Klein Cylrit
Raya's manic laughter had left all of us stunned. When it finally faded, she looked at us with that same soft smile she always wore. She didn't say anything, just smiled.
Sunny glanced at me and lightly tapped my shoulder.
"Is she always like that?"
He asked in a puzzled tone. I sighed and shook my head.
"No. Not once in my life have I seen her like this. I guess."
"You guess?"
Sunny withdrew his hand from my shoulder and turned his gaze to the school.
"I always wanted to come to this school," he said. "I used to want a lot of things. But I think now there's only one thing I really want."
I nodded at him."And what's that?"
Sunny smiled.
"I just want to die."
His answer left my mouth hanging open.
"W-what? What kind of goal is that? What kind of person wants to die? Why would anyone want that?"
My voice rose with confusion.
Sunny only smiled, a empty smile.
"Because there's nothing left in this world for me to hold on to."
I didn't answer him. I just looked at him.
Those torn clothes. That badly cut black hair. And, above all, those eyes, void-black and absolutely empty. A darkness without emotion.
I didn't know why Sunny had become like this, but I wanted to know. Helping people had always felt like an obligation to me, not because of some divine mission or promised reward, but because I had given myself that duty. I never wanted anyone else to live through my mother's pain. That loneliness.
"Wanna know something?"
I asked quietly. Sunny nodded.
"If I told you the only thing I want is to help people, you'd laugh at me, wouldn't you?"
Sunny didn't respond right away. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"Why would I laugh at that? I think your goal is the best one anyone could have in this world."
His answer made me smile. I nodded, then looked over at the two lost girls beside us.
Raya was staring up at the sky with aching eyes. Opie was sitting on the ground, staring down at nothing.
"So what do we do now?"
I hadn't aimed the question at anyone in particular. I just wanted something to fall into place. Opie was the first to respond.
"I want to find my brother," she said.
Her voice sounded like it might shatter at any second.
"I want to find him… and make our dreams come true."
Sunny smiled softly at her."Those words sound like they belong to an angel."
Opie ignored the comparison. Seeing her like this hurt, but there was nothing I could do yet. I didn't even know why the aetheric particles had turned green.
I drew in a deep breath, forcing myself to speak.
"It's not over yet," I said. "We don't know what's really happened to Grey, that's true. But would he want us sitting here sobbing? If we're not going to keep going, what's the point of life?"
Sunny and Opie both raised a brow at me.
"Life doesn't stop," I continued. "It keeps flowing. We live until our last breath. And when that last breath comes, we should be able to smile at the life we've left behind. We—"
My words were cut short by a murmur from Raya.
"Can`t we just go on a road with no end?
Can`t you just show me the light that is on your eyes?
You jumped, but left me behind.
Tears came as you dirfted apart.
Don't leave me behind.
Freedom that you sought fell into the darkness within.
Holding hands until that light separated us.
You left me under the purple lights.
Please, you promised to go.
Crying for you meant nothing under the light.
Come back and take my hand,
Under the purple light that separated us.
Nothing can stop us when we are one.
Jumping around, holding hands as we crumble to dust.
My heart only dies when you don't laugh. My and mine.
Some part of me remembered while the other forgot.
You flew as you dropped your smile above the purple light.
Death behind you, holding its hands toward you.
My hand tried to reach you, but you threw it away.
Left me as you took its hand.
I saw freedom under the purple light.
You saw smiles and dust above the purple light.
Holding hands with yours, I cried over your wings that never stopped beating."
The three of us stared at Raya in shock.
"I didn't know she could sing like that," Sunny muttered.
"Sweet… but sad," Opie added.
I couldn't say anything at all.
I was sure she'd sung that song for Grey.
I had never really seen them as some grand, storybook couple before, but looking at Raya now, I realized how wrong I'd been.
Raya took a deep breath, then turned to us with a soft smile. That smile reminded me of her old self, the Raya who could punch someone in the face and still look like the sweetest girl in the world.
Opie pushed herself up from the ground and looked at me.
"I have to go," she said. "I need to find some way to explain Grey's absence to my parents."
She stretched her arms with a weary sigh.
"We still need to make a plan," I protested.
"We don't know anything clearly yet. If we don't make a plan, we'll just end up right back where we started."
Opie pouted, and Sunny stepped in front of me. My gaze shifted from her to him.
"If you want a plan, I'll give you one," he said. "Tomorrow, around noon, we meet here. Then we figure out the rest."
There was a tone of leadership in Sunny's voice.
He swept his eyes over each of us in turn. Opie and I nodded at the same time; Raya nodded a moment later, still looking like her mind was far away, replaying everything that had happened.
"Alright then," Sunny said. "Tomorrow we move with a real plan. A big one. Whatever our goal turns out to be."
Right on cue, rain began to fall on us.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Opie muttered, glaring at the droplets splashing onto her.
"Don't be so mad. Rain keeps people alive." I said.
"Yeah. I mean what can hurt you sad bad."
Sunny shot her a lopsided grin; Opie only rolled her eyes. Dark clouds swallowed the sky, and the rain came down harder.
"I think we should all head our own ways for now," Raya's voice came from behind me.
The sudden sound startled me; I took a half-step back. Her hair was soaked through. She looked at me first, then at Opie, and finally at Sunny.
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" she asked Sunny.
He shook his head.
"I don't need a place to stay. Every alley and side street out there is mine. No one knows them better than I do."
He smiled. Raya giggled softly at that.
Then she stretched her hand out toward us.
"I want all of us together tomorrow," she said with a gentle smile.
Sunny was the first to place his hand, then Opie. I watched the three of them for a moment. Something inside me nagged that things were still wrong, still incomplete, but that missing piece wasn't just Grey. Someone, a key was still absent.
I took a long breath, filling my lungs with the rainy air, and reached out my hand as well.
"Do we… need to come up with a name for ourselves or something?" Sunny asked in a teasing tone.
Opie smacked his hand away.
"Can't you say something sensible for once?"
Sunny nodded solemnly. "Sorry, Ms. Older Sister."
Opie pouted again and fell quiet. Raya laughed and turned to me.
"When everyone, and I mean really everyone, is with us, then we can pick a name," she said.
Sunny grinned and nodded."Got it, captain."
Raya's wet hair fell over her face, but she didn't bother pushing it back.
"Then I'll see you all tomorrow," she said with a bright smile.
I smiled back at all three of them. "See you tomorrow."
"See you," Sunny chimed in immediately.
We all looked at Opie.
The golden-eyed girl looked back at us, and a calm smile settled on her lips.
"See you. All of you," she said.
We let go of each other's hands and traded one last glance.
Opie held out the bag of chocolates she'd been carrying and offered it to Raya.
"When we find my idiot brother, I want you to eat these with him," she said.
Raya bowed her head slightly and took the bag from her.
"We'll find him," she said. "No matter what it costs."
Opie nodded.
And just like that, everyone went their separate way.
My curiosity about tomorrow only grew.
I was sure the Organizer was watching us, but I also knew it wasn't just him. How many other higher beings were staring down at us from beyond those eyes?
The Organizer's voice bounced around in my skull like a ricocheting bullet. I'd missed a lot, but one thing I hadn't missed was the rune carved into Raya's hand.
She was becoming more and more like Grey.
Raya was hiding her true feelings from us.
Or maybe… her true purpose.
Sunny Ademir
The allleys were just enough to shield me from the rain. I wandered deeper into the narrow alley I'd slipped into. Houses pressed against each other, dirty laundry hanging outside, and a few tiny street food stalls scattered around.
I was hungry. The sound of my stomach growling echoed through the back alley.
"Sorry, my dear stomach, but money doesn't grow on trees."
I sighed and gave my stomach a light, scolding tap.
I started walking toward the darker end of the alley. It was always easier to rest in the shadows. Lineage City's economy was a bit worse than that of the bigger cities, or at least that's what I'd heard.
As I kept moving into the darkness, something caught my eye, a pair of bright green eyes staring at me from ahead.
The sight startled me at first, and I instinctively took a step back.
But nothing monstrous crawled out of the shadows.
Instead, one of the cutest creatures this world had to offer walked toward me.
Out of the darkness came a small black cat.
I laughed and stepped forward to meet the little predator. I crouched down in front of it and held out my index finger toward its nose. The cat sniffed my finger for a few seconds, then let out a meow and rubbed itself against me.
"Hey there, little one. You hungry too?"
I placed my hand gently on the cat's head and began to stroke its soft fur. The cat purred.
Giggling, I scooped it up in my hands and lifted it so our eyes met.
"Looks like you're missing your little jewels."
I smiled.
"My pretty girl."
The cat seemed to smile back at me.
"Would you like it if I gave you a name?"
The cat meowed in reply.
"Alright then, your name will be…"
I spent a few seconds thinking about what to name this beautiful little creature. Once the name clicked in my head, I nodded and focused back on her.
"Félicette. Yes, your name is Félicette. Sounds nice, doesn't it?"
Félicette meowed softly.
I set her gently on the ground and walked past her, heading further into the dark. I hadn't really wanted to leave her there, but my history with animals wasn't exactly… pleasant.
I kept walking, but a meow from behind made me stop.
When I turned, I saw Félicette trotting toward me with quick little steps. She came to my leg, sniffed me, then rubbed herself against my calf.
"Sorry, Félicette, but I don't have any food to give you. I can barely feed myself. The last meal I had, I made someone else pay for."
Félicette kept brushing against my leg.
I took a deep breath and slowly sat down so I wouldn't scare her away. Her sharp green predator's eyes were fixed on me.
I reached out and scratched behind her ears. She purred as I did.
I tore my gaze away from the black cat and stared deeper into the darkness.
"Have you ever been afraid of the dark, Félicette?" I asked quietly. "I have. Always. Even now, I'm scared of it."
I smiled into the void.
"But over time, I found myself inside that darkness. Just standing there, alone and pathetic."
I let out a small laugh.
"But I don't feel alone anymore. There are people I talk to now and… and that makes me happy. Makes me feel like I have a place in this world. A good, warm place."
Félicette meowed.
"Yeah, I know. I'm getting a little too sentimental."
She meowed again.
"Félicette… did your father ever hit you?"
I asked in a pitiful tone. My dry lips fell to a sad face as I did.
This time, Félicette didn't meow. Instead, she placed her small paws on my lap and looked straight into my eyes. That gaze sank right into my soul.
"Our fathers are very much alike."
Félicette spoke in a soft voice. Her ears twitch as she continued.
My eyes widened at the talking cat, and I flinched. But after a few seconds, all my fear and unease melted away.
"You know what? I'm not even going to question how or why you're talking. With all the Aether stuff Klein mentioned, seems like anything's possible."
Félicette meowed.
Laughing, I picked her up again and pressed my forehead gently to hers.
"I hope your father didn't hurt you too badly."
Félicette shook her head.
"What matters isn't what he did," she said, "but what you didn't do. My dream is to find delicious food all by myself and eat it. That way I won't be a burden to anyone, and my belly will always be full.
Félicette meowed.
I've told you my dream. Now it's your turn. What do you want?"
Her words caught me off guard.
After a few seconds of trying to process what was happening, I answered the talking black cat.
"I just want to die," I said. "I don't deserve to live in this world."
Félicette's expression fell into something sarrow.
"Why? There's no blessing greater than being born into this world."
I set her back down as I answered.
"What's the point of living in a world where I'll never leave a mark?"
Félicette rolled her eyes.
"I'll say it again. What matters is what you haven't done yet. You've been given a body, a mind, and time capable of good things. So please, use those blessings to their fullest. After that, you'll see for yourself whether you've left a mark or not."
Her words nearly brought tears to my eyes.
"Come on," Félicette said. "Come on Tarnished, at least try."
The cat smiled.
"I believe in you, Sunny Ademir."
Opie Nirmala
The rain had soaked my hair completely, but I didn't feel tired or weak. If anything, I felt more alive than usual.
This always happened to me when it rained.
I still didn't fully understand what this "Aether" was that Raya and Klein kept talking about, but considering I'd started seeing those purple particles everywhere, I at least had a better idea of what I might be dealing with.
"But what am I supposed to do now?" I asked myself.
"How am I going to explain to Mom and Dad that Grey is missing?"
I could hear my voice starting to crack, so I forced myself to shut up. This was the lowest point of my life.
I'd always thought Grey would be there. That no matter what, he'd exist in my orbit, someone I could rely on from a distance.
But I was just a clown of a sister who annoyed him. All I ever did was tease him and get on his nerves.
That wasn't my dream. My dream was to protect the people I loved at any cost, to give them the best I could. Maybe the value I placed on Grey was too much, but if he never felt that, then what did that value even mean?
My steps slowly weakened and softened.
I lifted my head and opened my arms to the falling rain. As the raindrops struck my skin, I felt my perception of the world shift.
Now I understood.
"Aether has always been here. We just couldn't see it. Only a select few were given this gift, and even then, we never used its full potential."
I wrapped myself in the rain.
"And I'm going to use this gift to protect everyone I love. No matter what it costs."
All my focus shattered when a passing car splashed a wave of water all over me.
I whipped around and flipped a middle fibger at the driver.
"Who the hell floors it through a puddle when there's someone standing right there?!"
I yelled after the car, though the driver clearly didn't care.
People nearby stared at me with weird looks, and the stares started to make me feel strangely exposed.
A woman pushing a stroller walked past, throwing me a sharp, judgmental glance.
"Doing that when children are around? Really?"
She muttered and moved on.
"As if you care that much," I grumbled to myself.
Frowning, I kept walking toward home.
Grey's sulking face and Raya's soft, adorable smile flashed in my mind.
My little brother was handsome, ridiculously so, and honestly beautiful in his own way, that much was undeniable. But even he had something he hated more than anything.
Those golden eyes. The eyes we both shared.
My golden eyes had never been a problem for me, not socially, not personally.
But for Grey, the story was different.
What was a blessing to me was a curse to him.
The biggest reason for his isolation had always seemed to be those eyes. But there was something he never understood: the golden eyes were just a blanket, what lay beneath was the real cause.
Grey was cold. Inside and out.
He didn't show me that side as often, but to everyone else, he was distant, harsh, cruel in the way only someone honest to their own contempt could be.
In his book, the highest authority was himself.
He didn't like people. He judged them based on their usefulness, their convictions, their worth compared to his ideals.
Grey was a sophisticated psychopath and a narcissist boy who believed what he knew, what he thought, stood above everyone else.
I let out a breath and stopped in front of our front door.
"If only you could've been a little kinder. A little softer. Idiot Grey."
I pouted, pulled out my key, and fit it into the lock.
The door swung open.
The stairs leading to the upper floor were straight ahead. To my left, Mom and Dad sat curled into the sofa, watching some stale romantic movie on TV.
Mom turned at the sound of the door, and our eyes met.
Her blue eyes searched mine with quiet questions.
"Hey Opie!
My mom said with joy. Her soft, pale blonde hair sticking out even at home.
"You said you'd bring Grey with you. Did something happen?"
Her voice became little sharper, a little too knowing.
Damn those mom instincts.
I cursed inwardly.
Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, taking in my wet clothes and unsettled expression. At the same time, Dad glanced away from the TV, lifted a brow, and smirked lightly.
"Your top looks a little too wet, doesn't it?"
He said it in a teasing tone.
Mom frowned and smacked his shoulder lightly.
"Don't change the subject, Grant. I'm trying to understand why our daughter is acting so strangely."
She scolded him. Dad only rolled his eyes back.
"Opie, if you and Grey had a fight, you know you can tell me, right?"
Mom's attempt at reassurance nearly broke me.
I couldn't meet her eyes. I stared at the stairs instead.
"N-no, Grey just…"
I didn't want to finish the sentence. I was scared of their reactions.
Mom's voice softened, but the worry sharpened more.
"Hey, Opie, what happened?"
Her tone trembled on the edge of panic, just like her lips did too.
"Did something happen to Grey?"
I couldn't look at her, so I turned my gaze to Dad. His red eyes usually grounded me, made me feel safe. But even his eyes were now heavy with a slowly rising fear that was leaking through his calm.
He furrowed his brows.
"Opie, you know I don't like secrets. So please, answer us. What happened to Grey?"
"H… he… he's gone."
The words barely came out, thin as a whisper. My lips trembled as I spoke, my eyes darted away.
"What do you mean 'gone'?"
Mom shot to her feet, her eyes now completely filled with panic.
"Opie!"
She shouted.
"Where is Grey?!"
"I don't know, okay?!"
The tears that had gathered finally spilled over.
"I don't know. All I know is that he's out there somewhere."
Even in this situation, I had to lie to them. And that was tearing me apart.
"He said he wanted to be alone for a while… and then he disappeared without telling me where he was going."
Mom's eyes blazed with a mix of fury and terror. Her blonde hair stirred as if some invisible force had passed through it.
Something else caught my attention.
Purple particles, Aether, were drifting toward her.
The same way they had drifted toward me when I'd gotten angry at Raya.
"Calm down, Felicia, you're scaring her."
Dad gripped her arm firmly.
"We'll find Grey, I promise. But you can't do it by turning on Opie. Look at her, she's just in panic as we are."
His words slowly pulled Mom back from the edge. She sank down onto the couch, clung to him, and broke into sobs.
Her tears were endless.
Dad looked at me, as his soft brown hair swang to the right because of some wind that came from a open window.
"Go to your room. We'll talk about how to find Grey later, alright?"
I nodded weakly.
I climbed the stairs and closed my bedroom door behind me with a soft click.
My eyes scanned the room and landed on a framed photo sitting on my desk. It was of me and Grey when we were younger. I had him on my back, giving him a piggyback ride. Even back then, he only really spent time with me, and even back then, I knew exactly what kind of person he was.
Soft, gentle, kind on the inside; a complete psychopath on the outside. Or... Or maybe both.
I picked up the photo with both hands, and a tear fell, landing right on the smiling face of the young Grey.
"Where the hell are you now, damn little brother?"
Raya Marin
I stopped in front of my house.
I raised my hand to knock, but I didn't.
Because if I knocked, today would end, and tomorrow I'd wake up knowing Grey wasn't there.
Over my shoulder, I watched the rain. I could see inside the raindrops. Blue Aether particles stared back at me from within them.
My eyes fell to the ground, then back to the door.
My hand reached for it and, trembling, I finally knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and the person I saw was my brother, Cole.
"Why the sad face?"
He asked, immediately as he saw my condition. His eyes searched for mines but my eyes didn't meet his. I couldn't answer his question.
"Raya?"
I clasped my hands behind my back and forced an awkward smile.
"It's nothing, big bro. I'm just annoyed at the rain."
Cole's shadowy blue eyes studied me with curiosity.
"Hey, hey, alright. Just remember to bring an umbrella next time. This time of year is all rain anyway."
I nodded in agreement.
Cole smiled and stepped aside to let me in.
The moment I crossed the threshold, my heart throbbed painfully.
I wasn't ready for tomorrow to come.
"Where are Mom and Dad?"
I asked with my head slightly lowered.
"They went out of town. A friend of theirs from Zelyana City died. They went to the funeral."
Cole answered as he headed into the kitchen.
I sighed quietly at his back. His black hair, from where I stood, looked oddly like a smooth egg.
I didn't know why. I just thought so.
I set the bag of chocolates down on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
At that moment, Cole called out to me.
"Want some tea? It's special, came from Sirka City."
I shook my head.
"No, thanks. I don't really have the energy for tea."
Cole shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
I tore my gaze away from his egg-shaped hair and thought about what to do.
I could talk to him, but I knew he couldn't see Aether. I didn't want my brother to think I'd gone insane.
I glanced briefly at the rune etched into my hand.
"If I showed him this, would he believe in Aether?"
I asked myself.
Cole always supported me, but what was I expecting him to do about this?
I had to be patient.
Just like with Opie, a part of me wished Cole could see Aether too. A part of me... For some of us, Aether was a gift. For others, it was a curse.
"Hey, Cole," I called out.
"Yeah?" he answered from the kitchen.
"Have you ever seen purple particles? Like… tiny floating ones?"
"Purple particles? What the hell is that?"
He said, his tone confused.
I sighed.
I didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
"Nevermind. Just a random question."
"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever."
Cole's tone was teasing; I could practically feel him rolling his eyes.
I pouted and looked toward my room at the end of the corridor.
"If I go in there and sleep, the day ends. But if I stay awake, the day still ends. The day's going to end either way."
I opened my hand and looked at the Rune of Freedom, studying it again.
I knew I needed Aether to use it.
I started walking toward my room. If I was going to experiment with Aether, I'd rather do it somewhere my brother wouldn't get dragged into it.
I stepped inside and gently closed the door behind me.
Leaning back against the blue wall of my room, I looked up at the ceiling.
Aether particles danced around the light fixture, waiting for me.
"Ugh. Why is life like this?"
I pointed the Freedom rune toward the particles.
Nothing happened.
"How does this thing even work?"
I flicked my hand a few times. Then when it didin`t work, I shook my hand in air.
Still nothing.
"How does Grey even does this?"
I poured my thoughts, my mind, my intentions into trying to use the rune. At some point, Grey had tried to explain how runes worked, but I barely remembered any of it.
"'Channel your purpose into the runes.'"
He'd said something like that, I was pretty sure.
But how the hell was I supposed to do that? I mean I don`t really think that Grey also knew much about this runes anyway. When those black flames erupted from his bag, Grey was as shocked and frightened as I was.
"You're doing it wrong."
A soft, gentle voice spoke from the corner of my room.
"Ah!"
I flinched at the sound and stumbled.
When I turned toward the voice, I saw someone dazzling.
An angel stood there, looking at me with warm golden eyes.
The angel's golden eyes calmed my soul.
"Hello, Raya," the angel said in a sweet tone.
She bowed her head politely and smiled.
"My name is the Angel of Imagination."
Her pure white wings folded neatly behind her.
"Are you an apostle too?" I asked, remembering Aspin.
She laughed while shooking her head.
"No. The Angel of Imagination serves no one. I only move according to what is right."
"Then why is there 'angel' in your name?"
I raised an eyebrow.
Her smile softened.
"Because angels are pure. They represent what is right. And they protect. Protection is part of what I am, just like a real angel."
I sighed and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor.
The Angel of Imagination took a few steps toward me, then stopped.
"You feel lost right now. I know. That's why I'm here."
My eyes drifted past her to the window behind her, where I could see the outside world.
"How am I supposed to use this rune?" I muttered.
I dropped my head, letting my blue hair fall forward to cover my eyes. I tangled my fingers in my bangs.
"Grey is alive, Raya."
The Angel of Imagination voice was full of reassurance.
I already believed he was alive. What I wanted was to know where he was.
"If you know he's alive, then you know where he is too."
My voice came out rough.
The Angel of Imagination nodded.
"Of course I know. But I can't tell you."
I lifted a brow.
"Why not? Or… whatever. Forget it."
I looked down at my wet clothes and took a deep breath.
"Sorry. If I was rude."
She giggled.
"I know how sweet and kind you really are, Raya, dear. You're just afraid something has happened to Grey. You don't want him hurt."
"Of course I don't. You don't need to explain that."
The Angel of Imagination grinned.
"Really, don't worry. Everything will be fixed soon. Until then, you just have to endure. That's the only advice I can give you."
She bowed her head again.
"For now, we'll meet again, Raya Marin."
And with that, she vanished into a soft lilac light.
I stared at the Aether traces she left behind and raised the Freedom rune once more.
"Alright then. Thank you, Angel of Imagination."
I directed my goals, my thoughts, my feelings into the rune, and it began to glow.
A blue light flooded the room.
The Aetheric particles were drawn into the rune, and I felt a locked emotion deep inside me break free.
A real smile.
Runes appeared in faint shapes across different parts of my body, and my vision shifted completely.
It felt wider.
Lighter.
Freer.