Eternal Undying Chronicles

Alicarde was mentally exhausted. His body felt fine, but his mind, not so much. His mind was, after all, his only weakness; his body and soul were immortal.

The stress of the day was catching up to him. Sitting and listening to lectures was a hassle, so his mind was worn out. He never forgot a simple truth that anyone would know: "The mind is a powerful place, and a small placebo could even send the body spiraling." Alicarde muttered to himself.

He had finally gotten back to his academic routine, and absolutely nothing was going to get in his way now.

On the upside, Alicarde was in a splendid mood. How could he not be? It was every guy's dream to be sitting in a luxury car; in fact, it was on every guy's bucket list. Now, Alicarde had a whole garage to choose from. In his heart, he swore he was going to try out every single one of them at least once.

Today, he chose a car based on speed and luxury—a sleek black machine with about 1,578 horsepower. The interior was impressive, with smooth black leather seats, a state-of-the-art touchscreen interface, and ambient lighting that subtly changed with his mood.

The dashboard was sleek and minimalistic, with only the essentials displayed on a digital screen that bathed the cockpit in a cool, futuristic blue glow.

The more he looked at it, the more pleased he became. The vehicle was apparently heavily customized, with every detail meticulously designed for both comfort and performance.

He drove out of the university and onto the streets. The road was a bit busy, but it was wide enough that the vehicles coming and going didn't cause a hold-up. The sun was setting in the sky, its pale light giving way to the darkness of the night.

Alicarde steadily drove the car in a leisurely manner. While he was driving, the car's interior lights began to flash red. Alicarde was momentarily confused; he didn't feel anything wrong with the car itself, but the screens soon began to display warnings.

He still didn't find anything wrong with the car. While he was fumbling with the controls, the screen changed to call mode, and he soon heard the voice of Amena.

"Ali, are you okay? A distress signal was sent from your location," her voice echoed through the vehicle.

Alicarde was confused. He hadn't sent a distress signal.

"I didn't send a distress signal... but this car just started to flash these red lights..."

"The data I'm receiving shows that you are being followed. The artificial intelligence has detected the presence of an unidentified rider trailing behind you," she announced.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The screen display changed, showing him the image of a black-clad rider on a powerful motorcycle following behind him steadily. The bike was a beast of a machine, with a roaring engine and a sleek, aggressive design. It looked like it was built for speed and maneuverability, the perfect vehicle for someone who didn't want to be caught.

Seeing this, he tensed up a bit, trying his best to stay calm. "So what do I do?" he asked.

"You must evade and return home as soon as possible," Carrisa's voice came through the speakers, her tone aloof and commanding.

"Amena will support you remotely. You just need to drive as best you can."

"And what happens if... you know, the rider follows me? I imagine the cops won't just let it slide," Alicarde asked worriedly.

"There won't be any cops in your way. We will make sure of that. Even if they find the vehicle, they won't be able to trace it back to you," Amena answered in her usual stoic voice.

Alicarde took a deep breath, and then, without a moment's hesitation, he stepped on it. The tires screeched on the asphalt as his speed increased.

He instantly shot past a few vehicles. The rider must have realized that Alicarde had noticed them, so they pushed their ride and followed him.

The sun was gone, and the night had begun. Alicarde weaved between any cars that got in his way, his mind racing with anxiety but, at the same time, there was a faint excitement from racing the car.

He held the steering wheel tight. However, he soon noticed a problem, the traffic light had turned red on the road he was supposed to take. That wouldn't have been a problem if a few vehicles hadn't already stopped, blocking the road.

Alicarde didn't hesitate, turning the wheel to another road. He drove into a turn, barely avoiding a truck that was about to hit him.

It was a close call, but he managed to avoid the hit. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest, his hands trembling slightly. He looked back through the rearview mirror, hoping he had lost the rider.

He didn't. The rider executed a humanly impossible maneuver, lifting the massive metal frame of the bike off the ground and soaring right above the truck, landing safely.

"Ooh shit, you have got to be kidding me," Alicarde's eyes widened.

He stepped on the accelerator harder, hoping to put distance between himself and whatever freak of nature could do that. The black bike was like a demon of speed, its petite-looking rider chasing after the car with masterful precision.

"You are not catching me today. This is literally the fastest car in the world. Amena, what now?" Alicarde said through gritted teeth.

"Follow the map. I have calculated a route," her stoic voice was quiet, reassuring.

The chase continued. Alicarde turned the car into a narrow road meant for pedestrians. His speed and the sound of the engine instantly made people dive out of the way as Alicarde whispered, "Sorry," to those he passed.

He drove the car into a public park. It was nightfall, so the park didn't have many people there. The trees and grass were devoid of anyone relaxing; most of them had already departed or were doing so. Even then, he had to be careful not to hit anyone.

He drove onto a golf course, his car slamming onto the pristine slopes. Its sleek body wasn't built for such terrain. He wasn't alone; the rider was undeterred by the rough ground and followed, its black frame easily crossing the park as they made it back to the road.

Their chase had not gone unnoticed, as a few sirens were already blaring into the night, but a classic cop car could hardly keep up with them. Alicarde made a turn. As he did, he narrowly avoided hitting a road sign.

The rider passed by the sign and ripped it right off the ground. Holding the sign with one hand, they threw it at his car like a javelin. It pierced right through the glass at the back and stopped on the car's dashboard, crushing his communication line with Amena.

Alicarde cursed, "Shit, damn it, God damn it."

The rider closed the distance to Alicarde, reaching the side of the car. Raising one hand, they smacked the vehicle. Alicarde lost control as the car drifted a complete 180 degrees, turning back the way it came.

The rider, not expecting the car to make such a unique turn, drove past. Alicarde didn't waste the chance and drove back the way he'd come, hoping to find his way back to the mansion.

Alicarde drove forward, hoping to make a quick turn to shake off the rider. Alas, he wasn't so lucky. A blockade of police vehicles suddenly came into view, their red and blue lights flashing like an impenetrable wall.

With no other choice, he had to head straight for the bridge ahead, his heart pounding in his chest.

The rider was still on his tail, and now the police were in on the chase too. Alicarde slammed his foot on the gas, but his luck seemed to have run out.

He noticed that the bridge was rising from the center, splitting open to create a gap. There wasn't a single ship in sight, so it didn't take a genius to figure out that the cops had deliberately lifted it to trap him.

The bridge was now raised like a steep ramp, daring him to make a move. The rider was close behind, and the police weren't far off either.

"Ahhh, what the hell, guys? You told me not to worry about the police!" Alicarde gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

If he stopped now, the rider would catch him—and worse, the police would too. He could kiss his student life goodbye.

But he had no intention of stopping. He didn't mind if he plunged into the deep, dark sea—after all, he was immortal. What he really feared was getting caught by the cops.

With a cold determined glare, Alicarde pressed the pedal to the floor. The car sped toward the bridge, its tires screeching against the asphalt. As the vehicle reached the apex, it soared into the air, flying over the gap.

The rider, not hesitating for a second, followed suit, their bike launching into the air behind him. They both landed on the other side with a bone-jarring thud, leaving the police cars stuck behind the rising bridge as they zoomed off into the night.

The car was badly battered and scraped from the rough landing, but Alicarde kept going. After a few more tense minutes, he finally found his way back home.

The road leading up to the mansion was in sight, but the rider was still too close for comfort. Desperate to shake them off, Alicarde veered off the road and cut through the forest that bordered the mansion.

The tires protested against the uneven terrain, but he had no other choice.

The mansion finally came into view, but he wasn't out of danger yet. The rider, relentless as ever, leaped off their bike and landed on the car with a thud. Clawed hands dug into the roof, ripping it off like it was made of paper.

"What the… what the actual hell?" Alicarde was stunned. Seeing no way out, he grabbed the guitar case from the passenger seat, kicked open the door, and jumped out just as the car crashed into a tree.

He quickly opened the guitar case and drew his sword, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he tried to make a run for it. But the rider, clad in a black helmet, wasn't done. They leapt into the air, landing several meters ahead of Alicarde, blocking his path to the mansion.

"You've led me on quite the chase," he heard a woman's voice say as she removed her helmet, revealing a pair of amber eyes that glowed with silver light. She was a werewolf.