When Worlds Clash: Reincarnated with the Arcane Register

Kai Drayken sipped the exotic wine from his tumbler and looked around the room surreptitiously. It was the company's quarterly dinner and company people milled around. Beneath the smiles and the laughter, he knew none of the people here liked each other. A major decision was coming up. A new appointment to the board of directors. The decision was going to be made in a week's time and everyone was on edge. But not him though. Kai smiled to himself. He wasn't fazed. This was the corporate world, his world. He had been working for two years to get to this day. A tap on his shoulder made him look back. It was his best friend, Andrew 'Andy' Cooper. Well, not exactly his best friend, more like his best office pal.

"Hey Cooper,"

"Drayken, my man." Andy settled into the seat beside him and poured himself a glass of wine as well. 

"You know, word around indicates you are likely to be the one promoted to the board."

Kai turned around. "No way Andy." He said. "Where did you hear that?" 

Andy shrugged. "Everyone is saying it man." He said. "They said that management has already decided it." He looked at the other man. "Come on, Kai. Are you really so surprised? You know it has to be you, right? You are smart, resourceful, you have a lot of connections. You know it has to be you."

Kai knew too but of course, one didn't just say otherwise you would just come across as conceited. 

"Oh, come on Andy," He protested. "You can't possibly talk that way. You know damn well that I am not the only one in this place with that sort of qualifications. Take you, for example. You have been here longer than I have. You know the ins and outs of this company more than I do and you have closed several massive deals." Now Kai had not considered it before now. But the more he spoke, the more he realised that indeed Andy was in fact very qualified for the role as well.

"You say all these things and they are nice." Andy sighed. "But really, I want this for you mon ami. I think you deserve it." He got up again and tapped his friend on his shoulder. "You are a good man Kai."

Kai raised an eyebrow at his friend's retreating back. That was weird. But he shrugged it off and continued sipping his wine. Andy would be fine. He took a moment to think about what his pal had come to tell him in the first place. So it was common knowledge that he would be the one appointed to the board? But how come he himself had not heard?

But then, he reminded himself. That was probably a good sign. In matters like this, it was usually the person who was the subject of the conversation that got to know last. But it also meant that he was fair game now for all these wild dogs. He knew the corporate world. There were a number of guys who desperately wanted to get to board level and would do anything to get it. And anything really meant anything. When you are at this level, nothing really was off the table. He decided he had stayed enough at the dinner. It was time to go home.

Twenty minutes later, he was pulling his Cadillac SUV into the underground parking lot of his high-end apartment building. An elevator ride to his loft apartment later, he was home. He punched in the security code and let himself in. He stopped for a minute to look around. Something was different but he could not place what it was. Everything looked exactly the way he had left it.

"Get a grip, director." He said to himself. "You can't be losing it now."

He moved further into the room, kicking off his shoes, socks, his suit and his tie off on the way. He grabbed a can of yoghurt and some fruits from the refrigerator and settled down to watch the highlights of his favourite football team. The match had been played while he was at the luncheon. He had no idea whether his team had won or not.

They hadn't. It was a scoreless draw. Damn.

"Still," he muttered to himself. "It was better than a draw."

He was still staring at the players running around on the screen when he heard it behind him. It was the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking.

Kai whirled around. There was a masked man standing right there, a revolver pointed straight at him. The man froze. He was a sitting turkey.

"Who are you and how did you get in?"

"Oh come on Kai," his visitor murmured. "Don't you really know me? I'm only wearing a mask for the cameras you must have put up somewhere in this your fancy apartment."

Kai could not believe his ears. "Andy?" He started to move.

"Don't move Drayken."

Kai froze again. "Andy, what in the world? Put the damn gun now."

"Oh come on Kai. Don't live in denial. You're a businessman. You know why I am here."

"I can't believe this Andy." Kai felt like he was in a dream. A bloody nightmare. It could not be. He could not be sitting on his own couch right now staring at Andy Cooper in a mask pointing a gun at him.

"How did you even get in?"

"Oh dear Kai. You're such a good man as I said. You did your homework and protected yourself from all the external forces. What you failed to see though were the people right in front of you. Me." He waved his gun hand at the door. "Your fancy password? I made sure I spied and memorized it the one and only time you brought me here."

Kai closed his eyes. This was really happening. How quickly could he reach Andy Cooper? What could he distract him with?

"The spot on the board belongs to me Drayken. You said it yourself. I am the best man for the job and you're the one in my way. The only one."

"Come on Andy, it doesn't have to be like this. You are my friend. If you want the spot, you can have it. Come on, man."

"I was never your friend and it's time to stop talking now. Goodbye Kai."

He raised the revolver. It all happened so fast.

Kai flung the bowl in his hands at the masked man in front of him. And he lunged forward. Kai's intention was to grab Andy's arm and twist it away from him but suddenly he felt something slam him in his midsection. Once. Twice. Thrice. He did not even hear any sound.

He tried to jump forward but he found that he could not move. He could not move his hands, his arms, nothing. Something felt sticky on him and he looked down to see the front of his white underwear turning a nasty blood red. He looked up again at Andy.

"Cooper. No way." He tried to say but he did not think anything came out.

He fell to his knees holding the front of his shirt. The last thing he saw was the sneering face of Andy Cooper right in front of him and the gun in his hand before everything blacked out.