Mirrorbound

In the busting city of Chars, a young graduate wandered the streets, searching for any job that might help him pay down his mounting student debt and get his life on track. But day after day, his efforts were met with rejection and closed doors. Disheartened, he finally gave up, finding a spot beneath the warm hues of the setting sun. He sank onto the curb, took a sip of water, and let out a heavy sigh.

"What's the point of it all," he murmured, gazing at the fading sky."if I can't even get a fraction of what I want...maybe it'd be easier to just end it."

He pushed himself to his feet and started walking, barely paying attention to where he was going. Distracted and lost in thought, he collided with a burly man in the crowd. The stranger, a gangster with a quick temper, wasn't about to let it slide. Before he knew it, fists were flying,and the young man was left battered and bruised, barely clinging to life.

As he lay there,broken and bloodied, he felt an odd sense of calm. A small smile crept onto his lips as he looked up at the darkening sky. The gangster froze, unsettled by the young man's smile and the strange glint in his eyes.

Then, just as he was about to let go, his eyes opened once more-but now they were could and devoid of emotion, inhuman in their detachment. His wounds began to heal at an unnatural speed as he rose to his feet, casting a chilling gaze at his attacker, who shrank back in horror.

With a voice that was low and icy, he asked, "How do you want to die?"