters, evident from the scene before him.

Although this much was only the beginning. The worse wouldn't leave them panicking and desperate, it'd leave them praying for the salvation from death.

A cautious woman walked over hurriedly, brushing over her messy white hair carelessly. Faded purple strands sway, revealed by her movement. "Are you alright? I saw you run out of the tower."

Her voice remained steady, though panic flashed in her eyes. He noticed her hand gripping a bag, draped over her front, knuckles pale and trembling.

Lucas nodded calmly, his gaze sweeping over the scene indifferently. "I'm fine."

"Good." She seemed to examine his body up and down, and after meeting Lucas's glance, she quickly explained, "I know basic first-aid. I'm checking for injuries, sorry."

"I see."

"Well, it was best to find somewhere safe for now," said the woman with a sigh, rolling up her dusty sleeves as she surveys the area. "I was going to help some other people, but most aren't in a good enough state right now. I need to go find some help for the seriously injured. Do you want to come along?"

Lucas looked around through his cloudless eyes and nods again.

"Brilliant." She smiled, looking a little relieved. "My name's Nora, how about yours?"

"Lucas."

She looked around once more and says, "Just be careful if the earthquake starts up again. Although I'd like to help others, it was best to put your own life first."

"Of course," said Lucas, hands in his pockets.

Honestly, he wasn't much of a people person, not because of his lacking skills, but because of his typical solitude. The fact that Nora was more of the assertive, leading type was easier on him—all he had to do was to follow and listen.

There was still that unsettling feeling in his chest, pushing and probing.

It was convenient too, allowing him to observe quietly from the back. Not that Lucas was quiet (he's annoying, most say, though he disagreed), far from it.

Creeeaaaaak.

Lucas stopped in his footsteps.

Slowly, he turned around to stare at the clock tower where a little shadow sat. With soft white fur and blue antlers, wings folded at the back softly, it seemed like a gentle doll.

Although it was cute, Lucas felt like it was smiling at him.

[The story 'Cinderella' is opening...]

[A number of new characters had been found! Merging profiles with the story...]

[Confirmed! The story may be read!]

Nora listened and frowned in confusion, turning to Lucas. "Do you know what that is?"

"I..."

Lucas looked back at her. At first, he thought little about it, but now he knew it very well.

In this entire world, the only person who was aware of this as well as him was only himself. But the only thing was, it was  impossible. He isn't a realist, but this much was crossing the line a little too far.

A story exists because it was a story. Fiction could not become reality, even if one were to desire it. That was the law of the world that separated delusion.

He turned to Nora to tell her, "it was probably nothing." Only for his words to get stuck in his throat as another clear ringing filled his ears.

[The story 'Cinderella' has opened!]

It was impossible, it really was, but it was also something he couldn't forget, when it remained so vivid in his mind.

How could it not, when those words once slept peacefully in his imagination, slowly awakened as they drifted onto his blank screen.

Almost a year and a half ago.

Behind the strange, smiling bunny, the clock that had been broken for several years slowly begun to move.

Creeeaaaak.

The bunny's smile seemed to grow even wider, bright under the morning skies. A void of madness swirled in its pulsing eyes, peering through one's soul.

<Now, dear characters, let me tell you the beautiful tale of Cinderella.>

The voice echoed all around, vibrating in the air. Childish laughter followed.

<A tale of beauty and selfishness.>