Arc 1
Scene 0
After the New Year celebrations, everyone took some time off. Kieza still lives with Mio, and her income is based on her work at the Ministry of Control with Kirisaki. Because of the dismissal of two employees at the Ocurrens bar, Mia and Andou are working much more. Andou even quit his other jobs, focusing solely on the bar. Mio and Aisa, after getting closer to Shiroh and her sisters, have started to frequent Olympus occasionally, helping with some tasks and often taking care of some paperwork because of the time they've both spent away from their homeland. While Mia began to get closer to Ms. Mistery and Shiroh, her circle of friends in recent years has been very mixed. Because of the bar, she got very close to Zenska and Kieza, only to drift apart when she got into a fight with Iro, then befriended Mio and Aisa. Now the former two have quit their jobs, while the other two have almost their entire lives made up, making Mia feel out of place. In this case, incredibly, the trio of Mia, Ms.Mistery and Shiroh ended up creating an incredible dynamic. The three were almost inseparable. So much so that Kirisaki couldn't help feeling a little jealous. However, when everyone was making new friends, starting new jobs, taking a step further in life, for others it was all repulsive. Still, no one around seemed to have noticed. At the bar, where Yuki went every day, she almost always brought someone else. She was no longer there any of the time. On some of Aisa and Andou's dates, someone was always there, or worse, when they were double dates. But she wasn't there at any of the future meetings. At the Ocurrens meetings, someone was always there to lift everyone's spirits, and once in a while to help with the plans. She wasn't there. Next to Yuki, it was almost expected to have someone else with her, the two seemed to share the same braincells. But now, Yuki was always alone. And no one seemed to notice. Not even Yuki.
It's already February. Sora had spent the last few months without leaving the house much, and no one seemed to mind. In fact, it only made her want to go out even less, realizing that no one cared about her. What hurt the most was the fact that Yuki had completely forgotten about her - or so it seemed. When that happened, she had focused so much on that woman that she no longer had any friends, and she realized it. Another reason to not leave the house. Not to mention Aisa, she was just perfect, she had her life made, of course she wouldn't care about someone like Sora. Nor did she want to bother her sister. Because of all this, even the cracks in her wall and imperfections in the ceiling were known. She spent day after day trapped in her room. One day, however, she decided to leave. Funny enough, it was February 12th. It had been a month since her birthday. There was no party, no celebration, it went by like another unnoticed day. Maybe it was because she never told Aisa the day she was born, she couldn't blame her sister for that. But that was the reality, they seemed close on the surface, but since the day they met, nothing had changed. The distance between them seemed like an abyss, perhaps it was all the problems of their childhood that prevented them from getting closer. But what certainly bothered Sora the most was the fact that her sister knocked on her bedroom door every day without fail. She would leave her breakfast, lunch, snacks and even dinner. Sometimes she would stop in front of the door and try to strike up a conversation, to ask if everything was all right. Over time, the attempts at conversation diminished. Sora knew that this was pure childishness on her part, but she still hated this incredibly caring and concerned side of her sister. Why couldn't she just be a complete asshole? It would make things easier. She wouldn't have to feel guilty when she mentally cursed at her. Anyway, back to the present day. Whenever she left her room, she always did so late at night or early in the morning, because she didn't want to have to meet Aisa. She wouldn't know how to look her in the eye:
- haah, what a pain.
She scratched her head after stretching and closing the door to her room. It was in the middle of the corridor. Compared to Aisa's room, Sora's was the closest to the stairs. However, even further away from the stairs, there was a third room. Until then, it had been used to store boxes and unused things. As usual, Sora looked towards the end of the corridor, gazing at the few shapes she could make out in the darkness. Calm down. Shapes? The girl paled when she realized there was a silhouette. Was it Aisa? No. They're taller, the hair is longer. It wasn't her. That would be... Yuki???? No. The body was different. Of course it wouldn't be her, you idiot. So... who was it? And why was she standing in front of Aisa's room? What was she supposed to do? Moving her hand through the air, careful not to make a sound, she stopped time. Well, at least Yuki didn't interfere in that. She still had free control of time. Now, with time stopped, she could approach the figure. Wait a minute. Something was wrong. Before she could even react, the person began to move and in a few moments Sora was immobilized on the ground:
- Who are you? - They asked
How the hell had that person moved? Their time should have stopped!
- I'm the one who asks you that! - She retorted
- NO! You moved! HOW?
- shhh, shut up! You'll wake up Aisa.
- hi??!?!?!?!! - Sora was in shock
The person released her, getting up:
- Come on, introduce yourself. Before I consider you an enemy and finish you off. Your little time power has no effect on me.
- How?!????
- I just materialized time around me.
- What?
That person said it like it was the easiest thing in the world, as easy as breathing. However, materialization magic as strong as that would only be possible if you were someone like Shiroh, or the God of Matter:
- so, are you going to answer? Your time is running out.
- ugh... I'm Sora.
- And?
- What do you mean? What else do you want to know?
- Why are you here?
"Shouldn't that be a question I ask you?"
- Uhm, I live here. I don't know how you know Aisa, but we're sisters, you know. Is it normal for sisters to live together...
- sisters? - The person looked surprised - are you a Goddess of something?
- Of time... kind of obvious, right?
The figure remained silent, still. Taking advantage of this, Sora began to grope the wall, looking for the light switch. She was about 1.70m tall, with long purple hair that was layered, her eyes were the same color but a little darker, and she wore slightly rounded glasses. She was strangely similar to Aisa and Sora. When she noticed the lights on, she finally moved:
- huh - She looked at Sora - yeah, you do look alike.
- you see, who the HELL are you? How do you know Aisa?
- hm - She smiled - what if I told you - she put one of her hands on top of Sora's head, ruffling her hair - that I'm your older sister?
- WHAT?
The woman quickly covered Sora's mouth:
- shhh, you'll wake Aisa!!! - She dragged her downstairs - can you be quiet? - She took her hand away from her mouth
- what do you mean?
Scene 1
- So... what's your name?
She was sitting at the living room table, drinking her tea as usual:
- Qi-Yuan. I assume you don't remember me....
- No, I'm sorry.
Aisa was in the living room, eating her breakfast, and sitting in front of her was the same figure that had appeared in front of Sora the night before:
- Yeah, it's okay. I ran away from home as soon as you were born, so I didn't even know Sora existed... anyway - She smiled - funny. You're the Goddess of Space, Sora is the Goddess of Time and I'm the Goddess of Matter. Isn't that a perfect trinity?
- uhm - Aisa looked at her, confused - yes... really. Anyway, do you have somewhere to live? We have a spare room.
- I'd take it! Since we didn't grow up together, I imagine that seeing me as a sister is strange... but...
- Oh, no, no! Don't be like that. Until recently, Sora and I had zero contact.
- Hm, I wonder - she got serious - did our parents really stop you from leaving the room, then?
- Do you... know that?
- Yes. That's why I ran away from home - She lowered her head - I know it was cowardly, I should have stood by you and supported you. But I couldn't deal with it. I'm sorry.
- Oh. - She looked down - It's been years, I don't bother with it anymore.
They were both silent for a while:
- I imagine you're not ready to talk about it yet - Qi-Yuan said - but since I'm your older sister, you can count on me. Anyway - She stood up - I don't have any baggage, so I imagine tidying my room won't take long. There's something else bothering me at the moment, though.
- What is it?
- I only found out yesterday that Sora was my sister because I ran into her... but - She looked at the stairs - why is she in her room? - She looked at Aisa
- ah... yeah... that's been going on for a while. I don't know - She sighed - it started after the New Year's party. A friend of ours always throws big parties, and this time it was on the beach. She was with... - She stopped talking
- with...?
- wait - She seemed to realize something - she... she was with Yuki! How could I not have noticed that before? - She stood up, looking upset about something
- What happened?
- She and Yuki were together, and then they went for a walk. Later, only Yuki came back and then I found Sora coming out of her room with her bags packed. Then we went back and celebrated the New Year at home. Since then she's hardly left the house! How did I miss that?
- hmm... this Yuki... were they friends?
- More than that! Sora was in love with Yuki! - She was running around in circles - maybe Sora said something? That's got to be it!
- Hm - Qi-Yuan had one hand on her chin - what about Yuki? What did she feel?
- NOTHING! Yuki never had eyes for Sora, and she knew it, they both knew it. Yuki is a Chronos, so she certainly knew about Sora's feelings all along, and deliberately decided to ignore them - She sighed - probably for Sora's own good. She must have felt pressured by the fact that everyone was dating around her, and decided to make a move.
- And Yuki rejected her.
- That's for sure.
- Yeah... - She looked at the stairs - I don't know Sora, but... what kind of rejection was that, for her to be depressed for almost two months?
Aisa looked at Qi-Yuan, she looked serious:
- you're right... what the hell did Yuki say? - She looked annoyed
- Anyway, it's amazing that you realized all this without Sora telling you.
- It's the least of it... she and I may not be that close, but I... - She lowered her head - I like paying attention to her, more than she pays attention to me - She sighed - She never told me her birthday, but I found out. Since she never told me, I assumed she didn't like it, so I always avoided celebrating. But I always made a point of buying her a cake, always cooking something she liked and not picking on her. This time, I did the same, but less than usual... because she was locked in her room. Anyway - She took a deep breath - enough talking.
- What do you intend to do? You look angry.
- I'm going to talk to Yuki.
- Are you sure?
- Yes - She headed for the door - Take care of the house while I'm gone - And she left
Scene 2
Aisa marched up to Mio's house, knocking on the door. And as luck would have it, the "victim" was exactly the one who answered:
- Yuki - She looked serious
- Yes? - She seemed indifferent, as usual - Did something happen?
- Is Mio home?
- No..
- Okay - She pushed her inside, closing the door - Let's have a little chat, then
- What happened? - She didn't seem to be reacting much to it all
- What's wrong with you?
- Hm? - She tilted her head - what are you talking about?
- You know, Yuki. You know it all - She looked at her seriously
- I really don't know what you're talking about - That damn eye, completely dead, unwavering
- What did you do to Sora?
- Who?
Hello? What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHO'S SORA? What kind of joke was that?
- ...what do you mean? - She was in shock
- I'm sorry... I don't know who Sora is - She stared at Aisa.
No. It was a bluff. She knows who Sora is. She's just pretending:
- hah... - She took a deep breath - and to think you'd be like that... - She raised her head - I don't know what you did to Sora, what you said, although I have a general idea. It doesn't seem like either of you want to talk about it. But that doesn't matter. Just know that she's been locked in her room for two months, she doesn't talk to anyone anymore, and I bet she only eats because I always leave a plate in front of her room. This is all your fault.
Yuki stared at Aisa coldly:
- It's not my fault.
- What? - She looked at her, as if she could kill her right then and there
- What? - She smiled - It's not my fault that your "little sister" is emotional - Her smile was terrifying - I tried to get through to her, to make her realize that it was simply useless to try to say anything. Hm, she didn't listen. She must have raised her expectations and I ended up stepping on them. What a shame, huh? She always knew I'd never feel anything for her. And yet she tried. She's just an idiot. I don't need her.
Aisa looked at her. Static. Was that really Yuki? HOW? HOW? HOW COULD SORA LIKE SOMEONE LIKE THAT?
- do you have any idea what you're talking about? - She seemed to contain her anger
- I do - she smiled - and you? What are you going to do? You can't do anything, Aisa!!!! - She approached the woman - Fight me all you want, will anyone believe you? Besides, no one even noticed she was missing. Hah, all this for her futile attempt to erase herself from my mind! What are you going to do, tell everyone what I said? As if I cared!
She was right, there was nothing she could do. It wasn't as if Yuki had committed some kind of crime. Aisa took a deep breath, she had to recompose her posture:
- You're right - She looked at her - Thank you - She smiled - You were a deliverance. I hope Sora realizes the person you are - She turned, opened the door and then looked at Yuki again - Don't worry, karma always comes - She gave a gentle smile - All right, see you later!
After that conversation, a few weeks passed, and everything repeated itself in almost the same way. Except that Aisa now had a companion, she and Qi-Yuan had a lot in common and often exchanged ideas and advice about books and tea. Even so, the older girl had been trying to talk to Sora every day since she arrived, just as Aisa had in the past, but it was always useless:
- Haaah, honestly. - They looked at the mural - Mary was useless from start to finish. I even revealed the location of the hourglass to her - They sighed - Well, it's probably about time, isn't it? Yuki must have collected the hourglass by now.
They moved to the center of the room, where there was a small table with a chessboard. The game seemed to already have started. The figure moved one of the pieces:
- Let's go, do your job.
February 20, 2018:
- 944 days to go, that's 2 years and 7 months.
Yuki was under the roof of some house, it was night. Her only eye, reddish, was dead. This has been a common occurrence lately. The woman always had a dangerous aura, even if she was very silly and playful. Over the last few months, her sharp gaze has lost its luster. Or, rather, her mask has fallen off. Not completely. But today would be a big step towards that. Yuki stretched her arm in the air, it was windy, so her eye patch was easily blown away:
- Should I start the preparations, then?
The left eye was red, and where there had been an eye patch now revealed a golden eye.
Scene 3
A few weeks passed, and it was already the middle of March. In those recent days, there was a lot going on in Dìxía - after all, it wasn't often that events like this happened. Mio and Phaniel were getting married at the registry office. So, officially, the two were considered spouses. It wasn't a big ceremony, not least because they didn't want to do anything too eccentric. A few close friends were invited and then the two of them went out on a date. And that was it. The most annoying thing, however, was that many rumors about the two of them had surfaced in recent months. Since Kieza moved in with Mio, these kinds of comments have become commonplace. Many speculated about Mio's supposed cheating, or that the two of them got married to try to hush up these rumors. Still, to think that the Goddess of Loyalty would cheat on her husband, wasn't that a bit much?
- Do you know what they're talking about?
Yuki came into the living room, standing a little away from the sofa where Mio was:
- hm? - She looked at her sister
- You're cheating on Phaniel - She put one of her hands on her waist
- What?
- Yeah, everyone's talking about it - She shrugged - It's not just me who's talking - She looked at Mio
Yuki had been acting very strangely recently, for the past month she'd suddenly appeared without her eye patch and never gave any explanation. The weirdest thing was that Yuki had never had heterochromia. Her two eyes had always been red. Therefore, Mio had assumed that during the war, at some point, she had lost her right eye. For, ever since Mio had arrived on Earth, her sister had worn that eye patch. However, she knew that talking about herself was always impossible when it came to Yuki, so she gave up on the subject. Still...
- And why are you telling me this? You know it's just rumors, it's ridiculous to tell me this.
- Come on! I just wanted to warn my dear little sister.
No. There was something wrong. This wasn't the Yuki she knew. There was something VERY wrong:
- Hey, did something happen? - She turned towards her, but she was still sitting on the sofa
- What do you mean? - Her expression sulked
- You've been acting strange... - She thought - since Iro's party - She kept quiet - Speaking of which, since that day you and Sora haven't spoken. Is she all right?
- Ah - She rolled her eyes, which were totally dead, unwavering - How many times are you going to ask me that?
- So something really did happen between you two - She got serious - what did you do to Sora?
- Why do they always say that, couldn't she have done something?
- SHE LIKES YOU - She was startled, realizing how altered she had become. She took a deep breath - ...how could she do anything to you?
- I don't know - She rolled her eyes - I don't miss it, that's all I know.
- ...what...? - She muttered, looking at Yuki
That wasn't her sister. No, no, no, IT WASN'T! WHO WAS SHE?
- What? - She smiled - are you scared?
No... that was always her. Mio just hadn't realized it. In fact, it was a question she that had been there ever since she lost consciousness the day Kieza went crazy. That day she revisited her past, revisited the day she killed her sister with her own hands. At first she thought it was just a dream, but as time went by, she realized that everything was too vivid to have been just a dream. Somehow, someone was able to send Mio's consciousness back to that day. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Ever since then, one question kept hammering away in her head: "Why had Yuki let herself be killed?" After all, she is a Chronos, the strongest being in the universe, not just anyone would be able to kill her. In fact, even Shiroh would struggle trying to kill a Chronos. So why had Mio been able to do it? And not to mention that, years later, she had been able to come back to life. This happened just before the war ended, Mio thought she was just hallucinating, due to grief and guilt over killing her own sister, but after a while she realized that Yuki had really come back from the dead. For strong beings like her, that's not impossible, she must have spent all that time in Limbo, and managed to gather enough power to resurrect herself. Still... if she had that ability, why did it take her so long? Why did she let herself be killed? Why did she make Mio blame herself? It was almost as if she wanted Mio to blame herself. Before, a thought like that would have seemed ridiculous, an outrage. But... if that were the case, wouldn't everything make a lot more sense? She couldn't help but consider it:
- hey.. Yuki, tell me... why did you do all this?
A deafening and ridiculously long silence settled over the room, broken only by the noise of the TV:
- ahm, what do you mean, I did what? - She looked at Mio
The younger girl looked into her sister's eyes. Those damn eyes. She knew it. She knew it. She knew it very well. Yuki always knew everything:
- It's strange, isn't it? A little child who's barely arrived on Earth, being able to kill a Chronos over 18 years old - She stared at her, wanting to test how far Yuki's integrity would go
- heh - She laughed, crossing her arms - really, how strange. It sounds like it was all orchestrated - She laughed - but, after all, why would someone want to be killed by their own sister? To make her blame herself? How ridiculous~
That was all the reaction she needed. So that was that. That was the verdict, Yuki really had let herself be killed by Mio on purpose. All this to traumatize her? Frankly, how ridiculous. What was the reason, for what reason? She knew that asking would be pointless. She wouldn't cooperate. And, in fact, even that was deliberate. Yuki wanted Mio to know that. HAH! THAT'S IT, THEN? IS THAT HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY, YUKI? HOW RIDICULOUS! So she had deliberately driven her sister to kill her, to put the blame on her and traumatize her. Years later, when Mio was finally getting over it, she came back from the dead to continue haunting her. And now that her life was moving on, she revealed all this to keep pulling her down. HOW RIDICULOUS. All this for what? Very well. Yuki wants to destroy Mio inside and out, is that it? So she'd give it away, she'd play along, she'd dance with Yuki. If she wants Mio to be destroyed, then she'll be destroyed.
Scene 4
- Eh, a bit late, aren't you?
Iro was sitting on the park bench, the same bench that was surrounded by gold buttons:
-Sorry, sorry. - Mia sat down next to him
- haaaah - He sighed, throwing himself onto the back of the bench
- What? - She looked at him
- Nothing... - He smiled - it's been a bit tiring, Kieza and Zenska could gossip, but they did a good job - He lowered his head - I miss them...
- Yeah... - She looked around - Kieza's busy working with Kiri, and Zen seems to be focusing on her college, right?
- Yes, it seems she started last month. Law is hard...
- Mhm - She agreed - I wish I could have that.
- What do you mean?
- To be able to go to college, to have an ordinary life, y'know. Actually, Kieza could have followed the same path... but Mary manipulated her.
- Eh... I understand, too. But, Mia, there's nothing stopping you! If you want, I'll even reduce your workload, and if you need it, you don't have to work in the bar either! Do what you want - He smiled
- No, no - She laughed - thank you, but this isn't for me... I know I'm still young and I have the chance to do all this... just...
- yeah.. - He sighed - it's strange, though, isn't it?
- Yes. Even though Humans and other races can now live in harmony, I'm still not brave enough to do it. And I don't even look that different!
- Yeah - he laughed - but me...
- Speaking of which! Xaphan's been pretty quiet, hasn't he? Mary's gone... and Cheng seems to have stopped her plans for the time being...
- Hmm... about that. Xaphan seems to have a soft spot for Kirisaki, every now and then I go to visit him, you know, to keep tabs, and on one of those he told me he didn't want to get in the way of the work she was so diligently doing.
- Huh, but Kiri works killing Nightmares, not taking care of war-affected cities! Of course, it's great that Xaphan doesn't do anything, but if he did, it wouldn't directly interfere with Kiri's work. Strange, isn't it?
- Hahaha - He laughed - you're right! I think he just doesn't want to have to see her.
- Did something happen?
- He doesn't know how to deal with feelings - He shrugged
- hmmm - She looked at Iro with a little smile.
- What?
- I think you two have more in common than I thought...
- HEY! I may have a hard time with feelings, but you've helped me... - He crossed his arms.
- Yeah, yeah. - She laughed - it's true.
And so it went with the two of them, who often met in that park just to chat, pass the time, talk about frivolous things:
- Changing the subject now - He said - how are you, Ms. Mistery and Shiroh?
- We've gotten very close, I love hanging out with them! If I'm not mistaken, we're going out this week, but it's a bit difficult because Shiroh is very busy. Speaking of which, they're both very mysterious! The more you find out, the more you have to find out!
- Hahah, in that case you have a lot in common! And Ms. Mistery literally has mystery in her name.
- Oh, you're right! I hadn't stopped to realize that.
- I haven't been able to identify her species yet, by the way. - He thought - and maybe that's not her name at all.
- She admitted that it's not her real name, because she never says "my name", but "you can call me". And she looks like a Human, doesn't she?
- Eh, how observant, Mia - He laughed - I don't think she's Human, although I've never seen her use power - He shrugged - not that it matters, anyway.
- Mhm! What matters is that I like them both a lot, it's always nice to spend time with them - She smiled
- That's nice, Mia - He smiled back
Scene 5
The months were passing more quickly than Kieza would have liked. It didn't seem like she had already been living with Mio for six months. At first, she saw it as a huge stroke of luck, after all, she was going to live with the woman she liked. But nothing had changed. She was out almost all day because of her new job, okay, she wasn't going to complain, she needed that money. And when she was at home, she was either arguing with Yuki, or Mio was too tired to even talk. And not to mention that only a few days ago she and Phaniel had gotten married. REALLY? Any chance she had now had gone down the drain. It was just no use trying. Maybe she should give up. She didn't even know why she was still trying, why had she accepted that contract with Mary? Mio and Phaniel loved each other, she would never have had eyes for Kieza. Still, every day she woke up and looked to the other side. Mio was there. If she went into the kitchen for something to eat. Mio was there. When she wanted to watch something on TV. Mio was there. And every now and then when she helped with some housework, if they bumped into each other in the hallway, or if she had to wait for her to use the bathroom. All this made Kieza all too aware of her existence. How could she control her feelings if, with every move she made, she was reminded that she lived with the woman she liked?
- Good morning, Kieza - She smiled
She would even dare to say that it was all on purpose. But that was just ridiculous. Even though rumors went around town that she was cheating on her (now) husband, Kieza knew that was impossible. Mio is the Goddess of Loyalty. How could this Goddess cheat on someone?
- Good morning, Mio - She smiled back
And she had to admit, it didn't matter. She had a real soft spot for Mio. She could be the worst person in the world, but she'd still be happy to see her in the morning:
- How has your work been?
- Oh, it's fine.
The two of them went into the kitchen, like any other normal day, to make their breakfasts:
- Kiri initially wanted me to be her partner, but since she works killing creatures there, it was too dangerous for me, so I went to another department.
- Oh, so you don't have any powers, anything like that?
- No... because of the contract with Mary I stopped being Human, but it seems that any power I had... was used - She laughed
- On me? - She said, a little shyly
It was always like that. The two of them would have some rare conversation, normal, like any other, and suddenly Mio would act like this. Damn. She had too much of a weakness with her:
- yes. - She gave a slight smile, then turned her gaze back to the coffee she was preparing
The two remained silent. That particular subject was still a bit sensitive. Mio had fainted and never went into any more detail about it, and Kieza the same way. She hadn't told them why she accepted that contract, the conditions or any details about the day of the incident, just as Mio hadn't told her why she'd gone there or what those bullet shots had done to her. Neither of them seemed to want to tell either:
- Aw, you always make your coffee like that. Is it good?
- Hm? - She'd been taken aback - you say... by putting milk in it? - She found that question strange
- Uhum!
- It's quite common, actually.
- Really? It's just that Yuki always has a habit of making coffee that's too watery... I got used to drinking tea because of that. And because of Aisa, too.
- And if you're an insomniac, drinking coffee isn't good, it's better to stick with tea. But coffee with milk is less strong.
- Uhmmm, I've made my tea now... - She was frowning - Will you make me your latte another day?
- I will. - She smiled slightly
Shit! That woman was so beautiful, Kieza couldn't think of anything else the moment she laid eyes on her. Ahh, damn it, what should she do?
- Uhm...
Maybe she shouldn't ask that question. Was Kieza being hasty, crossing a line? She wanted to try, at least:
- When are you thinking of moving in with Phaniel?
The two looked at each other, Mio was serious:
- I don't know - She looked away
That was intriguing. When Kieza becomes interested in someone, she dedicates herself to getting to know them completely. The kind of person who can tell what they're thinking just by a slight change of expression. But Mio was different. She'd only known her for a few years, and in the meantime she'd managed to understand her a lot. She's the kind of person who doesn't let her feelings get the better of her, but that doesn't mean she's completely rational. Mio isn't emotional and impulsive like Kirisaki, let alone rational and composed like Aisa. She's much more like a mother, when someone she cares about gets in trouble she seems to lose all reason, but most of the time she maintains an exemplary attitude. However, Kieza's knowledge stopped there. Everything else was a complete mystery. And Kieza could tell very quickly: Mio doesn't like to talk about herself. For example, she only knew that she was a Goddess because she attended the meetings, she never heard it directly from Mio. And Kieza only learned that she liked to play the bass guitar when she came to live in her house. Everything about her past was mysterious, she was a very mysterious woman. She would even dare to say that she knew more about Yuki than Mio, after all, when she worked in the bar, she listened to Yuki's delusions:
- You don't know? - That bothered her
She wanted to try to understand this once and for all. Why had she invited her to her house when she was about to marry someone else? And why was she acting so enigmatic?
- You know, Mio, there are lots of rumors going around...
- I know - She said dryly
In that sense, the two sisters were very similar. They acted in the same way when they wanted to end a subject:
- And you're not going to do anything? - She got slightly annoyed - Don't you mind people saying that about you? Because you know, even I find it weird. You ask me to move in with you, when I don't even know you properly and you don't live with your husband?
- I just wanted to... you needed help and I decided to help you. After all, it was you who saved me.
- Even knowing what they say?
- What do you mean?
- Mio, I like you - She said it seriously
She was no longer a teenager to be embarrassed when she was about to confess to someone, without any drama. Waffling on about your feelings only makes everything worse. Even so, she was slightly nervous, luckily her skin covered the red of her face:
- aw..
The silence was enormous:
- I thought they were just rumors...
- They're not, the whole town knows. Doesn't that make your invitation even weirder?
- hm... well, I admit that I knew all this.
- And you still invited me?
- Why? Don't you like it?
- Of course I like it! - She was indignant at the question
- so I don't see why we should fight about it - She shrugged
Was that really Mio? She was so weird:
- Because I don't want you to get into trouble because of me.
- You don't have to worry about that - She nodded.
They both fell silent again, Kieza staring at the other for a while:
- Are you enjoying this? - She asked
Mio looked at her. Was it her imagination or did she have a little smile?
- I finished my tea, I have other things to do, excuse me.
Scene 6
April had begun and the frequency with which Sora left his room had decreased. In the last month, she probably hadn't gone out more than five times. She was locked in there all the time. And from the very first days of April, Sora seemed to have shown that she would never leave her room again. Aisa and Qi-Yuan still made a habit of leaving their meals at the door of the girl's room, but the older girl still kept trying to talk to her. Once in a while, she would reply, but only a few words were exchanged and the conversation was over. On the other hand, Aisa felt increasingly lonely, even her birthday had passed and Sora was still locked up. Another morning arrived, how many days had gone by like this? She lost count of how many days had passed. Since the end of the year, she had locked herself in her room. She didn't want to see Yuki's face, she didn't want to be reminded of the moments they had spent together. All those days she stayed in her room, Sora constantly stroked her hair and braided it. This was something her mother was very fond of doing. She loved her long pink hair, always looked after it with the utmost care and enjoyed braiding it. Since the death of her parents, she had inherited this same habit. And Yuki, for some reason, also liked Sora's hair. Every now and then she would try to braid them, just like her mother did, Yuki wasn't good at it, but she still appreciated the gesture. She associated it with the color of the sky when the sun went down. How the clouds turned pink from the sun's reflection, the same color as Sora's hair. Her long hair signified her dead mother and the only trait Yuki liked about her. Her hair signified her past, her regrets. They were what trapped her in those memories, in a reality that would never return. A warm family that had been destroyed. A gentle, healthy, delicious friendship that had been transformed into nothing but bitter memories. All of it. It all stuck with Sora when she stroked her long hair, when she braided it. Even her two sisters, Aisa, whom she regretted so, so much for having wronged her, for having been the reason for her suffering. And Qi-Yuan, who, even though she saw her at her worst, having only just met her, still cared about her, tried incessantly to talk to her every day. And on the other hand, someone terrible, cruel, like Yuki. Who certainly hadn't forgotten Sora, but still pretended to. Someone who threw away everything they had the moment Sora tried something more. All these things were stuck in Sora. All these things kept her trapped in her past. In her own regrets. And she kept reliving those memories, staring at her ceiling, sitting on her bed, braiding her hair. It went on like this for all this time, in a vicious cycle:
- enough.
How much longer was she going to be like this? That wasn't her. No. Getting stuck in the past. That's ridiculous. You're the Goddess of Time, and you're stuck in the past? Move on. Fix your mistakes. Forget what's gone. There are people who care about you. There are people who want to see you. No more holding on to the past. Spending your present. It's past time to run towards the future. You should leave all those memories behind:
- I'm going to... leave all that behind.
And little by little, she cut it all out. All those memories, everything that kept her from marching into the future. Everything fell to the ground. And so another day dawned. Aisa had only just woken up, it was unusual for her to wake up so late. It was a shame, she had finished a book last night, maybe that was it:
- Haah, but why did the protagonist have to die at the end? - She muttered
She walked towards the stairs to make her coffee. Hey, wait. What's that noise, a vacuum cleaner? It was coming from Sora's room. Well, at least she was keeping her room clean. She went downstairs to the living room and Qi-Yuan was already there, awake:
- Good morning - She said
- Good morning! - She replied
- I've already made your tea.
- Thank you - She sat down at the table - What is it?
- Hibiscus.
- My favorite!
- I know - She smiled - hey.. - She looked towards the stairs. She looked surprised
- hm? - Aisa looked in the same direction. She almost knocked over her cup - SORA?!
The girl was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the two sisters. Everything seemed normal, really. No, it wasn't just Sora's look that had changed. She had changed. Her long hair, which would normally be trailing on the floor, was gone. Now, in a very badly cut way, her hair was very short, with long bangs falling over her face and the back exaggeratedly short. However, there was a small, thin, still long braid sticking out from the rest of her hair. Not to mention that Sora's eyes, once sparkling like a jewel, looked tired:
- ahm...
She seemed embarrassed, perhaps her personality hadn't changed:
- That's what I call a drastic change - Qi-Yuan said, laughing
- wow - Aisa was still in shock
- So? - The older woman still had a big smile on her face - Has it finally stopped?
- Yes - She walked over to the table - I'm sorry I took so long - She looked at her two sisters - but I'm back - She smiled
- agh - Aisa put her cup on the table, she was crying - your hair...
- Are you crying because she cut her hair?
- it meant... - She sobbed
- Yes, Aisa - She smiled slightly - but I thought it was time to move on.
- I'm happy... very happy...
- It's okay. - Sora ran her hand down her sister's back
- Come on~ that'll make your tea bitter. - The older woman said
- You're right - She wiped away her tears. She took a few deep breaths - I'm glad, Sora - She smiled
- mhm - The younger girl agreed - It's nice to be able to enjoy breakfast with my family again...
- ah, yeah! Are you going to the meeting today?
- No - She nodded - I have other plans for my future... and I feel it's time to leave meetings in the past.
- Okay - Aisa agreed - I understand.
- But you can tell Iro that I'm fine, the way he is... he'll make a big deal when he finds out I'm leaving...
Qi-Yuan and Aisa looked at each other, seeming to communicate silently:
- Ah, and there's something else.
- It's been a long time, but we never told you since you were stuck in your room...
- I went to talk to Yuki, a few months ago, about all this... an-
- No - Sora said abruptly - I don't want to know.
- Ah, okay... - She looked down
- I want to move on, Aisa. Whatever Yuki said, I don't care. She and I are better off. You don't have to worry about that.
- Got it - Qi-Yuan said
- Ah... are you sure, Sora?
- Aisa... - She looked at her - can you understand me?
- ....I guess so - She lowered her face
Scene 7
It was already evening and the house was still the same, except that the door to Sora's room, normally locked, was now open. Qi-Yuan approached, knocking on the door, signaling that she was there:
- Excuse me.
- Qi-Yuan? - Sora looked at her - Did something happen?
- No - She nodded - I just felt like it. During the time you were stuck in your room, I had plenty of opportunity to get to know Aisa. But you...
- it makes sense...
- Even though I tried - She shrugged
- You're right - She laughed - but Aisa...
- I don't blame her - She got serious
- I just feel like she's a bit distant...
- Maybe it's you who's become distant - She sat down on the bed - What are you doing?
- Organizing some photos.
Sora was sitting in a chair, facing her desk, where she was organizing various photos:
- Do you like that?
- It's become a hobby recently...
- hmm?
- It's just that - She turned towards the other woman - I find it interesting, how Humans were able to trap "time" in something physical like that - She looked back at the photos - technically speaking, as a Goddess of Time, whenever I want to revisit a memory I can just go back to it, literally.
- But humans can't do that - She added
- Exactly. And I thought it was a... nice gesture.
The two were silent for a while:
- Qi-Yuan, I haven't told anyone this yet, you know, but for some reason I feel that if it's for you, you'll understand me.
She had her back to her sister, making it difficult for the older woman to decipher her feelings:
- Until then I'd been keeping it in, or rather ignoring it, for fear of being rejected - She laughed lightly - rejected by Yuki. I wondered if she would hate me after finding out. And look, she didn't have to and it was much worse. I don't need her approval anymore - She sounded as if she was angry
- Okay...
- You... when you look in the mirror, what do you see? People around me seem to be able to say it so easily, but for me it's always been an enigma. What on earth am I supposed to be seeing, feeling? - Pause - I asked this to a friend of mine, I thought she and I might have similar answers. Only she told me that when she looked in the mirror, she could clearly see a woman. Of course! Because she is one.
- So what would you be?
- I ignored that answer for a long, long time. Perhaps for Humans this is something easier to answer, since they have a more solid concept of gender than Gods - She turned towards the other - the answer is: I'm neither.
- Neither man nor woman?
- It's more complicated than that. Not that it matters much, you know?
- You're right, what matters is that you feel good - She smiled
- Mhm... - She stood up
- Sora... you know... - She looked at her reflection in the mirror - now that you've said it, I'm also asking myself "what the hell am I supposed to be seeing?".
- And what do you see?
- I don't know... what was I supposed to see?
- Only you can say. Some see a man, others a woman and it can even be neither or both...
The older woman layed on the bed, staring at the ceiling:
- If I looked in the mirror and said, "Yeah, that's a woman", it would feel wrong.
- What if you said, "That's a man?"
There was silence in the room. Qi-Yuan contemplated that question until she stood up and looked in the mirror:
- a lot would make sense if I said that.
- Yeah...? - Sora smiled a little - like the way you acted when you were a child, how you often felt out of place with most children, the way they referred to you always seemed wrong, like a missing piece? Your tastes, habits, gestures, they all seemed different, but now it makes so much sense? If you say you're a man, then it all makes more sense?
- As if a piece of the puzzle had finally been found - He looked at the other.
- So I don't have two sisters.
- And neither do I have two sisters.
- Hah, you're right! - She laughed - In that case, Aisa would be the only woman.
- We'd be pretty diverse, wouldn't we?
- A man, a woman and...
- neither - He laughed
The two of them remained silent for a while:
- Maybe it's taking a while to sink in - Qi-Yuan said - it's weird. How come I never realized that?
- Look, for a long time I was the same way... knowing Yuki made me question it. Sometimes it's like that. But then things from the past start to make sense. Like "of course that's what it was!".
- talking to you always brings problems, hm? Now I'm going to have an existential crisis for the rest of the week!
- Hey, I'm helping you! You should thank me, shouldn't you? Last time you found out that you were my sister, and now you found out that you're actually my brother - She laughed
- Fuck you. But - He smiled, slightly - I like the sound of that.
- Brother?
- yeah...
Scene 8
- It's really impressive - He said
- Yes, she organized all this in such a short time!
Mia, Ms. Mistery and Shiroh were in a park, sitting on metal stools around a metal table. The metal was corroded by the weather, but the details and rococo on the table and chairs were still beautiful:
- She was probably one of the only residents here since before the war, right? - It was Shiroh who was talking now
- Yes! Right after the end of the war, there were very few people here, but Mio kept trying to organize the city. And now, three years later, it's much better!
- And with more people. - Ms. Mistery added
- And speaking of impressive people, so is Shiroh!
- Oh, come on, I get shy like that~
- No, I agree with Mia too...
- Isn't it? In the middle of the war, you decided to interfere in the attacks and were able to ascend to the throne! Your existence contributed to the end of the war! That's really impressive.
- I was just being selfish...
- Look, if being selfish is wanting to remove someone from a powerful position because they're a tyrant, I can only imagine what selfless people are like - Ms. Mistery said
- Right? And you even got Nakano's support!
- Nakano is that famous witch, wanted all over the planet?
- Uhum!
- Yeah, Shiroh, you'd better stop being so humble...
- What, I only got into a fight with Nakano, she lost by a whisker and then agreed to help me - She crossed her arms - and you know, later on, we had another fight, a fairer one this time. She won.
- WHAAAAAAAAAAAT????
- Yes - She nodded - but it's best not to tell anyone. If they know that the "almighty one" lost to a simple witch, it could be a problem.
- Yes, maybe the price on Nakano's head would triple, or something like that.
- Wouldn't that be good for her, then? - Mia said, holding back her laughter
- Hey, you're right! If Nakano just shows up there, she'll take the money, leave...
- I don't know if that's how it works, Shiroh - Ms. Mistery said
- No! I'm pretty sure she's already done that.
- WHAT?
- YEAH!! I think that's why the bounty on her head has increased recently. She and Fuan just showed up, presented themselves, took the money and left!
- HOW RIDICULOUS - Mia laughed
- And of course I didn't do anything, I pretended I didn't see! It's the Earth that wants their heads, so I don't need to interfere - Shiroh said
- Well, maybe Shiroh isn't as altruistic as I thought...
- HEEEYY!!??
Scene 9
The three of them, despite the dusk, continued their heated conversation, so immersed in the dialog that they didn't even notice the time passing:
- But also, if we're talking about incredible people, I think Mia deserves a place here.
- I agree! - Shiroh replied
- Huuh? - Mia looked shy - but I've never done anything incredible like have billions of dollars over my head or conquered the throne of Olympus... or rebuilt a city after the war...
- You're a hybrid. - Shiroh said
- And what's up with that?
- Hybrids are very rare these days, you know that right? - It was Ms. Mistery who spoke
- Really..?
- Not to mention that you came from somewhere else, right? You came with Kirisaki through a portal.
- Yeah, there's that...
- Was it another dimension?
- Hmm, kinda..
- But it doesn't stop there. - Ms. Mistery added
- What do you mean? - Shiroh asked
- Didn't you have that whole thing with Cheng and that puppet?
- Yes. Cheng knew Kiri and me in that same "dimension", while Mary knew Kiri and me in past incarnations.
- Oooohh~
- So when she and I came to this dimension, those memories of past incarnations kind of came together. That's why Mary was able to figure out that Kiri and I were those incarnations, just as Kiri and I were able to understand why Mary was so angry.
- You had the memories of that past life.
- Kinda like that.
- What a mess...
- Yeah, now Cheng's kind of on her own and Mary's just completely gone.
- Could she be dead? - Ms. Mistery said
- Do puppets die? - Shiroh asked
- Mary was a demon sealed in a puppet forged by the gods. Can you guess who trapped her in that puppet? - Mia smiled, embarrassed
- aaaaahh, now it makes sense! Yeah, I'd have a beef with the person who sealed me in a thing made by Celestials if I were a Wicked.
- But do you have any memories of why you trapped her there?
- No.... is that it's not like I have memories of my past life. They're sort of lapses of memory, little situations. It's like, a lot more feelings that remind me that I've experienced something similar, rather than being able to revisit a past situation in my head, y'know?
- There are triggers that let you know you've lived that life, but you don't have free access to the memories of that life.
- Exactly!
- And on top of all that, you still have an alternative future version that stopped Mio from killing herself!
- But I'm not her, so she'd be the incredible one...
- But it means you could have become her!
- I don't know if becoming an R-J for having seen everyone you love die and being forced to repeat that cycle to try to save other timelines is something to appreciate... - Ms. Mistery wisely commented
- Yeah... true.
- Still, Mia is admirable, yes!
- Thanks... I guess - She was shy - but!!! Tery's just talking, but she's amazing too!!!
- True! You tried to draw attention away from yourself by talking about us, didn't you?
- Hahaha, no, no, no!
Scene 10
- Hey, but you know something's got me thinking - Shiroh commented
It was getting late and it was clear that the three of them had spent hours and hours talking:
- We mentioned that some people were disappearing around here, right?
- Yes! It's even a subject for me to bring up at the next meeting.
- You said they became less frequent after Sora, Zenska and Kieza left, right? - Ms. Mistery said
- Yes! Now there's just me, Andou, Aisa and Iro.
- Anyway - Shiroh continued - since I've been visiting Dìxía more, I couldn't help but get involved in these cases, and most of these disappearances were because people were murdered. Although the media isn't reporting it, at my request, to tell you the truth.
- What?
- And all the victims died in the same way: dismembered. However, the weapon used doesn't seem to be a conventional one. For the rest, we still don't have many more details.
- But why are you suddenly talking about this? - Mia asked
- She's talking about it like it's a horror story - Ms. Mistery commented
- HEY! It's not that, it's that I thought of something and I felt like a detective.
- What's it?
- Remember that woman who appeared at the New Year's Eve party?
- There were several, Tery is one of them...
- I'm talking about Gaiko! That Succubus-Aaba.
- Ahhh I know!
- Well, I don't know if you've seen her...
- No - The two answered, interrupting Shiroh
- Can you let me speak? - She looked annoyed... Anyway, she has a tail and at the end of it there's something that looks a lot like the spades symbol from the deck! Now, have you seen something similar on other people?
- Hmmm - Mia thought - when Cheng went to put the curse on me and Kiri, a tail appeared with a clover on the end, just like the symbol for clubs!
- And does anyone else remind you of something like that?
- HMmmMM - Mia struggled - AH! Wait, I could be wrong. But, in a small lapse of memory from my past life, before my previous version trapped Mary in that puppet, she, as a Demon, had a tail with the symbol of diamonds on the end!!!
- Uhum - Shiroh smiled, she looked proud - so, what do these three have in common?
- One is a Succubus and the other two are Demons...? - Mia said - I don't know.
- What do you think, Tery? You're a bit quiet.
- Well, Succubus are a type of Demon. Shiroh knows Gaiko, and when Kirisaki made the confusion between "Gabriel" and "Gaiko", she confirmed that Gaiko was an angel. If she's a Succubus today, you can assume that she's actually just a fallen angel that turned to a Demon.
- Wow, you do sound like a detective.
- Ah- sorry, I found this conversation interesting and got carried away...
- Go on, go on!
- Well - She looked a bit shy - According to Mia's account, Mary is a demon sealed in an object forged by the gods. Cheng, on the other hand, is certainly a Demon incarnated in the body of a Human.
- In that case! Does that mean that Demons who have a tail with the end of something from the deck weren't always like that? Like, Mary wasn't always a puppet, Gaiko wasn't always a Succubus, and Cheng wasn't always a 14-year-old child.
- Hahahahaha - Shiroh laughed - no, it's not like that. It was just a coincidence. What Tery meant was that what the three of them had in common was that they were Demons!
- But what makes them different from ordinary demons? I've seen other Demons, and they don't have tails like that!
- And that's where Tery's association comes in... do you want to do the honors?
- Look, there is a hierarchy among the Wicked, a little more obvious and cruel than among the Celestials, for example. What these three have in common is that they are Ace-level demons. In other words, the strongest kind of Demons. Mary was so angry at being sealed in something made by Gods because it reduced her power drastically, just as being reincarnated in the body of a Human controlled Cheng's powers. Gaiko, however, is still an uncontrolled serial killer.
- Wait, wait!!! If we have clubs, Cheng, diamonds, Mary, spades, Gaiko... we lack hearts!
Scene 11
- Yeah... - Shiroh looked away - Hearts is the most... hm... unique of them?
- Yeah.. - Ms. Mistery lowered her gaze.
- What?!?!?!?!!?! It's not fun just you both knowing!
- Hearts was once a God, he's become a Fallen God - Shiroh replied
- I wonder if he's the one committing these murders! I still don't understand why you brought all this up about the disappearances. Or was it Gaiko? Tery says she's a serial killer...
- It's true, Tery, how do you know that? Like, I know because she used to be from Olympus, so I keep an eye on her, not least because she's friends with Rayii, a cupid.
- Oh, I don't know that, it was just a guess... it's just that Demons of this level are very strong and usually enjoy killing Humans.
- You're very clever!
- Okay, but what does all this have to do with anything?
- Hearts is gone, it wasn't him. Mary's missing too, it couldn't be her. Gaiko especially likes to kill people to steal their life energy out of them, her murders have... a unique characteristic, it's not her. And Cheng seems to only want to kill you, Mia, it can't be her. So why did I bring this up?
- Is there a fifth person?
The three of them looked at each other:
- Right on! - Shiroh smiled - And after I realized that, it makes a lot of sense.
- A fifth person from something in the deck? We already have the four suits, so it doesn't make sense for it to be the king, queen or jack. In that case, it could only be the joker!
- Yes.... who could it be?
- I don't know?
- The "joker" is none other than the leader of the Deck.
- What?
- The Deck is an old and famous faction, made up of 5 Wicked. They were active from around the 19th to the 20th century. Rumor has it that they were "the shadows" of Satan, but they claimed to work independently. It was disbanded after the joker and clubs were killed off, along with the disappearance of hearts and diamonds. The only one left was spades - Ms. Mystery said
- Does that remind you of anything? - Shiroh smiled
- CALM DOWN! WHAT? - Mia looked shocked - MAN, I FOUGHT WITH TWO PEOPLE FROM A CRIMINAL FACTION OF DEMONS????
- People were murdered by someone who was supposed to be dead, and that's your concern?
- OF COURSE! I COULD BE THE NEXT DEAD PERSON!
- No, that's impossible. If we're talking about Hellen.
- Hellen?
- The Joker, the leader of the Deck - Ms. Mistery answered
- I'll have to investigate this further - Shiroh scratched her head - how is she alive? It's dangerous. Cheng and Gaiko are active, if Mary and Báo reappear, the Deck could easily become active again!
- I don't think Mary will show up - Ms. Mistery spoke calmly - Just as Cheng is purely focused on Mia. Gaiko has always been a bit of an individualist and Báo... he's never been good at working as part of a team, has he? - She sighed
- Yes, you're right. Still, if Hellen is to blame for these murders... she's a danger.
Scene 12
- So, tell me...
Qi-Yuan was lying on Sora's bed, while she seemed to be attaching some pictures on the walls of her room:
- hm? - She replied
- like, you and Yuki, and everything... I don't know, anything!
- What you're on about?
- It's you who's not paying attention! - He got up and sat on the bed
- 50% of my attention is on organizing these photos so that they look nice, 30% on attaching them together and... 20% on what you're saying.
- You only care about me 20%? And I'm surprised you managed to work that out in your head!
- I had to take the 30% out of my attention to calculate how much was missing. And yes, I only care about you 20%.
- Okay, okay - He sighed - I wanted to know about your past, that's all. I know that talking about Yuki is still taboo for you.
- No, not that it is - Sora put one of her hands on her braid, the only long part of her hair - it's just that I can't stand thinking about her anymore. So I don't want to talk about her out loud, my dreams and thoughts are enough.
- Yeah, thinking and talking all the time about someone you hate is irritating. So tell me about your childhood.
- Uhm, it was pretty good, to tell you the truth. The gift I was born with was the ability to create any kind of magic, so my parents were very nice and affectionate towards me. I think all the love they didn't give to you or Aisa, they gave to me. I basically spent all day playing, or spending time with them.
- Hm, yeah - He sighed - they were also "nice" to me, before I ran away, of course. My gift ended up helping my main power, basically I can dematerialize whatever I want.
- I just don't understand it. My gift and yours are great! But - She turned to Qi-Yuan, she looked angry - intelligence is also a great gift! - She turned back to the photos
- I agree! Shiroh was only able to learn so much in such a short time because of her gift, it was so pointless for our parents to do all that.
- They would say that making her study 24/7 would make better use of her gift than giving her affection and care.
The two were silent for a while:
- Sora... do you think she blames herself for this?
- I have no idea. Aisa never talked much about that time with me. Maybe because I was the favorite child, so it must be a bit bothering to talk about it with me, right?
- yeah...
Silence again. Qi-Yuan stared at his reflection in the mirror:
- Hey, Sora.
- What's wrong? - She looked annoyed, she couldn't concentrate
- if I cut my hair....
- don't fuck it up like me.
- But your hair is... - He looked at the state of his sister's hair - it's... it's... uhm, unique.
- Fuck you.
Scene 13
What day was it again? Ah, she'd lost track of time a long time ago. The only indication that the days were still passing was when she occasionally looked out of the large window in her room. That way, she could see the children outside. Those who could enjoy their childhood without scruples, without fear, without worries. They had a childhood. She, on the other hand, didn't. She never had one. She never will. It was so cruel to be kept in that place and to be able to watch the people around her living something that she would never have the right to.
Her room was relatively large. Two large doors remained closed, as if they hadn't been designed to open. Keeping her away from that reality, enclosed. On the right wall was where her bed was, a relatively large bed with curtains and benches on the sides. In general, furniture and ostentation were not things she lacked. The huge shelves full of books, her mobile blackboard, her extensive desk, where she had plenty of notebooks and other stationery. The lamps scattered around the room, making sure that there was always enough light for her studies. Not to mention the decorations on the walls and the plants in the room, the only sign of life there. But what good was all that if she was forced to watch people living their own lives day after day, when she couldn't do it herself? Most of the time, she spent her days sitting in the middle of her room, on top of a round rug, covered in books and notebooks, forced to study. And when her mind asked, begged, for a break, she would turn and look at the huge window right in front of her. In fact, it had once been a balcony, but, prevented to even breathe the air outside, the doors had been closed, and all that remained was that set of huge panes of glass, which lavished something she would never have.
She could only envy her sister, who had everything that prevented her from leaving the house. God be damned. Or any other divine creature. The creator of this world. Why did it have to give her such bad luck? Because that's what it was. It was just bad luck, misfortune. Even if she devoted 100% of her time to her studies, she would never reach the heights of her "beloved" little sister. Simply because she was born that way. Just because she was luckier. It was wrong, she knew, but she couldn't help looking at her with spiteful eyes, watching her smile and joke with hatred, mentally cursing her whenever she could hear the echoes of her laughter around the house. She had everything, everything, everything, what she had always wanted. And she never made the slightest effort to achieve those things. While the other, ah... could spend her whole life locked in that room, her parents would still prefer the younger one. So the only way she could deal with these bitter feelings was to direct them at her sister. Whenever she learned that she had gotten into trouble, been hurt, been scolded or something like that, a smile would appear on her face. Ah, maybe now they'll love me more. Maybe, if she keeps making mistakes, they'll have eyes for me. And other futile thoughts crossed the girl's mind. Poor thing. For years, she had relied on these false hopes. But who could judge her? It was the only thing that had kept her sane for so long. Ah. Damn day. That damn day. Where all those useless expectations were shattered so easily. Everything the poor girl had built up since birth was, in a matter of minutes, dismantled. And right in front of her.
She noticed that the house was silent. She got up and went to look out of the window, as usual. The streets were strangely empty. It seemed like a post-apocalyptic, epidemic vision. Everything was empty, as if not a single living soul inhabited the place. Then she approached the door and put one of her ears to it. It was also a habit of hers. Sometimes she used these moments to silently vent her anger at her sister, sometimes she imagined she was in her place, creating sweet memories with her parents. She heard nothing. Suddenly she felt a chill run down her spine, a bad feeling. This was no ordinary silence. It was a silence that indicated there was no one alive. She pondered for a while what she should do. She waited for a while, maybe they had just left, right? But time didn't pass. That agonizing feeling consumed her. She gained courage. She was going to open the doors to her room. Well, her parents had never expected that in the first place. They had designed that room so that she would never be able to leave it. However, spending days and nights studying, she would eventually find not just one, but several ways out of the place. Of course. Not least because she is the Goddess of Space. However, she deliberately decided to remain trapped in that place. It was what her parents wanted, she didn't want to disappoint them. In that case, perhaps they would understand her recklessness. Or, after checking that everything was all right, she could quietly return to her confinement. Maybe they wouldn't even notice. Perhaps they wouldn't even remember. Do they even remember her face? Did they get so used to passing through those closed doors that they forgot what it contained? Anyway. She took courage and opened the doors. First she took a deep breath of that clean air, that new air. Agh, but then the air that filled her lungs was disgusting. It smelled terrible, disgusting, what the hell was that? She went on, exploring the corridors of her house, the ones she had never had the chance to contemplate. It was all new. For a moment she appreciated the new sight, but the disgusting smell kept reminding her of the situation she was in. Well. It didn't take long for things to make sense. So many questions crossed her mind at that moment. But. The one that remained unanswered was: "You left me behind?".
- agh, that's enough - said Aisa
She gazed at the view from her house, even though her room was at the back, it faced another part of the city, where, on the horizon, there were some mountain ranges. She became lost in her thoughts and lost track of time:
- No more remembering.
She turned around and walked into her room. It was a simple room, with little color variation; the most striking feature was the large number of plants and books. Of course, everything was very organized and methodical, as expected of Aisa. The woman stopped and once again found herself lost in thought. It had been years since that event, yet she kept revisiting those memories. In fact, after seeing that scene, she spent many years wandering aimlessly through the universe. First, she wanted revenge for the murder of her parents, searching for the culprit. She managed to find him. However, if it hadn't been for sheer luck, she would have been another victim of the killer. After that, she gave up and tried to find her sister. However, the envy and hatred she directed towards her would not go away any time soon. Years had passed, they were both much older and their parents, who were to blame for creating such a rivalry, were no longer there, but childhood trauma is not so easily overcome, willpower alone is not enough. Time is also needed. Now Aisa saw her already weak relationship with her sister perishing. Now, again, she found herself envying her. Qi-Yuan, who had only recently appeared, having spent more than 20 years out of their lives, suddenly appeared and managed to get closer to Sora more quickly. Now she envied the only two relatives she had. Honestly. What a mean and bitter person she was.
Scene 14
Another morning began, and Sora and Qi-Yuan were having breakfast together. Aisa, however, wasn't there, which was rare, as the woman was usually the first to wake up:
- What do you have there? - Sora approached the table
- Nothing much, I made some coffee - Qi-Yuan said, as the coffee smoke fogged his glasses.
- I'll pass... - She sat down
- I figured, Aisa usually has coffee with me.
- Does she drink coffee?
- As far as I know, yes.
- I've always seen her drinking tea.
- Maybe she lost interest... like you with...
- Dude - She looked at her brother - It's 8 in the morning.
- I had to say that.
- When you find someone, you can't complain.
- I guess you'll be waiting a long time, then.
- Sure, sure - She shrugged - I know about your things, mister~
- I don't know what you're talking about - Qi-Yuan seemed to use the smoke fogging up his glasses to hide his expression
- You should introduce me to him one day, you know - She sipped her juice
- I. don't. know. what. you. are. talking. about - He looked angry
- Religion Gods are rare these days, and he's one of the famous ones... what a big fish we have on our hands, hm?
- Sora.
- But doesn't he have a wife? Is he straight?
- Sora. - He looked like he wanted to shove his face into a hole
- Look, you started it.
- My bad, my bad.
- So we're even, we don't talk about romantic interests here, understood?
- Alright - He sighed - okay.
The two of them remained silent:
- You're not going to do shit I know - said Sora.
- heh - Qi-Yuan giggled - who knows?
- Man, I hate you so much.
- More than Y-
- SHUT THE FUCK UP! - She stood up
- Can't I annoy you back? - He laughed
- YOU CAN'T.
- That's unfair.
- Talk any shit but Yuki - She sat down again
- Is Yuki shit?
- Almost literally.
- I wonder if I'll ever meet her.
- You haven't left the house much yet, have you?
- No, but then again, I don't really care.
- Running away from someone? - She smiled
- Shut up.
- Yeah, yeah. BUT - She pointed at him - you know, I think we could give your look a makeover.
- I like the way I look now.
- Hmm - She shrugged - but I don't.
- And?
Just then, Aisa came down the stairs and over to the table:
- Good morning, Aisa! - Sora said
- Morning Ai~ - Qi-Yuan said
- Good morning - She smiled
- Hey, Aisa, Qi-Yuan should change his appearance, no?
- His? - Aisa said, sitting down on one of the chairs
- His? - Sora replied
- Qi-Yuan uses masculine pronouns? - She asked
- Dude, didn't you tell her? - Sora said
- Uhm, I may have forgotten... - He looked away
- What? - Aisa was a little lost
- So, Aisa, bad news, or no. You don't have two sisters.
- Huh?
- You have an older brother and... uhm, some thing, younger - Qi-Yuan continued
- Some thing? - Sora grumbled - I AM "A THING"?
- I don't know, what am I going to say? - He shrugged
- Ah... ok - Aisa said
The girl looked at the two of them, who had clearly come very close in a short space of time. She felt a little out of place. Even to receive such important news in this way, where the two of them had known about it for a while, and she had been left behind. How much more did they have in common that Aisa didn't even know about? Ah, suddenly her coffee tasted more bitter than usual. She sipped her coffee while observing the warm conversation between the two. Maybe she didn't belong there. Maybe she should lock herself in her room again. It had always been like this, hadn't it? So maybe that's how things should be. And this started to become commonplace, Aisa less often showed up, stayed in her room, or, when she went for a meal, generally avoided meeting her siblings, and when that was unavoidable, talked as little as possible. Qi-Yuan and Sora seemed too focused on themselves to notice these nuances, perhaps also because neither of them had ever been close, so they had no way of knowing if this was Aisa's usual attitude. To make matters worse, their "ignorance" only made Aisa close herself off even more.
Final Scene
- Hellen, she's here.
- Oh, wait.
Hellen seemed to be playing a game of chess, it was already at the end and she had the advantage. Her opponent, an unknown person, was clearly distressed. The person who had warned her of someone else's arrival was standing silently watching the match:
- And.. Checkmate - She smiled
Before her opponent could even protest, Hellen drew a card: an ace of hearts, and threw it in the other person's direction. The person was hit hard, falling to the ground in agony. Then Hellen stood up, waving her tail, at the end of which was something very like a USB cable:
- You can call her - She rolled her eyes
The android turned to the now collapsed body and kicked it away:
- You bother my eyesight - She said.
- I brought her.
- Very well - She turned in the direction of the voice - Hello - She gave a big smile when she saw who it was - What are you doing here? - She looked at the card of hearts, stained with blood
- What else would I be doing here? - The figure replied
- I don't know, you tell me - She wiped the blood away
- You know why, don't play dumb.
- Oh, come on~ don't be shy, why don't you say out loud what you've come to do, Hisui Shiroh.
Shiroh looked perplexed when she heard her name, she didn't seem to expect to be recognized. This infuriated her:
- Oh, are you mad? - Hellen smiled even wider
- Okay - Shiroh's expression quickly got serious - we can dispense with introductions, then. Actually, that makes everything much easier. If you know who I am, you know the consequences if this meeting is leaked.
- Hah, a threat - She smiled - you really are... a nasty person.
- Isn't that exactly the kind of person you're looking for? - She said, as she looked at the body lying in the distance.
- Hmm~ but the people I look for usually don't meet a happy ending. But I imagine that's not the case with you...
- You're right. I won't be the person with the tragic ending.
- Of course, because dying once doesn't seem to have been enough for you, Your Majesty - She spoke in a cynical tone
- You-
Hellen stared at Shiroh with a provocative smile, almost looking at her with superiority:
- Me what? Are you going to do something, Shiroh?
- Leave it. I don't want to spend another second in your presence.
- Oh, I'm glad the feeling is mutual.
- I need you to kill someone - She said it naturally
- Hmm, really?
- In this case, I don't know who that person is exactly, since my target isn't specific. Have you ever heard of the Matrix Species?
Hellen's eyes seemed to light up when she heard that:
- Yes, I have.
- There is still a specimen. They're not on the plane of the living at the moment, but since I can sense their existence, however faintly, it means they're stuck in Limbo.
- About this you understand a lot - She laughed
Shiroh only replied with a glare before speaking again:
- I've been looking for this specimen for years. For some reason, there are more traces of their existence here in Dìxía. I sent friends of mine to investigate it a while ago, but it was no use. That's why I decided to come myself.
- Where are you going with this?
- There is a resident of Dìxía who met this specimen of the Matrix Species while they were still on this plane. I need that person dead.
- Hoooh~ let me get this straight. You want to kill the person who met this Matrix Species in order to send them to Limbo, so that they can resurrect the specimen. Is that right?
- That's right.
- A risky plan, like playing the lottery. And why did you got us to do it? Do you even know who this person is?
- No, I have some clues that I can share, but I've decided to leave the work to you. I think that, knowing your job... you'll be able to find out who it is faster than I can.
- HAH! You know what I do, then?
- I know everything, Hellen - She said, with a dead look on her face.
- HAH - She laughed - and you still decide to turn a blind eye to it? Ridiculous. What's more, you come in person to make a request. What a... nasty person.
- So you admit that your work is criminal? Okay, I'll remember that.
- Shut up. Agh. - She looked at the other person, who until then had remained silent - What do you think of that, Qian?
Shiroh also looked in the direction of the person, it was just a silhouette, perhaps it didn't exist physically, that was its appearance, or it was simply using shadows to hide its identity. Either way, it was impossible to recognize. The figure said nothing, but Hellen seemed to have understood:
- Very well. We accept your request. We will look for this person who has met the Matrix Species and we will kill them. When we discover their identity, will you want to know who they are?
- I think I will in any way. Well, I wish you luck.
The two waited for Shiroh to disappear:
- HAH - Hellen laughed - Shiroh, I never liked you, but now... ahhh~ I can't wait to reveal today's meeting to your beloved people. What would they think of you? Sending an innocent person to be murdered, just to fulfill your ridiculous little plans. How selfish!
