“Nine.”

  “Ten.”

  “Eleven”

  Sweat glistened all over a man’s body as he strained his muscles for one final push. The man was Eric laying on a bench under a huge machine connected to the ceiling of the gym. Deeply exhaling he mustered all his energy and pushed the weight amidst the encouragement of his friend.

  “12”, shouting in relief as his arms were fully outstretched supporting the full 1M tons of weight the machine outputted.

  The weight machine started producing a humming sound as it retracted into the ceiling. Sitting on the bench Eric madly exhaled and inhaled but a smile plastered on his face showed his joy. His biceps dully ached from the intense exercise he just had and he kind off enjoyed the feeling.

  Standing bare chested in front of the mirrored wall, he flexed his biceps and chest admiring his body. Eric had a lean physique with clearly defined and angular muscles. He had long hair that he had tied in a bun fastened with a hair stick and had its bangs freely hang over the right side of his face. His physique seemed to glow under the gym lights, as if he came out of a separate painting, shaded differently from reality. However his perfect body was somewhat marred by a huge ugly burn scar that stretched across his right arm and covered part of his right face. However his perfect body was somewhat marred by a huge ugly burn scar that stretched across his right arm and covered part of his right face.

  “Dude you’ve just hit your peak record, do you want to go have breakfast to celebrate?” His friend, Kevin handed him his towel and a bottle of water.

  Kevin was a lean yet well-built young man with a cheerful air about him. His outfit was simple, an unbuttoned shirt that hung loosely over a pair of black pants and a sheathed single edge sword hung on his waist. His short brown hair was tousled, giving him a perpetually unkempt look as if he had just rolled out of bed.

  “No, am going to have breakfast at home.” Eric said in between breaths.

  “Aren’t you just going to order takeaway though? You sure you don’t want to join me?” Kevin said.

  “It’s homemade, am not getting takeaway today.”

  “No way, you cooking his own meals, are you the Eric I know?” Kevin jested.

  “It’s my cousin, Lana, she came home yesterday. She’s the one whose gonna cook.”

  “Figures, why didn’t you inform me about it?” Kevin said in realization, “it’s been such a long time since I saw her. She should be in high school now, right?”

  “Yes.” Eric said as he stood and walked towards the gym’s washrooms.

  “Tell her I said hi. I’ll be going to get breakfast remember if you need anything just call.” Kevin said as he walked off.

  *****

  Eric returned home after his workout in the agency’s gym, he wore an overcoat and had a white mask with cloud patterns on his face. Opening the door he was met with the chime of a cat bell. A white cat, Tommy, with lush fur rushed to him, rubbing himself on his leg. Bending down he picked up his furry companion. His cousin Lana was lounging on the couch engrossed in a book.

  “Morning” Eric greeted her, closing the door behind him.

  “Morning” Lana naturally responded back.

  Pausing what she was doing she glanced at him and said “How come Tommy eagerly rushes to you, he keeps running away from me.”

  “Have you tried to offer him food?”

  “I’ve even tried that but he would still run when I came closer to him.” Lana complained.

  Eric gently shut the door and walked towards Lana, however he stopped a meter from her.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “He probably be more comfortable with you if you didn’t wear so much cologne”

  “I didn’t use that much.” Lana said as she lifted her sleeves and sniffed.

  “I’ve already prepared breakfast, it’s in the dining hall.” She said closing the book she was reading and headed upstairs.

  Eric could tell she was going to wash off the smell, she still was the kind of person who liked animals as he remembered. When she were young, the first thing she would do is to rush to Tommy as soon as her parent brought her.

  Sighing Eric made his way to the dining room, where she had prepared two eggs, a lean beef steak, mashed potatoes and spinach served with blended mango juice. He could feel his taste buds tingle just from looking at the meal. Sitting down he took a bite of steak bringing forth an unexpected burst of flavor making him slump in the chair. He exhaled slowly, savoring the moment, as warmth spread through his body like a comforting embrace.

  “Jingle!” He shifted his gaze to the opposite side of the table. Tommy eyes fully dilated, giving him a ‘look how pitiful I am’ look. He could only reluctantly tear off a piece of the meat and push it towards the feline. However the cat looked at the small portion he was given before casting his gaze on Eric again. Chuckling Eric touched the small piece and it morphed and enlarged to a size similar to what he had.

  Satisfied Tommy using his claws tore of a piece and started eating it like a distinguished gentleman. The two sat quietly at the table enjoying their meal. This scene looked incredible as one of them was a cat that was sitting on the chair and eating almost like a person.

  After Eric finished his meal he took the plates and cup he had used back to the kitchen. Looking at the dishes and utensils that were dirtied in the sink he remembered why he didn’t like to cook in the first place. But it’s all good now, he has free labor… help.

  Just as he turned around he met with Lana who had come out of her room. Moving close he sniffed and commented, “There is still a faint smell of perfume but Tommy shouldn’t avoid you now.”

  Lana’s face visibly brightened when she heard that. Looking at Tommy who was tailing Eric she cautiously moved closer. Him not running away this time made her whole body fill with joy. Stretching her hand she gently patted his head. Feeling her fingers run through the plushy soft velvet fur, the joy in her body seemed to overflow outside her own body.

  Eric decided to go to his room giving her some time alone with Tommy. Sitting on his bed he turned on his smart bracelet, which unfolded a holographic screen in front of him. Looking at the messages it from his uncle asking how he and Lana were doing. Turning to the news app, [Power Struggle Unfolds within the High Council: Tensions Rise in Elite Clan], [The declining numbers of Sorcerers Awakening: is Sorcery a Dead End], [Prison Break: Escape from Westvale Maximum Security Prison]…

  He scrolled over skimming most of the contents and occasionally pausing when an article seemed interesting enough. Finally something caught his eye, [Discovery of the Century: New Material found in an Orange Ranked Rift.]

  Rifts were spherical silvery spatial gates that connected to different worlds. Their danger levels were categorized by color: black, red, orange, yellow and green. Black ranked rifts were practically a death sentence, while green ranked rifts were completely safe, so safe that some companies even built hotels and nature reserves on the other side, turning them into prime vacation destinations.

  Turning off the smart bracelet he moved to his desk ready to begin work. Pressing a button on the side of the desk a holographic screen and keyboard unfurled above the desk. On the desk beside the screen was a photo of a younger Eric without the scars and his parents sitting on the together on a couch. Eric picked the photo, running his fingers over the surface and his face becoming gloomy. Taking a deep breath, he placed the photo back and opening an editor, he navigated to a program he had been writing.

  ‘It’s nine twenty.’

  Eric checked the time one last time before he got engrossed in working, all that could be heard was the soft hum of the machine that filled the silent room.

  “Phew.” Stretching he looked at the time. It was forty six minutes past one, he had spent more than four hours working.

  “Jingle! Jingle!” hearing the cat’s chime, Eric looked at his bed and sure enough Tommy was there. Kneading the duvet forming a spot for it to roll into a white fur ball.

  *****

  Lana was reading in the sitting room, she had just finished a chapter and decided to take a break. She looked at the time, it was three in the evening. Looking at the dining room the food she had prepared had already gone cold. She had reminded Eric that he should come and eat but he responded with, “Just a moment.” She felt like he was busy and decided to leave him be but, three hours have passed.

  Storming into Eric's room she opened the door ready to give him a good scolding. At a glance Eric, sprawled across the bed, lost in a peaceful slumber. Tommy, the ever-present feline companion, lazily basked in the warmth of the afternoon sun from the window, occasionally swatting at Eric's face with his swishing tail.

  Irritation sparked within Lana, how could one be so oblivious to the world around him? With a surge of energy, she marched into the room, her footsteps echoing in the quiet house. A pillow somehow found its way into her hands becoming her weapon. With a swift motion, she struck Eric's face, jolting him awake and sending Tommy to darting away in alarm.

  "Wake up, you lazybones!" she exclaimed, her voice sharp. "You weren’t really planning to sleep all day, weren’t you?" She said giving him a stern look.

  “… No”

  “You paused, why’d you pause? You were planning it.” Lana wasn’t having it. Thwack, thwack, thwack! The pillow descended with unrelenting determination until Eric, muttering curses under his breath, finally became fully awake.