"Can I help you?"

Damian's baritone voice was a mere whisper in contrast to the grinding train wheels and the obnoxious honking car horns. Your standard nine-to-five day, on a regular ol' wednesday, stuck in the sardine-packed train carriage where you were invaded by the smell of pharmacy perfume and cheap cologne.

He was lucky that he managed to snag a seat this time, squashed between the corner and another passenger. Not only was he close to the carriage doors, but he managed to grab the train station coffee - he thought for sure it'd make him wait for the next round. What's better? The person sitting next to him was another regular white-collar like him! No drunk hobos who happened to fall asleep on the morning train, his wallet would be safe.

Well, what goes up must come down. Damian was barely paying attention to his surroundings, focused on finishing and editing the program his superiors wanted done by today. Everything was routine; he'd finish the last few lines in fifteen minutes, passing by two stations by that time. By the thirty minute mark, he'd have to get up and run to the bus station, where he can spend another ten minutes refining the program before getting to his work station.

That's when they got on.

Some time during the ride, a small group of red-robed figures squeezed their way through the tightly packed crowd, mumbling 'excuse us,' and 'pardon me' all the way until they cornered Damian in his little corner. One member pushed the worker sitting next to him away, placing themselves on the seat. Damian was utterly alone, fenced away from the tiny world made in the carriage walls. He might've been slightly worried if he had even noticed, it took one of the figure's, distinguished by the golden embroidery woven into their hood, coughing several times and another pinching his black blazer to actually catch Damian's attention.

And that brings us to the present.

"Yes, you can help us." The golden one spoke in a strident voice, insanity and megalomania woven through his tone as he waved his hands. Well, it was obvious to see who the leader was. "Oh, great lord! Savior of our sins, the martyr who was cast out of holy light! Thou whose name can not pass through our moooorr... My lord, are you listening?"

"Hm? Yeah, definitely. Keep going."

Damian was in fact, not listening. His attention was instead kept between the lines of code that zoomed across his screen.

"He's writing the ancient language!" The robed member squatting beside him poked over his shoulder, pointing their skeletal finger at his laptop screen. "Simply amazing, I cannot even comprehend these words!"

"Let us see, move over!" Another craned their neck over and Damian could barely balance his laptop, backpack and coffee all in one place.

Just leave my coffee alone. If it is safe, then I am happy.

"Fools! We're not worthy! Haven't you listened to my teachings? Your heads will implode from the knowledge, and your sanity will leak from your eyes and be consumed by the great one!" The golden-robed figure pulled the two back, forcing them on their knees.

"I am just coding in python, it's not rocket science!" Damian barely bit back a yell - there he goes again, his emotions are getting out of whack. Just take a sip of your coffee Damian, just get that drug in you.

"O' great one, we, the enlightened ones, have found your texts on our darkest days, and have worked through the trials and tribulations the universe has put us through, to find you... here, on a musty-smelling train." The leader announced, and Damian barely spared his a modicum of attention. He was a minute and a half behind on his schedule! His five second coffee break was delayed by these buffoons!

"Yes, well, reality is often disappointing isn't it?"

"But you can change that! You have powers unrivaled! It was only those-" The man took a breath, as if moment's away from a violent rage- "those pathetic conquistadors who sealed you away, cursed you with mortal body and folly! That is why we're here; to help you regain your former glory."

"That sounds great and all but I'm running behind schedule so I'm.. I'm going to need to stop bothering me so I can get this verrry important work done. Go back to whatever crack den you came from, I'll be right behind you."

The group of robed people seemed to deflate, their hoods turning back and forth as if in conversation with each other - which would be hard since their hoods covered their entire face.

"I feared this was the case. Our lord, mortality has poisoned your mind! Burdened with amnesia with each incarnation! Crushed under the unbearable pressure of... eurgh- complacency! It pains us to see you this way!" The leader placed his hands on his hips, looking down at Damian who continued to type away at a breakneck pace. He deftly nicked the to-go cup of coffee that was precariously placed on the corner of the laptop. "And it starts with this! Drugs to keep us as hardwo-"

"You're going to put my coffee back. You're going to place back exactly where it was, down to the millimeter, in the next ten seconds, understand?" There was a look to Damian's eyes, of truths unseen, of devilish delights that were heinous even to the most hardened criminals. They were eyes that watched giant stars collapse in on themselves, and cheered in delight as gaping black holes stole the warmth and light of suns.

"O-of course, lord! Those eyes, they were exact-"

As the leader had been bending to place the coffee cup down, the train bumped and shifted. What could've caused that? Oh, who knows. Probably a rat.