Sun beamed through the cracks in the curtains, f Bke to force his eyes open. Even before properly waking up, Bke k was going to be a shit day. Everyone knows that kind of day when they wake up feeling groggy and they desire nothing but to just y and do nothing.

  Unfortunately, Bke had a bunch of shit to do today.

  Bke rose, not letting himself close his eyes. He promptly made his way to the bathroom, took his toothbrush, ao the kit. Toast, a few boiled eggs, and some salt - the usual. Spitting the toothpaste into the sink, Bke ate some breakfast, dressed up, and hopped on his bike.

  Thirty mier, Bke made his way into the stru site, nodding to a few people, before finding his manager. Andrew. Good guy. Smells bad, looks a bit weird with his zy eye, but, heless, good man.

  Andrew spotted Bke, nodding at him. "Had a good m, Bke?"

  Bke forced a smile. "Not so much of a m, Chief. The cold is pig up again, my fingers are getting numb on that bike."

  "You still driving that thing in this weather? Aren't you afraid of getting sid missing your csses?"

  Andrew eyes the locked bicycle in the distance.

  "You know, Bke, my offer still stands. I just pick you up in the m and, after your shift ends, drop you off at the uy."

  Bke scratched the back of his head.

  "It's fine, really. I wouldn't want to impose...I will figure something out."

  "You wouldn't impose! I mean, it's not like it's a long drive. That's the least I do after..."

  Aopped mid-sentence, looking slightly embarrassed and sad at the same time. Bke bit his lip and forced the memories away, trying not to think about anything involving his family. Seeing the pained expression on Bke's face, Andrew put a hand on his shoulder.

  "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. However, my offers stand heless, you have my number, call me anytime and we work things out. Your pal was like a brother to me, you know that."

  Bke nodded slightly. "So what have you got for me today? Same as yesterday?"

  Andrew looked as relieved as Bke to ge the topic.

  "Nope, we are starting ohird building. You o help with transportation. Norman, Hugo, and Rafa are going to help you sort that out-"

  Andrew poi a bunch of regur bricks in the distance.

  "See those bricks? All of them have to go to the third floor."

  Bke liked how professional Andrew became as soon as the topic was about the job.

  "Alright, I will find you once I am done."

  "Okay, don't push yourself too hard, I know you have got uy after. Leave some juice for that. After all, you wouldn't want to be like me, having to sort through bricks and stuff for your entire life, would you?"

  Andrew wi Bke, f a little, genuine smile.

  "I am off."

  Today, the work was difficult. stru involved a lot of lifting but a lot more walking. Whenever Bke lifted the bricks a up the stairs, his thoughts flowed freely. Memories surged into his brain, and he had to double the weight he was holding for the strain on his muscles to overpower his thoughts.

  Anyway, he was more than happy when he was doh this task. He found Andrew, who gave him a few more things to do and then Bke was done and speeding through the streets of London towards the campus.

  It was cold and rainy, but Bke felt a bit more refreshed. Radiohead was bsting into his earbuds as Bke cycled as fast as he could. He couldn't afford to be te. His dad had always said that being te was only for the privileged or the homeless.

  "Dad..."

  Not being able to hold it off any longer, Bke broke apart. His tears mixed with the droplets of rain on his face, as he tinued cyg, gaining speed. He remembered opening the door and feeling the stillness of the apartment. Then Bke saw the body.

  Bke bit his lip. The memory was so fresh like it just happened yesterday. He tried his best tet or move ohe memory found him despite his effort. He hated Andrew because he reminded him of his dad every day. He hated his dad for leaving him so sooed everyone. He hated the world.

  Yet, most of all, Bke hated himself for not notig sooner. For not seeing the pain in his dad's eyes, and the struggles that he was going through. For not being enough.

  Bke closed his eyes, remembering his lessons with the psychologist. He breathed in, ahe air still for a few seds before releasing it. After doing it a few times, Bke came out of his stupor, suddenly realizing that he was still on his bike.

  "What the fuck?"

  Bke was expeg to be somewhere he school already, yet he was in a pletely alien pce. He was in a freaking forest. No matter which way he looked, all he saw were abnormally tall trees. The only simirity this pce had with his home was the hard rain piling from the sky.

  Bke stopped biking, gng at the ground. Due to the rain, the ground had turned into slimy mud, and his tires were getting stu it. Deliberating for an instant, Bke hopped from the bike, nding on the mud.

  He looked around again, ping himself hard on the cheek, yet he remained in the same forest, half-stu mud. There were no huge forests like that near where he lived, making the situation even more improbable.

  Sweat built on Bke's forehead as he started panig slightly. The situation made no se all. Bke took a few deep breaths, trying to remain calm. Whatever was happening, Bke k was not a dream. Everything just felt too real.

  Especially the smell. Despite the p rain, Bke picked up a strange, disturbing stench surrounding him. It smelled like that piece of chi that you fet in the back of your fridge for a few months.

  Bke hauled his bike on his shoulders, spotting a bush nearby. Bke o find someoo help him or at least find a way out of the forest. He couldn't afford to spend a night in this forest, for he knew little to nothing about survival in the wilderness.

  Furthermore...this pce disturbed him for obvious reasons. Not only did he appear here with no reasonable expnation, but the stench was w. Also, it was too quiet. He heard nothing except the droplets hitting the ground.

  Bke hid the bike in the bush, making sure it was covered properly. Then, Bke walked up to the tree o it. It was huge, unnaturally so. Narrowing his eyes, Bke touched the tree, sliding his hand across it. What kind of tree was this?

  Suddenly, Bke felt like someone was watg him from behind, so he promptly turned around. No one was there, yet Bke couldn't help but be creeped out. His heart had beguing more wildly, as Bke took out his iPhone from his pocket. No tact. GPS doesn't work.

  Cursing quietly, Bke took o g his surroundings, still feeling like someone was staring at him. Putting his phoo his pocket, Bke sprinted north, sparing no more time remaining in the same position.

  Thankfully, Bke had taken good care of his body over the years, so the mud had barely forced a ge in his pace. As he was running at a jog to not overexert himself, Bke saw no differences within the surroundings, except the smell.

  Whatever was excluding the smell, Bke was not so keen to find out. However, Bke assumed that there had to be something there, and something is better than nothing. As he tinued jogging, the stench turronger, until Bke stumbled upon the first body.

  Then, Bke took one more step forward, and his pupils dited. Five bodies were hanging from trees, clearly having beehere to rot. Double the number of bodies y on the ground. Some of them were missing heads, some were simply missing a few limbs. Yet, all of them were dead. Blood mixed with the rain, creating a crimson river that soaked Bke's air forces a different shade.

  Bke stared, unmoving, a se of different magnitude, yet familiar. Falling on his knees, Bke pressed his hands against his heart, vomiting his entire breakfast onto the ground. His heart pounded, as he raised his head once again, seeing that the bodies remained.

  "Fear is death, Bke."

  This was his dad's favorite quote, and it was the only soce that Bke could find in the middle of these bodies. Bke stood up. There has been a age here, and Bke didn't want to have anything to do with it. The bodies had been here for quite a while now, but Bke wao leave as soon as possible lest whoever did this found him.

  Standing up, Bke walked forward, through the pile of bodies, and away. On his way out of death, Bke noticed a on lying on the ground. Without a sed of thought, Bke picked it up. It was a kunai, much to Bke's surprise. He had never seen a on like that in real life, perhaps only in Asian shows. Naruto, one of his favorite anime's, came to mind specifically.

  Naruto. The thought caused Bke to halt his steps. Bke thought for an instant, before taking a deep breath. Fear is death. He walked back to the se of death, approached a dead man, and stared at his face for a long time.

  At first, only a chuckle. Then, Bke began to ugh. Maniacally, fusedly. The man had a metal headband, which had four lines fag downwards. Bke reized both the headband and the attire worn by the man, which was even more disturbing.

  He was in Naruto? No...Bke couldn't make such a clusion just yet, but it was creepy heless. What the fuck was happening? Bke narrowed his eyes. If he was truly in Naruto, then Bke o get the fu-

  Bke heard a twig snap behind him. He turned around and his heart almost leaped out of his chest, for there was a face looking at him, barely a few timeters away from him. Dead, bck eyes stared into his soul, and only when Bke looked down did he realize that there was a kunai stig out from his abdomen.

  Bke swung his fist at the mahe enemy dodged and then Bke felt himself flying. His head spun as he felt himself nd on the ground. Bke tried gritting his teeth, standing up promptly, and grabbing his kunai. Half of his face was numb and he was bleeding profusely from the side, yet Bke could still stand.

  The kunai hadered deep into his wound.

  Looking around, Bke saw no sight of his enemy. He remembered the man having a headband from the Vilge of Hidden Storying to ighe pain and draw on the memory of the anime, Bke remembered the teiques that the Stone Vilge shinobi employed. Especially how they stayed hidden.

  Bke was turning around every few seds, trying to not let himself get attacked from the back again. As he kept spinning, his mind raced with ways to not get himself killed. With a er of his eyes, Bke saw a shuriken flying at him from the left.

  Reag fast, Bke rolled on his side, dodging the ining attack. Yet, as he to a stop, he felt a sharp pain in his back. This time, Bke didn't hesitate, swinging his kunai and stabbing the person standing behind him. Yet, as soon as Bke stabbed through, the enemy vanished into a puff of smoke.

  "Fug ninjas." Bke cursed, feeling at his other side now. This kunai had been stuck deeply and, as he looked at it, Bke felt himself growing weak. This was dangerous. Bke wasn't an expert on injuries, but he was losing too much blood.

  Bke wasn't traio fight, eveo kill. He might have a good dition from w on stru, but he was weak heless, especially against an actual shinobi. And, whoever, this guy was, he felt like a professional.

  Bke had to do something that his enemy wouldn't expect. Do something, perhaps, that even Bke himself wouldn't expect of himself. He looked around and then began sprinting south, his full speed, gritting through the pain.

  Fear is death.

  Bke took a deep breath and then bellowed as loudly as he could. "HELP! STONE VILLAGE ATTAG!" As he tinued shouting, Bke promptly slid the headband of rain vilge on his head. When Bke was looking at the bodies, he noticed something.

  sidering the number of Rain Vilge bodies, Bke had to be somewhere not far away from the Rain Vilge or their military base. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sehat this guy was just camping here, in the middle of nowhere.

  Of course, Bke could be wrong and then he would be practically shouting for his death. Yet, in case Bke was n, his enemy would want to finish him as soon as possible now that he had begun shouting, and Bke could use that to his adva was a gamble.

  Bke kept running, but it was eerily quiet. Steeling his nerves, Bke finally noticed what he was looking for. A stone. Bke ran up to it, stopped, and grabbed his kunai more tightly as he preteo be panting.

  Then, his eyes fshed red, and Bke stuck the kunai into the stone. He met resistance, yet not the one you would expect from a stohe illusion of the stone slowly disappearing, revealing a hunched man staring at Bke with shock, a kunai stu his throat.

  Despite the situation, Bke smiled down at the man. "Your storick won't work on me for the third time, you bastard." Then, Bke twisted the kunai and saw death in the man's eyes. Pushing him away, Bke held the bloody kunai, staring at the man he had killed.

  He had killed.

  Bke felt numb. This day had been too much for him that at this point he cared little. He had seen too much. Exhaling, Bke felt himself growing weak. The kunai stig from his side had fallen down as he was running, and now Bke was bleeding an abnormal amount of blood.

  He felt weak ay.

  Yet, at that moment, Bke saw something appear in his vision.

  [ditions fulfilled]

  [The Summoning System Activated]

  The shock of seeing the s in front of him lified by the shinobi standing behind it. He looked around. Around thirty Rain Vilge Shinobi were surrounding him, wearing dark apparel.

  Bke raised his hands weakly.

  Then, he passed out.