Walking, under the blank dark sky. Nothing expect a boy searching for freedom.
Zeka is walking into the void. Nothing but a pure black sky with no stars nor clouds. There's no ground, no air, nothing.
Just Zeka.
Cold but somehow warm. Overwhelmed but still calm. Zeka's spirit is completely shattered in this place where they call "the Void".
Zeka collapse in the middle of nowhere, all broken and helpless.
He tries to crawl but even his knees betrays him. The Curse appears infront of the "weak boy".
Kurayami is a literal twin of Zeka just with white hair and bloody red eyes.
What are you doing?
Kurayami speaks.
Are you still looking for someone to help you?
He leans down to lift Zeka's face from the "ground"
Look at your face.
Shame of you to be alive.
Kurayami is trying to break him with words and surprisingly it's working.
Zeka is trying to hide his face but kurayami changes his grip into his hair to lift him off.
Kurayami lifts him into his eye level watching closely.
The curse watching the cursed. Weak.
Kurayami moves the bangs on Zeka's left eye. The part where it's always hiding behind his hair. Kurayami looks at the jagged scar that ruined his eyes. Kurayami touches it slightly, and suddenly...
The scar starts glowing. Not a normal glowing. It's like a black hole bending light around it.
The pain starts growing sharper through Zeka's whole body. The pain feels very real and killing. Zeka feels his soul is escaping his body slowly from that slight touch by kurayami. A heart attack hits Zeka's chest. He starts bleeding from the mouth running through his chest and the right eye turns bloody slowly.
Kurayami throws Zeka away. Zeka screams in pain once kurayami left him free. The scream isn't just normal scream.
A scream...
Makes anyone nearby terrified.
Kurayami approaches Zeka again.
He watches the lost boy who never seen something normal for once shouting for help but his voice barely leaves his throat. Zeka tries again to ask for help but his vision fades slowly. He faints on the floor as kurayami just watch there. Kurayami leans down infront of him.
He crashes his hands into Zeka's chest taking his heart out. The heart thumping louder than an engine of a plane. Kurayami crushes the heart on one hand and the scene fades.
A very heavy sound like a metal thin door sharp and cold at its highest pitch. Zeka wakes up from the nightmare. He looks beneath his shirt as if his "heart" is still there.
He holds himself tightly like a boy trying to hug his mom after a long time. Zeka clams down for a bit but the fear in him is still rising higher.
Are you okay?
Liora taps on zekas shoulders lightly behind him.
Zeka jumps from the sudden question and the touch, as he turns his head to see the person.
Watching Liora's face makes him forget why he was suffering at the first place.
I-I'm okay... Liona... I'm fine...
Zeka tries to hide the fear inside him but Liora has an idea.
She tries to do a sneaky attack from behind.
She jumps on him her hair over his and both of them physically close. But Zeka just gives her a look like what are you doing look.
But he smiles and the fear slowly fades away as he feels the warmth of her hug.
For the first time in life. Zeka finally gets a warm hug by someone that's close to him.
He only knew violence. Punishments. Curses.
But never felt the warmth of a mother hugs him tightly. And Liora finally shows him what's true warmth of a hug can feel like.
Zeka's eyes close repeatedly even though the sun is already high enough.
He sleeps in the hug Liora made for him.
He finally sleeps without having a nightmare. Or cursed. Just sleeping like a baby that he should've for years...
Akari wakes up still blind. The time left is around 11 hours for her spiritual law to recharge fully again.
She yawns and stretches her arms around.
G-good morning.
She says hopefully for someone to respond.
Ah! Good morning Akari. How was sleep?
Did you sleep well or had a nightmare like someone?
As Liora softly poke Zeka's cheeks, and he responds with a slight move of his eyebrows.
Just a normal dream that I forgot. Hopefully you didn't have any nightmares have you?
Akari speaks again trying to find where's Liora exactly at.
Hm just a normal dream too I think. Silly me can't even remmber what dream was it haha.
Liora replies cheerfully as Akari finally reaches to sit next to her.
Liona starts talking with Akari for a bit.
Finally the 3 boys wakes up from their sleep.
The first thing they witness is Zeka sleeping on Liora's thigh.
Her tail keeps swinging around and her ears twitching while talking to Akari.
The boy are a little bit confused as they watch carefully what's going on trying to understand this situation.
Liora looks at them in a cold eyes.
What?
She says only one word making them scared to make another move.
Akari finally opens up after understanding the moment.
She explains what happend to Liora and Zeka as all of them finally sit in a circle in the "free" house .
All of them starts talking and opening up as Zeka stay still on Liora's thigh.
He's awake and Liora knows but she decided to let him sit there for longer.
Their blades next to them lying on the cracked floor as both of Zeka and Liora having there time and the others mix into the story...
But something is still off... How are they going to escape this city and how they'll reach Ishikawa again?