CHAPTER 54: [ HOME? ]

Cameras appeared more often now that they were on their way back home.

People looked at him as if they saw a ghost.

His encounter with Melyna helped him get a true feeling of [ The Weight ]. He first thought it was out of his control, but their encounter proved otherwise.

If properly concentrated, he could increase or decrease its power.

It was all hard to describe, and his powers made little sense.

His eyes once activated with [ Witness of All Paths ] automatically had [ The Weight ] to it.

But why?

Alexander rubbed his chin while shaking his head.

[ The Gift ] allowed others to use his gaze, something Fae greatly benefited from. Its overpowering mind scramble was a side-effect she didn’t seem to feel.

[ Sacrifice ] transferred his stats, he still needed to polish his control on how much of those stats he let go, but it didn’t seem to have negative effects.

[ Whispers Beyond ] was the one spell that he actually didn’t want to try any further.

Its effects were similar to [ The Weight ], but there was more to it, he could feel it.

The way that spell hummed, vibrations that afflicted the mind in ways he barely understood himself.

Through all those spells and effects, three of them had a similar ’mind overwhelming’ effect.

So what was the point of [ The Weight ] ?

They were waiting on a corner, waiting for the light to turn green.

He could see them—even in their cars—getting their phones out to record him.

Cars didn’t even honk when those before them moved late.

It was eerie.

He was the center of attention—worse today than the day before.

He took a few steps aside, letting space for those who might want to cross the street while he got his phone out.

"There has to be..."

He scrolled through his apps then opened his various social medias, his eyebrows raising further at each post he read.

Fae tilted her head again, watching Alexander’s expression while trying to guess what was going on.

News article popped up, with titles he’d never imagined reading.

’CULTIST SIGHTED — Everything you need to know to stay safe’

The article detailed how one needed to stay away from them, with a picture of him right next to it.

Alexander read through it, in disbelief that it what was written concerned him directly.

The article explained how they served eldritch beings, and how being in contact with them like him brought pain and suffering.

The comments were as wild as the article.

’I wish they took him out already’ ’Why is he walking around in broad daylight?’ ’That masked girl is part of that cult for sure, probably brainwashed’ ’They’re trying to recruit members’ ’Looking at him is enough to be brainwashed into joining’

Alexander frowned, his blood running cold.

"If I was cultist, I would be an actual threat. Do they not get it...?"

He lifted his head, looking at all of them who looked at him through their phones, scared.

"A cultist worships unspoken deities, they recruit through brainwashing and manipulation, doing anything they can to increase the amount of followers they have. They perform sickening rituals and senselessly kill anyone for the sick of it."

He could see them all, the eyes that looked directly at him, the same way they did the first day he received his archetype.

"Is that how they see me?" he said under his breath.

He tightly grabbed Fae’s hand, crossing the street in a measured pace.

"Since the day I received this archetype I haven’t done a single thing that should earn me those looks..."

Wherever they went, looks lingered.

It felt as if they were animals that escaped the zoo.

While walking he kept scrolling on his phone, the amount of articles about him more than important.

Threads were started where heated discussions took place. He could see some names he recognized talking about him as if they had known him forever, painting him as someone weird, always staying home and barely interacting with others at work.

Others tried to make fun of the situation, asking where one could sign to join his cult.

His stomach turned.

They were almost home, he could see his apartment building at the end of the street.

Some people followed him, the eyes on his back could see them a few streets away, hiding around corners.

Ignoring them, he crossed the entrance into the building, the doors closing behind him.

The moment they closed he could feel the noise in his mind diminishing.

He took a deep breath, and went up the stairs.

Once on his floor, his eyes caught it right away.

His door was wide open, the lock broken.

Someone smashed his door in.

He walked forward slowly, peeking inside his own apartment.

His face blank, he let a few words out. "Check if anyone’s still here."

Fae unsheathed her swords and entered the apartment.

She looked through every room before coming back to Alexander who barely moved.

"So they already left."

He took a few steps in, standing in the middle of what was once ’home’.

His desk, where his computer was, was smashed to pieces.

The computer itself was broken, the monitor torn in half. How many hits did it take to break it that much?

His bed was unrecognizable, the mattress and everything that was on it shredded. He could see the shirt he had given Fae on top of it, in a pile of torn clothes.

The kitchen floor was full of broken dishes, the sink full of food taken out of his fridge. The oven itself was smashed in, its door laying on the ground amidst the debris.

His windows were gone, broken glass piling up in front of them.

He could hear them.

His neighbors behind their own doors, eavesdropping, talking to each other while he stood in this mess.

His gaze was almost absent, every detail registering in his brain as if he was in combat.

Every souvenir, everything he had. Things that belonged to his father, gifts from his mother.

His family picture, the one where both his mother and father were present was scattered on the ground.

He could see it all, as broken as he was.